HELP! Need new magnet in T-Case!!! (Where can I get one?)

Bob did pass the time by typing:

Salvage a magnet from an old dead hard drive if you have one. The stronger the better. Those are usually powerfull enough to pinch your fingers so they will hold well.

That magnet is just to collect metal from the original assembly as the parts wear in. Usually it doesn't collect much more after that.

Does it matter if the new magnet is the same size/shape exactly as the old one? I've been putting effort into finding a same-size, washer shaped, (with hole in the middle) magnet, as near identical to the one I broke as possible. Is this a pointless search? Can I just use any strong magnet that fits in the slot?

/Bob

Bob did pass the time by typing:

The only thing it has to do is stay put and not get into the workings.

I've seen several magnets in the "help" part section that just stick on the outside of the pan. Got a couple of hard drive magnets stuck to the tranny pan and oil filter just for giggles. Sometime this year I'm going to drop the tranny pan and replace the filter. Will see then if it did any good.

I don't know what slot you are referring to nor have I ever seen a washer magnet for a drain plug....

I have seen drain plugs with round bar magnets stuck in the end, maybe one of those might be around as an aftermarket part?

Just sticking a bar or round magnet on the head of the bolt will magnetize the inside of the bolt. A dab of silicone would help it stay put between changes.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Bob wrote:

You are correct. I am doing an Adv. Adapters SYE install, so I had to split the case. After removing the case, and taking out the magnet that sits at the bottom of the case next to the oil pump pickup line, I was just having a clumsy moment while trying wipe the metal shavings from the magnet, and dropped it on the garage floor. Shatter. Oh well. I found one of the four wheel shops here (high country perf. 4x4) who has some magnets of the right size.

I tried the "old hard drive magnet" idea, btw. It had promise, and the magnets were certainly strong enough (damn!), but they weren't the right shape, and I just couldn't get them oriented in such a way as to feel confident they wouldn't one day work their way loose, slip up into the case, and instantly snap ahold of the front shaft's chain gear, thereby blowing up my t-case.

Thanks for all the suggestions. The use of a magnetic fill or drain plug was a good one. By the time I got back to the house from my search for the magnet and read the posts, though, it was too late (on a sunday) to go searching for such a plug. This SYE install just looks to be turning into a 4 day fiasco. ;-)

/Bob

Bob, just make VERY SURE when you apply that silicone and close it up that your "oil pump" is PRECSELY positioned. I didn't, and busted the ears off the sucker. Had to wait for the silicone to harden, then take the whole thing off, fix it, and try again.

Cal...

Well, if I only knew...

I didn't break the "ears" (if I guess correctly what you mean by "ears"). I broke the damnable edge of the hole where the pickup tube goes in. Pickup tube (where the O-Ring is) now won't stay in securely. So, I guess I busted my oil pump.

Where do I find a new one? How much am I going to be paying for one of these suckers?

I assume you had to replace your oil pump when you broke the ears, Cal?

Also, I am doing this conversion with the case still in the Jeep (I didn't feel up to trying to remove the case from the drivetrain). It seems impossible to keep the silicone seal from dripping inside the case, onto the drive chain. Is this bad? Or can I just assume the silicone will be obliterated by the chain's operation? I would, of course, intend to change the t-case fluid very soon after this mod is complete...

Thanks, Bob

[Ah well, I guess I'm not quite the nifty mechanic I thought I was! This is really sucking, and I think I just now negated the cost savings I was trying for by doing this labor myself. UGH!]

See? It's a pain in the ass, ain't it?

Naw. It doesn't really stay in "secure" in the first place. I bet you could fix it with JB Weld or one of those "tootsie roll" type of metal-filled putty epoxies. So long as you rough up and thoroughly degrease the mating surface so it doesn't come free later

Dealer!

Dunno, but I'll bet $120 or so. Worth trying the epoxy fix, maybe.

Wait; you may be in luck:

Oil Pump Housing & Oil Seal 1987-99 Wrangler

Part Number:

4338936

Years:

1984-2002*

Description: Oil Pump Housing & Oil Seal 1987-99 Wrangler

Short Description: HOUSING

Price: $57.93

Au contraire, mon frere! Kludged a fix myself:

I removed it, and it was a knuckle-busting pain and waste.

