2016 DCLB SR5 4x4 Transfer Case Problem

Yup, no codes on the dash… dealership says it’s normal for the front shaft to spin in 2wd. According to them so far… according tit he service manager.

Now the service manager asked the shop guy and he said “some do, some don’t. Bring it in and we’ll diagnose it.”

I’m hesitant to diagnose it at the dealer because if I do and it’s bad, it’s on file… Then I can’t punt it to carmax.

new transfer case is $3500… then add labor.

 

Definitely not correct. Plenty of dealer workers don't know the ins and outs of the norms for each vehicle. There are many production 4WD vehicles where the front spins full time - but the Tacoma is not one.

 

Have you ruled out U-Joints? 2016 4x4s have 2 greasable Zerks on the front shaft and 3 on the rear.

 

Transfer cases are not that complex of a device...I would think it could be fixed fairly cheaply at a place that isn't going to throw a whole new transfer case at it, i.e. the dealer. Usually some RTV to open it up and seal it back up, whatever's broken is likely one or two parts. Not saying you should necessarily get it repaired, but it would be a lot cheaper than $3500.

You could also look at getting a used tcase off of eBay and just install it yourself. That's more around the $800 range.

As for the some do, some don't comment, a Tacoma should not have the front driveshaft spin in 2WD, period. That is just simply how the design is. Something is for sure wrong if it is spinning.

 

I greased them when all the noises started happening.

 

Did you check the u joints? As in actually remove the shafts to see if the joints have play or are excessively loose when swiveling around. I've had a similar noise when driving with a bad u joint. It was a Chevy but only had like 30,000 miles on it.

 

U-joints won't cause the driveshaft to start spinning when it isn't supposed to.

 

No but they will make noise. The front shaft could spin a bit through friction in the transfer case. There is nothing holding it back with the front diff disengaged. At least her can rule them out and test the transfer case further when the shafts aren't connected.

 

i would also go to a personally owned independent transmission shop that will rebuild a transfer case themselves and not send it out, and get their opinion and price. take your phone video with you and show it to them.
there is not that much inside it having watched Ian rebuild them on the Four Wheeler TV show

 

The transfer case oil pump runs off the planet carrier so it's pumping anytime the input shaft is spinning since the input gear (sun) is always in mesh with the planets.
But the transfer case input to rear output relationship will always be 1:1 in HI range.

 

The caveat with this is just under the right conditions in 2wd the front driveshaft *can* spin. Basically, if friction is low enough and oil is viscous enough you can get the front shaft to spin via the oil drag. The rate it spins will be a small fraction of the rear driveline speed and should no way be the cause of this noise. You can normally get this to happen by shifting from 4HI to 2HI at speed. I've noticed the front shaft will continue to slow rotate until you stop.

 

Okay I’ve got an update. I pulled the rear driveshaft entirely to get tot he bottom of this. I drove the truck around in 4 high and everything ran smooth as silk! I mean smoother than it’s ever been before. I took the driveshaft to the local machine shop and had him press in all new U joints despite them not feeling too bad. Driveshaft was out anyway so I figured why not. Popped the shaft back in and no more noise. Must have been a u joint that was getting close to bad.

the bitch of it is, it started it’s usual shaky shakes at freeway speed again as soon as the driveshaft went back in. Sounds like I have an out of balance shaft or the trouble many of us long bed guys run into. The long driveshaft seems to cause lots of bad vibes. I’m looking into solutions… thank you all for the help.

 

Thanks for the update. Interesting thread. Great that you have it narrowed down to the drive shaft. I have a long box as well and no issues.

 

Progress
Call around and find out who builds driveshafts around you, try a heavy truck garage or NAPA store.

The driveshaft shop can check for straightness, balance and make repairs as needed.

You just bring them the shaft, not the whole truck.
Hold the U-Joint caps in place with electrical tape.