Leak between transmission and transfer case adapter

[Riley O'Connell]

I have a 2001 ford ranger 4wd xlt with the 4.0 and auto trans. There is a leak that appears to be coming from between the transmission and the transfer case adapter. I was wondering if this tc adaptor case is supposed to be dry or if its supposed to have oil in it. I believe this should tell me if i just have to replace a gasket that is supposed to go inbetween the two or if there is some seal I need to replace in the transmission. It would also be nice to get an idea of how difficult it is to fix this Thanks for any help!

 

[pjtoledo]

it's dry in there.
the leak could be either the rear transmission seal or the front transfer case seal.

 

[Shran]

it's dry in there.
the leak could be either the rear transmission seal or the front transfer case seal.

The auto trans has a rear seal? The old A4LDs did not, I guess I haven’t worked on a newer auto but I thought that was a wet area on all of them and the gasket between the trans and t-case kept fluid in.

Most of the manuals have a dry output housing though.

 

[gw33gp]

My transfer case adaptor actually has a drain hole in it to let the oil out if there is a leak in the rear transmission seal or the front transfer case seal. I do have a manual transmission, but I can't imagine an automatic would be wet in the adaptor.

 

[RonD]

I will confirm the trans to transfer case adapter/housing should be dry and it does have a weep hole to tell owner that a seal is failing

Both the transmission(manual or auto) and transfer case have Vents to prevent seals from leaking, i.e. no pressure build up in housings

An automatic does run with higher fluid pressures in passages, 80-300psi, so its rear seal is more likely to leak fluid into the adapter/housing
But transfer case does have an internal circulation pump, not high pressure but if it's front seal wears out it can leak fluid into adapter/housing as well

 

[scotts90ranger]

I've been under the impression that auto transmissions don't have a output shaft seal like manuals do and I thought that was fairly universal for all brands... I know there's a drain in that area on the T case but silicone seals it up fine...

 

[Riley O'Connell]

I will confirm the trans to transfer case adapter/housing should be dry and it does have a weep hole to tell owner that a seal is failing

Both the transmission(manual or auto) and transfer case have Vents to prevent seals from leaking, i.e. no pressure build up in housings

An automatic does run with higher fluid pressures in passages, 80-300psi, so its rear seal is more likely to leak fluid into the adapter/housing
But transfer case does have an internal circulation pump, not high pressure but if it's front seal wears out it can leak fluid into adapter/housing as well

The transmission and transfer case don't share fluid correct? Also, I don't need to put a gasket or any gasket maker in between the tc adaptor and transmission then I assume? Thanks!

 

[pjtoledo]

The transmission and transfer case don't share fluid correct? Also, I don't need to put a gasket or any gasket maker in between the tc adaptor and transmission then I assume? Thanks!

for the purpose of preventing corrosion and future disassembly put some never seize or heavy grease on the mating surfaces.
it wouldn't hurt to apply a small amount of grease to the splines.

 

[Riley O'Connell]

I took the extension housing off and everything else today, it seems to me that it is supposed to be wet. There was a gasket between the transfer case and extension housing, and what looks like a piece of a gasket in-between the extension housing and transmission. For some context, the extension housing was replaced by someone before I got the truck. It looks like whoever did that job did not even put a gasket back in place of the old one. Wouldn't surprise me seeing as how many loose bolts and shady work I've found on the truck so far. I attached some pictures of the gaskets it looks like I need to buy, and I'll post some more about what the extension housing and output shaft looks like. Let me know if all this info seems to track correctly or if I am missing something, Thanks!

 

[Riley O'Connell]

Transfer case side of extension and output shaft. Don't see a shaft seal to replace

 

[Riley O'Connell]

Transmission side of housing with the small piece of gasket that was left

 

[Riley O'Connell]

^