You're probably using too much. Just a 1/4" bead'll do ya, as long as it's continuous.

Exactly. However, that chunk of silicone could end up blocking that black screen that filters the recirculating oil, so...

If you do, don't drain it from the bottom drain plug. Drain it from the hex detent spring plug, at the bottom! Don't lose that spring or detent pin, though!

Not necessarily. Dude! I feel your pain!

Yup!

I'm not sure how to use JB Weld or what you mean by "tootsie roll" epoxy. I know what JB Weld is, but have never used it. Additionally, I can't find the metal piece of the hole that is missing, so I don't really have anything to weld together. And I don't think you were implying I should just use a bunch of JB Weld to "fill" the gap...(the gap is about 2/3 of the circumference of the tube opening on the pump). Any suggestions?

Ugh!

I noticed those after posting, too. It confuses me that it calls it the "housing" and not just the "pump". I'm not sure this is the same thing...what do you think? It looks kinda like it in the exploded view pic on the site; but the pic is so low-res it's hard to tell...

Nice job! How did you break the ears off, anyway? Since they go on the outside of the case, it surprises me you managed to tear them off...

I looked under there and said "damn! no way I'm taking this thing off!".

Ahh... I'm using some of the heavy-duty black junk, in a caulk-style dispenser. I left a pretty good bead all the way around. I didn't think I used too much, but if 1/4" will do, I might've used a bit too much. That junk sucks. It took me 2 hours to clean it all (make that...most of it all) off my hands and arms...and that only by using a damn scotch-brite scouring sponge. Ouch! I wish there was some sort of pre-fabbed gasket I could use instead of that junk!

Ack! Don't want that to happen!

I'm not sure what plug you are talking about. I'll have to look under the jeep tonight and try to figure that one out.

Thanks ;-) But if you really felt my pain, you'd be coming over here and helping me put this stupid thing back together =D

I think I'll try again with a new pump (or fixed...whatever) before I tow it to a shop and have them finish it for me. My friend helping me won't like that idea, though; he was none too happy about the gooey mess made by the RTV either.

Thanks for all your help and advice, man.

/Bob

How about I tack on one more question really quick. After the little jolt that caused the oil pump to bust, I took everything back out, including the chain and both shafts, to clean the RTV off of them. That arm thing that goes to the shifter rail has a sort of "fork" that goes around a ring that goes around the drive shaft. Is the ring supposed to be connected to that "fork" in any way? I noticed it is just sitting there, and will slide around freely in the fork, or pull out of the fork to the side (away from the center of the case). I can't pull it entirely free of the fork in that way, of course, because the edge of the case stops it before it clears both "prongs" of the "fork". I just want to make sure that is how it's supposed to work. I'm all paranoid now since I accidentally forced something and definitely broke at least one thing (the pump) in the process. Thanks!

Well, an update:

I haven't retried attaching the rear of the case yet; had some other stuff to take care of last night. I did go pick up a new oil pump (the "oil pump housing + gasket" was the correct item). I also talked to the guys at the shop, and they gave me some new silicone gasket maker in an aerosol-type "easy-cheese" style canister, and said that should work well for me, as well as an applicator tip and specific instructions on how much to use and how much is too much. So hopefully I won't have the same gooey mess when I re-attempt this tonight as I did night before last. I'm optimistic things will go as they should have the first time, now, so wish me luck for when I try again tonight! ;-)

/Bob

Good luck.

Just a tip on the silicone. Read the directions 'carefully' and let it 'cure' the right length of time, usually 24 hours before adding fluid. This will insure no leaks.

Some silicones require a slight skim over before assembly but most these days say to assemble 'before' it skims over.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Bob wrote:

Thanks for thhe advice. I really appreciate all the help and suggestions everyone has given me with this transfer case work.

I got the transfer case put back together tonight. I haven't torqued down the rear yoke fully yet; it says it needs 150 lb-ft of torque. I can't get it over 125 w/it turning with the torque wrench (I have the tranny in gear right now). I'm thinking I probably need a nice, massive adjustable wrench to hold that yoke in place while I finish torquing the nut down.

This is a small problem compared to everything else I've figured out. It's so nice that this mod has finally finished successfully.

Later! /Bob