Anyone else break their transfer case?

[HummBebe]

Originally Posted by Alec W

I did drive home on time however

[NEOCON1]

that really hurts

[Hummie2]

[quote=HummBebe]I think you (and rckrawl) are definitely on to something.....!

Questions:

If the flex causes the pinion gear to shear off ring gear teeth, then this would occur under extreme "Flex" conditions? With IFS???

Don't confuse suspension flex with housing flex (distorsion). The housing distorts out of shape from the torque load on it. You could do it on smooth level surface if could apply enough torque to the axle ( example hard acceleration).

If the case has been flexed, ring gear damaged, is the housing still useable???

Its iffy. If the tech could read .022" backlash upon disassembly ( assume it was within spec when new) I would say the housing was sprung to some degree. Will it happen again? it might if the axle ever sees that much strain again.

Should I have the differential housing inspected? Replaced?

If it happens again, definitely.

Would a housing made from a different material (H3's are aluminum) be more stable?

The housing looks pretty light from the pics, heavier casting w/billet bearing caps would be better. Nodular iron would definitely be stronger.

Is there any manufacturers who produce a Cast iron or some other type of Steel housing?

Yes. There alot of options. How strong do you want to go?$$$$$$$ I think I will wait and and see how the General addresses this issue. You can bet they know they have a problem by now. I bet they are doing tests to see how much torque it take to distort those housings. Anything YOU do will void the warranty.
I fought housing flex in certain Dana 44s (they are not all cast the same) before. Bottom line: when I reinforced the housing and stopped the flex(distorsion) I stopped breaking ring & pinion gears.

[HummBebe]

Thank you Hummie2.

I will be going back to the scene of the carnage in August. Chop Chop GM....momma needs a new diff

[NEOCON1]

thanx Hummie , great info for us

[H3 Hummer]

Originally Posted by NEOCON1

i might pinch you on the bottom , but I would never slap you well , i guess i could slap you on the bottom

X2

[HummBebe]

[quote=Hummie2][quote=HummBebe]I think you (and rckrawl) are definitely on to something.....![quote=HummBebe]

Questions:

If the flex causes the pinion gear to shear off ring gear teeth, then this would occur under extreme "Flex" conditions? With IFS???

Don't confuse suspension flex with housing flex (distorsion). The housing distorts out of shape from the torque load on it. You could do it on smooth level surface if could apply enough torque to the axle ( example hard acceleration).

If the case has been flexed, ring gear damaged, is the housing still useable???

Its iffy. If the tech could read .022" backlash upon disassembly ( assume it was within spec when new) I would say the housing was sprung to some degree. Will it happen again? it might if the axle ever sees that much strain again.

Should I have the differential housing inspected? Replaced?

If it happens again, definitely.

Would a housing made from a different material (H3's are aluminum) be more stable?

The housing looks pretty light from the pics, heavier casting w/billet bearing caps would be better. Nodular iron would definitely be stronger.

Is there any manufacturers who produce a Cast iron or some other type of Steel housing?

Yes. There alot of options. How strong do you want to go?$$$$$$$ I think I will wait and and see how the General addresses this issue. You can bet they know they have a problem by now. I bet they are doing tests to see how much torque it take to distort those housings. Anything YOU do will void the warranty.

I fought housing flex in certain Dana 44s (they are not all cast the same) before. Bottom line: when I reinforced the housing and stopped the flex (distorsion) I stopped breaking ring & pinion gears.

One last Q:

How does one "reinforce " the housing and stop the flex?

[DRTYFN]

Originally Posted by HummBebe

One last Q:

How does one "reinforce " the housing and stop the flex?

Buy an H2.

I'll bet GM is already has or is currently working on a solution. Sounds slightly reminiscent of the casting flaws in some/all of the early H2 front diffs.

[f5fstop]

[quote=Hummie2]

Originally Posted by HummBebe

I think you (and rckrawl) are definitely on to something.....!

Questions:

If the flex causes the pinion gear to shear off ring gear teeth, then this would occur under extreme "Flex" conditions? With IFS???

Don't confuse suspension flex with housing flex (distorsion). The housing distorts out of shape from the torque load on it. You could do it on smooth level surface if could apply enough torque to the axle ( example hard acceleration).

If the case has been flexed, ring gear damaged, is the housing still useable???Yes, under most circumstances, so long as it has not grenaded like Mike's
Its iffy. If the tech could read .022" backlash upon disassembly ( assume it was within spec when new) I would say the housing was sprung to some degree. Will it happen again? it might if the axle ever sees that much strain again. Or bearings and races were shot
Should I have the differential housing inspected? Replaced?

If it happens again, definitely.

Would a housing made from a different material (H3's are aluminum) be more stable? It would cause less flex in the housing

The housing looks pretty light from the pics, heavier casting w/billet bearing caps would be better. Nodular iron would definitely be stronger.

