NP231J lock ring (solved)

[Deleted]

I replaced my Tcase rear output shaft seal yesterday and after driving home it essentially leaked all over the driveshaft which in turn spun it all over the bottom of my truck. I'm confident the seal is in there correctly but I do know for a fact the lock ring was bent when I was taking it off so when i put it back on it didn't sit as tightly as before. Before I took it off you could barely get it to rotate without the help of a screwdriver or something. After I took it off changed the seal and put it back on it was loose enough to move with your fingers, not loose enough to slide off on its own but loose enough to not sit and stay. Theres also a washer in there that, when I took it off was behind said lock ring (i.e. seal -> washer -> lock ring -> oil slinger shield) but when I put it back on i did the seal -> lock ring -> washer -> oil slinger shield because thats how the guy in this video I watched did it:

 

So I guess my question is, is that lock ring more important than I thought? Is it sitting there to keep pressure on the seal so that it doesn't leak? Does anybody have a part number for it I can look up so that I can get it changed out? I'm just stumped because this is a brand new seal and I'm losing a lot of tcase fluid from it. here's a picture I took before I removed all the old stuff so that you can see what it looked like before, currently the washer is in front of the lock ring and the lock ring is much looser than this:

 

[Eagle]

What year and model transfer case is that? It doesn't look like any '86 transfer case I ever saw.

[jeeptec1]

What year and model transfer case is that? It doesn't look like any '86 transfer case I ever saw.

96 and later went to that style.


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[Deleted]

9 minutes ago, jeeptec1 said:

96 and later went to that style.


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Correct its out of a '96 cherokee

[Eagle]

On 8/17/2019 at 10:42 PM, jeeptec1 said:

96 and later went to that style.


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I know that. And, since Pirate's signature says his MJ is an '86, the transfer case didn't match the vehicle and that's why I asked the question.

 

We're all here to help, but it gets difficult when people ask about problems and then don't explain what has been changed on the vehicle.

[thecodemonk]

Anytime I see a snap ring, I assume it's there to keep things from sliding off, so those little things are always essential.  It should sit in a groove too, so that it, too, doesn't slide off.

 

Once in place, you should be able to turn it in the groove, but only with some pressure.  If it's as loose as you describe, it won't hold in the groove (probably the source of your leaks).

 

Your local NAPA or any of those parts stores should be able to help find the right part number for it.  Just tell them it's for the rear output shaft of the transfer case on a 96 cherokee.

[Deleted]

On 8/19/2019 at 8:29 AM, Eagle said:

 

I know that. And, since Pirate's signature says his MJ is an '86, the transfer case didn't match the vehicle and that's why I asked the question.

 

We're all here to help, but it gets difficult when people ask about problems and then don't explain what has been changed on the vehicle.

Thats fair, I mostly didnt mention it because Ive had it like that long enough that sometimes I forget. Ill be more specific in the future though!

[Deleted]

On 8/19/2019 at 3:08 PM, thecodemonk said:

Anytime I see a snap ring, I assume it's there to keep things from sliding off, so those little things are always essential.  It should sit in a groove too, so that it, too, doesn't slide off.

 

Once in place, you should be able to turn it in the groove, but only with some pressure.  If it's as loose as you describe, it won't hold in the groove (probably the source of your leaks).

 

Your local NAPA or any of those parts stores should be able to help find the right part number for it.  Just tell them it's for the rear output shaft of the transfer case on a 96 cherokee.

I was able to hammer it (gently) back together a bit tighter and when I put it back on it fit tightly. Granted the seal kept leaking so I replaced the seal again and through some magic occurrence it doesnt leak this time. I find it best not to question these things but my guess is I somehow also rolled the second seal like I did the first one even though i couldn't see it and somehow the 3rd one didnt get rolled. Either way its fixed and doesnt leak anymore AND the snap ring is back in place securely!

[thecodemonk]

11 hours ago, Pirate_Staz said:

I was able to hammer it (gently) back together a bit tighter and when I put it back on it fit tightly. Granted the seal kept leaking so I replaced the seal again and through some magic occurrence it doesnt leak this time. I find it best not to question these things but my guess is I somehow also rolled the second seal like I did the first one even though i couldn't see it and somehow the 3rd one didnt get rolled. Either way its fixed and doesnt leak anymore AND the snap ring is back in place securely!

 

Well done!  In my experience, once a seal starts leaking...if it's not due to improper seating, then it probably got damaged (it's amazing how little it takes to damage some of those seals).

 

Glad it's working now!