Broken Transfer Case R50 :stickwack:

[TheCrow]

I was out last week end for some wheeling and when I was overcoming an obstacle when my wheels where spinning on the rocks I started hearing a cling cling noise ( Ouch ) , I thought I had broken my front diff , so I went on 2wd reversed and managed to get back home on 2wd as the Pathy was clinging and jerking when engaging the 4wd while I ran normally on the 2wd .

 

Immediately I had my eyes on the kilometer and I realized that I had 100,020 km on the clock by the time I was back home it was 100,200 km and I was hoping to cover any damage under my 100,000 km warrantee offered by Nissan

 

When I took it to the workshop they told me it was the transfer case , and delightfully told me that I have passed the 100,000km and they would not cover it under the warrantee

 

I am considering the Atlas transfer case to have it as a replacement to the OEM

It is offered with various low ratio options of 3.8:1 4.3:1 (same as the factory ratio) 5.0:1 and 6.0:1

 

At first I was so excited to take the one with the lowest ratio but now I am considering the effect of the increased ratio on the other OEM components

 

Anyone who have had the Atlas gear box on his R50 ? or anyone who has lowered his gear ratio that can share his experience would be of a great help to help me make my decision whether to go for modifiying the transfer case or fixing an OEM ?

 

You can hear the transfer case breaking at the beginning of this clip

 

Edited March 15, 2010 by TheCrow

[fleurys]

ouch...sorry I can't help you with your question, but if I were you, I would open up the TC and find and replace what's broken. I'm sure it would cost a lot less than any other options... Since you were able to get home on 2wd, I suspect you broke something that connects to the front driveshaft...so it could be the front shaft or even some of the teeth of the clutch drum

 

fitting an atlas to the r50 can be quite a task... I can only assume the amount of fitting, welding and $$$ that it would require..

 

just my 2 cents..

Edited March 15, 2010 by fleurys

[MY1PATH]

you may have stretched your Drive CHAIN in your t-case so it skips and rattles on the inside of the caseing jerks to the fwd each time it skips and grabs. Its a $300 chain over here and several guys on N4W have had to replace them which can be done on the vehicle. Search over there for the write up (nissan4wheelers.com)

 

Typically when you get lower gear ratios (2:1 is stock) like 3.7:1 4x4 and 3.9:1 calmini you start to break cv's if you have locker up front and wear out U-joints faster. BUT Lower gears with 33 or smaller tires should not pose any issues for you esp if you don't have a locker.

 

I have also considered getting an atlas case. I like the Idea of a gear driven case that will never need anything other than an oil change.

when I opened up my old t-case I discovered my chain was just shy of the too loose mark.(prolly becuase I used to jump my pathy in 4x4). newer TX10 chains (1993-end) wear out faster becase they are narrower so they have less resistance to stretching.

I would prolly get 3:1 gears in an atlas if I ever got one. more torqe than stock but still not too overboard for my needs.

Edited March 16, 2010 by MY1PATH

[TheCrow]

Well I sure hope you are right Guys , here the concept of repairs relies on throw and fit new as driven by the agencies and due to lack of good mechanics and good garages .

 

However the prices I got are hilarious , the dealership is asking 4,400 usd for the transfer case which is not available and the used transfer case from a scrap yard is 800 usd , it makes perfect sense to repair my T case in this case .

 

Steve you are making me worry about the installation of the Atlas in case I go for it , I never thought it would be a complex project

 

My1Path thanks for the details it is very helpful I have my T case opened on Thursday and check it out , meanwhile I will try and get the diagram from the dealer .

 

Also thanks for giving the right ratio I knew something was wrong when I posted above 4.3:1 as factory gear ratio it seems I got it wrong I got the axle ratio instead of the gear ratio .Surely the Paty does not feel like having low gear ratio , this is my main problem when wheeling.

 

I agree with you on the wear and tear and I would be expecting that being an off-road enthusiast it is an expensive hobby but I hate break downs

 

I am very tempted by the Atlas with a gear ratio 4.3:1 or 3.8:1 , I like to crawl as slow as possible , I am aware of the possible damages on the other hand I am thinking that for the money I will pay for the atlas I could have Paty locked and the T case repaired .

 

Damn I guess I am tempting and confusing myself more , when you are hooked up with off-road I think it becomes a game of upgrades where one would spend a lot of $ most of the time out of his credit card .

[fleurys]

Steve you are making me worry about the installation of the Atlas in case I go for it , I never thought it would be a complex project

 

Yeah, well, I learned something in 4x4...it always cost more than you expected or planned. I know that steevo from ruggedrocks has fitted an atlas transfer case on his older pathfinder, but believe me, it does not look like something I could tackle by myself...maybe i'm wrong, but it does seems intimidating ...have a look here : http://ruggedrocksoffroad.com/blog/2009/04/01/nissan-pathfinder-atlas-transfer-case-install-time-to-crawl/

 

not to mention you'll probably need a new front driveshaft, etc... this is a costy modif....and at the end, you would probably still not be able to climb up where you broke yours...there was obviously wheel spin, and a lower ratio would not have helped you there...

 

I think on the other end you are thinking the right way when you say, you could get the pathy locked and repaired for the price of new atlas... and with lockers you would definitely have been able to slowly crawl your obstacle...and at slower speed...so less chance of doing carnage..

[TheCrow]

Steve you were right that something changeable inside the T case might have broken .

 

MY1PATH , you got it bull’s eye , I opened the T case and it was the chain as you indicated thanks for the valuable information .

I got the chain for 410 $ and it is fixed now , thank you for the valuable contribution .

 

Now that my T case is fixed , I would postpone thinking about the Atlas until I break it another time and get a reason to spend this amount of money .

 

 

Steve you are right about the priority of the lockers in such obstacles rather than the low gear ratio , let us see I have been eyeing the air lockers for a while now , yet there are other priorities for this spend , I need a reason to spend this money , maybe I shall break my diffs

[TheCrow]

Yeah, well, I learned something in 4x4...it always cost more than you expected or planned. I know that steevo from ruggedrocks has fitted an atlas transfer case on his older pathfinder, but believe me, it does not look like something I could tackle by myself...maybe i'm wrong, but it does seems intimidating ...have a look here : http://ruggedrocksoffroad.com/blog/2009/04/01/nissan-pathfinder-atlas-transfer-case-install-time-to-crawl/

 

not to mention you'll probably need a new front driveshaft, etc... this is a costy modif....and at the end, you would probably still not be able to climb up where you broke yours...there was obviously wheel spin, and a lower ratio would not have helped you there...

 

I have been in touch recently with SteeevO , the Atlas looks very tempting despite installation complexity

[MY1PATH]

Being chain driven is pretty much the only weakness to the tx10. next time, if you can find the wider chanin from the older models I would install that instead. There are some ways you can extend you chain life;

Don't goose it in 4x4 in otherwords try to use smoother aplications of throttle. I realize this is not always possible but if you make an efforts it will last longer.

If you decice to get airborne try to do it in 2wd because all 4 wheels spin at differant speeds when the suspension flexes @ landing and does not differentiate front to rear causing stress on the entire driveline (esp the chain)

 

 

[TheCrow]

If you decice to get airborne try to do it in 2wd because all 4 wheels spin at differant speeds when the suspension flexes @ landing and does not differentiate front to rear causing stress on the entire driveline (esp the chain)

 

That is a good point to consider bcs i often take my pathy airborne , actually i was going airbone the previous week end before the chain was stretched .

 

Thank you