The transfer case on my Tacoma, which had ~76,000 miles, developed a problem when the drain plug threads broke during an attempted fluid change. I had drained out the old oil and put the drain plug back into place and added the new oil. But the new oil was slightly leaking, so I tightened the drain plug some more to get the leak to stop. Suddenly part of the threads on the transfer case plate snapped off and the new oil poured out. Upon inspection of the drain plug, there were three crushed washers, suggesting a previously improperly performed maintenance. Either way, I should have used a torque wrench and a new washer when putting back the drain plug. I was able to use SteelStik to patch it up and get it to hold oil and drive it to where it needed to be. But I was worried that the SteelStik would not hold as a long term solution
This led to a significant repair in which I did not have my truck for almost three weeks as we mulled over solutions. Rather than pay $2700 for a brand new transfer case and pay $1800 in labor or pay $600 for a replacement plate and $1500 in labor, I was suggested to get a used transfer case from a nearby junk yard. We found multiple transfer cases with similar mileages that we tried to get (77,000 and later 93,000, both $533) that were brought in to the shop, but ultimately deemed not compatible because of one small difference (engine parts, electrical plug, etc.). This meant the only nearby part we could find that was compatible was a used transfer case with 175,000 miles on it ($225). The labor for this came out to $815 in costs for diagnosis by a different shop, $725 for the repair labor, and $65 for oil. All this because I was encouraged to to my own DIY maintenance to save money.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
The transfer case on my Tacoma, which had ~76,000 miles, developed a problem when the drain plug threads broke during an attempted fluid change. I had drained out the old oil and put the drain plug back into place and added the new oil. But the new oil was slightly leaking, so I tightened the drain plug some more to get the leak to stop. Suddenly part of the threads on the transfer case plate snapped off and the new oil poured out. Upon inspection of the drain plug, there were three crushed washers, suggesting a previously improperly performed maintenance. Either way, I should have used a torque wrench and a new washer when putting back the drain plug. I was able to use SteelStik to patch it up and get it to hold oil and drive it to where it needed to be. But I was worried that the SteelStik would not hold as a long term solution
This led to a significant repair in which I did not have my truck for almost three weeks as we mulled over solutions. Rather than pay $2700 for a brand new transfer case and pay $1800 in labor or pay $600 for a replacement plate and $1500 in labor, I was suggested to get a used transfer case from a nearby junk yard. We found multiple transfer cases with similar mileages that we tried to get (77,000 and later 93,000, both $533) that were brought in to the shop, but ultimately deemed not compatible because of one small difference (engine parts, electrical plug, etc.). This meant the only nearby part we could find that was compatible was a used transfer case with 175,000 miles on it ($225). The labor for this came out to $815 in costs for diagnosis by a different shop, $725 for the repair labor, and $65 for oil. All this because I was encouraged to to my own DIY maintenance to save money.
- Lombremic .., Oviedo, FL, US