2004 Tacoma Transfer Case - Need Help Finding

I can't make it out from your pics. Is your transfer case shifter like this (1) or,




(2)

Depending on your wrenching ability, you might want to do some basic troubleshooting on your own first before completely writing it off.



You definitely have something leaking by the looks of it. Replacing the seals is pretty straight forward and well documented. Take a look -
https://youtu.be/8YuY6rv1hkE

My guess is if its leaking from the seals, its going to be the ones mentioned in the video above. I've circled in red (below) the two seals I think would be the last to leak. I'm not an expert by any means but after disassembling a tcase and looking at everything, these two seals look perfect. At least in the case I have access to. The o-ring is around the speed sensor which is very easy to pull and replace.


As far as the noise is concerned, TR-10 is an exploded view of the Tcase which is attached below. After ripping into this t-case, honestly the only thing that is I can see coming loose and slamming around inside would be a shift key or a damn ball from a bearing. Everything else in there is pretty damn solid.

Not going to lie, it definitely is a lot to take on if you want to start looking at bearings to be replaced and disassembling the case. Those shift keys are a royal pain in the ass and if they come loose it's hell on earth to put them back. Took me a few days to figure it out and I still am not 100% positive they are in correctly.

Flange seals are one thing which just about anyone can do (just follow tim's vid). If you want to give it a shot, I'd start with seals and then refill with new fluid. See if that resolves the noise issue.

If not and all of the above gives you a headache looking at it, no big thing. Start calling trans shops and find one with toyota knowledge and ask about diagnosing a noisy transfer case.

Last resort would be looking for a replacement. Guessing they (service department) didn't tear it down but instead just jumped straight to $$$ REPLACE.

I'm tired at the moment so I might not have made the best sense or included everything... Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

its a J shift like image number 1 - they told me it was leaking, I hadn't noticed in a while, but it makes a lot of noise driving.

Right now I'm just looking at buying one from a yard and swapping it out.

 

It's going to make noise if it's low on oil. Understood on the search. Good luck.

 

Looks correct to me but I'd want to know what year and vehicle it's out of before I'd buy it.

 

@Area51Runner - at best it has a very light grinding almost sandy type of noise - Then occasionally will get incredibly loud clunking noises - like hitting a hammer on the transfer case
I have only experienced it driving but it was substantial enough to make me pull off the road and make sure nothing fell out from the bottom of my truck.

 

I hear you .. for me i'd want to try as much as possible before writing it off. The t case should only take a little more than a quart of 75w90. I'd fill it and then give it a cautious go. Who knows, you might luck out and be good to go.

As others have mentioned, If you grab one from salvage or eBay be sure to know where it's coming from (so you know it's what you need) and mileage. Checking the fluid is a wash since apparently they drain them at the yard when they come in (or so I've been told). It all comes down to rolling the dice when going the salvage route.

@turbodb's guide is the best to reference when identifying a tcase and knowing what to look for to meet your requirements.

 

Sorry for the slow reply. Have been out in the desert again. Abbreviated trip (as was the transfer case trip!) for *another* broken part!

Anyway... as far as identification goes... it's hard to tell from those photos because there are no photos of the driver side sensors at the top of the (replacement) case. Looks to me like a MT j-shift w/ADD, but that's all I can tell. Your case also has the 4Lo sensor (front driver side sensor), so you'd need to make sure the replacement has that as well.

I think @Area51Runner's suggestion is an option as well. Certainly if the only noise you were hearing was the sandy noise, I'd say that more oil would be a good solution. Loud bangs...well, my guess is that your case will fail at some point (sounds like the chain slipping a tooth), so you may just want to replace. That said, I'd always want to know (at least) the mileage on the case I was buying. Best to also know the VIN, if you can.