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D18 gear whine

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by evanjm, Mar 30, 2007.

  1. evanjm

    evanjm Yeah, it's got an F-head.

    Now I know that the Dana 18 isn't a "silent" transfer case and that a bit of whine is normal, but my '57's D18 has a rather loud whine to it when going at speeds. So much so, that its hard to hold a conversation in the jeep.

    Everything shifts fine and works great with this case, and I've flushed the fluid out and refilled it a few times to no avail.

    What I'm thinking is that the intermediate shaft is worn out and it's probably time for the novak rebuild kit.

    So what I'd like to know is on a '57 what length input shaft would my D18 have? Is it 1 1/8 or 1 1/4? If it's something that I'd just have to measure to find out, how'd I measure that?


    Thanks in advance,
    Evan
     
    evanjm, Mar 30, 2007
    #1
  2. Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Evan, its probably due for new needle bearings , & the Novak shaft is a good idea at the same time.

    1-1/8 vs. 1-1/4 refers to the diameter of the shaft, not the length. The end of the shaft is visible at the back of the case, heres a pic (case is upside down)-

    http://www.tantel.ca/Images/The Slu...ebuild A31 intermediate shaft hole ream_1.jpg

    Other fascinating photos of a rebuild are in the same directory-

    http://www.tantel.ca/Images/The Sludge Pile/Section_K_Transfer Case/


    The pics in that directory are numbered according to Rick Stivers rebuild guide-

    http://www.willystech.com/wt/Model18TCase/Model18TransferCase.html

    A rebuild isn't hard, you just have to go slow & be careful you get each step right.

    H.
     
    Howard Eisenhauer, Mar 30, 2007
    #2
  3. Old Bill

    Old Bill Aggressively passive....

    Evan, my '57 was (IIRC) a 1-1/8". I would check yours to be sure. You should be able to measure it while still in the Jeep with a short pocket rule. The Novak shaft is a good product, but be sure to chamfer/smooth out the holes in the case before assembling the shaft to it as the rough edges really eat up the rubber o-rings. A little gear oil on the rubber helps it slide in better. If you booger up an o-ring, any good hardware store should have them in the plumbing section.

    FWIW, the Rick Stiver's guide is excellent.
     
    Old Bill, Mar 30, 2007
    #3
  4. jpflat2a

    jpflat2a what's that noise?

    FWIW
    I'd just do the intermediate shaft and bearings
    easy to do without taking the t/case out of the Jeep
     
    jpflat2a, Mar 30, 2007
    #4
  5. evanjm

    evanjm Yeah, it's got an F-head.

    Interesting. I didn't know you could do the intermediate shaft and bearings with the t-case still in the jeep.

    Also, thanks for the rebuilding photos!

    - Evan
     
    evanjm, Apr 2, 2007
    #5
  6. nrg0920

    nrg0920 New Member

    How do you do this?
     
    nrg0920, Apr 2, 2007
    #6
  7. Glenn

    Glenn Kinda grumpy old man Staff Member

    It's pretty simple. Pull the pan, remove the bolt that holds the plate that holds the shaft in. That's on the back side. From the front side drive the shaft out of the case. Obviously plan for the gear to fall out when you remove the shaft so be prepared for that. You'll have thrust washers fall out, there are tabs on them and indentions on the inside of the case that hold them in place so they won't rotate. It takes a bit of patience when reassembling to get everything to line up. If you use a wooden dowel of the same diameter as the shaft but no longer than the length of the gear it helps a bit on reassembly. Paste the thrust washers on with a bit of grease, helps hold them to the t-case.
     
    Glenn, Apr 2, 2007
    #7
  8. jpflat2a

    jpflat2a what's that noise?

    :iagree:
    just remember to chock the wheels
    so the Jeep won't roll
     
    jpflat2a, Apr 2, 2007
    #8
  9. Glenn

    Glenn Kinda grumpy old man Staff Member

    :) I'll add draining the oil a day or so before doing the work helps cutdown on the oil dripping on your face. Also with caged bearings the dowel doesn't really help much, but on the 1 and 1/4 shaft with individual bearings it's a must.
     
    Glenn, Apr 2, 2007
    #9
  10. nickmil

    nickmil In mothballs.


    Better to use Petroleum Jelly (vaseline). Grease is fine for the thrust washers but not for the bearings. Petroleum jelly will melt away and readily mix with the oil and give initial lubrication. Grease doesn't melt away as easily and can clog up the oil passage in the intermediate gear allowing for oil starvation. I use something called Transjel when assembling transmissions and transfer cases. It's basically thicker petroleum jelly with ATF mixed with it. Unless it's really hot out I don't even need to use a dummy shaft to hold things in place. Haven't for the last 10 years of building transmissions, but if you're not used to juggling gears and bearings it's a good idea for convenience. Especially laying on your back!:) Nickmil
     
    nickmil, Apr 3, 2007
    #10
  11. jeepdaddy2000

    jeepdaddy2000 Active Member

    Unfortunately, there could be another reason. I broke a tooth on my intermediate shaft many years ago. Replaced it with a used one. The thing whined so badly you couldn't hear the stereo. I'm still running it and after all these years it is still loud.
     
    jeepdaddy2000, Apr 3, 2007
    #11