Is there any manufacturers who produce a Cast iron or some other type of Steel housing? Yes, AAM makes the identical axle in cast iron

Yes. There alot of options. How strong do you want to go?$$$$$$$ I think I will wait and and see how the General addresses this issue. You can bet they know they have a problem by now. I bet they are doing tests to see how much torque it take to distort those housings. Anything YOU do will void the warranty. Only warranty that would be void if you replace a front axle, would be the front axle, a new front heavier axle should not affect any other parts of the drivetrain
I fought housing flex in certain Dana 44s (they are not all cast the same) before. Bottom line: when I reinforced the housing and stopped the flex(distorsion) I stopped breaking ring & pinion gears. I did the same, and I ended up busting axles. Every part of the drive train has a weak link, something will break if too much torque is applied with too much weight and too much restriction, in my Jeep it was the axle shafts. Personally, I would prefer the shafts, easy to replace in the field, and inexpensive.

Just MY opinions on this issue

[rkcrawl]

[quote=f5fstop]

Originally Posted by Hummie2

Is there any manufacturers who produce a Cast iron or some other type of Steel housing? Yes, AAM makes the identical axle in cast iron

Just MY opinions on this issue

The above is good info... that means there is a direct bolt in replacement made of what should be a higher strength (albeit heavier) replacement. I'm sure that the aluminum case was used for weight savings, but if its proven that case deflection is whats causing this issue, it was a bad choice.

Originally Posted by f5fstop

I fought housing flex in certain Dana 44s (they are not all cast the same) before. Bottom line: when I reinforced the housing and stopped the flex(distorsion) I stopped breaking ring & pinion gears. I did the same, and I ended up busting axles. Every part of the drive train has a weak link, something will break if too much torque is applied with too much weight and too much restriction, in my Jeep it was the axle shafts. Personally, I would prefer the shafts, easy to replace in the field, and inexpensive.

Any of us here who has seriously wheeled has broken more then our fair share of parts. I've busted R&Ps, 9" ford cases, bent housings, axle shafts, transfer case output shafts, driveshafts, etc. I eventually ended up with Dana 60s front and rear, then my axle problems went away (in that rig... )

[HummBebe]

Would Dana 60's be a viable replacement in the H3??? Is it possible? I would like to change to 4:88's as I have 35" tires.

Would West Coat Differential be the people to talk to???

http://www.differentials.com/

[rkcrawl]

Originally Posted by HummBebe

Would Dana 60's be a viable replacement in the H3??? Is it possible? I would like to change to 4:88's as I have 35" tires.

Would West Coat Differential be the people to talk to???

http://www.differentials.com/

The problem with a D60 on the H3 is the front... The front is IFS so a D60 from someone like WCD would probably want to be a full straight axle swap... not sure it you would want to get into something like that. As far swapping in a different IFS diff... That might be very challenging. Doesn't look like a lot of space where the current case is located.

The easy swap (but I guess gears are the issue?) would be the cast iron AAM case which would be a bolt in replacement. Other possible solutions might be the front case from an current GM 3/4 ton IFS 4x4 or maybe a H2 front case? Again space and mounting would probably be the first issues, then connection the outer axle shafts, etc...

I've seen custom 9" housing made, and if the center section fit under the front of the H3 I am sure it could be made to work with the stock IFS. In fact I know of a guy who did just that with a Toyota front IFS. With a nodular case and billet steel bearing caps you would end up with a "nearly" bullet proof front diff (though your probably start stressing the front half shafts ) and lots of options for a front locker too

As much as it would be a pain, for now, I'd let the dealer fix it under warranty before I spent ALOT of money on a customer solution. 1) Maybe GM will own up to fixing it right or 2) You end up doing something else once the warrantly is up and you've had time to really investigate solutions.

I'll be on the trails with mine soon and if I run into the same kind of issue, I'll be looking into solutions as well.

[HummBebe]

Originally Posted by Alec W

Theoretically could this happen in a mall if you gunned it on sticky pavement?

LMFAO!!!

I'm sure that's how Sewie busted his.

[Hummie2]

Yes, AAM makes the identical axle in cast iron

f5fstop... do you happen to know what application the cast iron version is used in? Year, make, model would be nice to know if possible.

[Sewie]

Originally Posted by HummBebe

LMFAO!!!

I'm sure that's how Sewie busted his.

How would you know, you were out shopping at the time.

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by Hummie2

Yes, AAM makes the identical axle in cast iron

f5fstop... do you happen to know what application the cast iron version is used in? Year, make, model would be nice to know if possible.

Not sure without doing a parts check, and not even sure if GM uses the cast iron version. If they do, it would be in a half-ton pickup. The Colorado/Canyon uses different axles.

[4Skin]

Does the H3 share the same tranny as the Liberty? That's bad news.

[HummBebe]

Ok, been researching, the Range Rover and Nissan 4x4 are having a similar issues. Aluminum Cases....go figure.

The only front axels I can find so far are GM 8.25 IFS and 9.25 IFS.

The only reason I am on this , is I already have 27K miles. By the time GM gets around to finding a fix, my warranty will be out.

That does not make me happy. I still have not been reimbursed from my dealer from the April failure.

Besides, I don't do "waiting" well