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transfer case broke...
Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 3,420
Likes: 1
From: Maryland
yup it is the tail piece and seeing it as a zf5 i have seen that crack before it happened to a guy i knows truck he had zf5 and was pulling a sled and it cracked all the way around and transfer case flipped off tearing up the driveshafts up
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 11,132
Likes: 3
From: Southern West Virginia
The ZF 5 is a rear loaded transmission. That means the whole gear set, shifting forks and all are attached to that tail piece. When you remove the ring of bolts that holds that piece to the main case, and one of the bolts for the aux. shaft, all of the internal parts of the trans come out the back still attached to the tail piece. You basically have to tear the trans all the way down to replace that piece.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 11,132
Likes: 3
From: Southern West Virginia
Probably so. Or rebuild the one you have with another tail piece. Give me a minute to post it, I went out to my shop and took a pic of one with the same problem, but worse. It's out of the main case, so you can see what you're dealing with. Have it up in a couple minutes......
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Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 11,132
Likes: 3
From: Southern West Virginia
As far as what causes it, being put in a really bad bind, aggressive off-roading, hard pulling, who knows. The one I took the pic of had just been rebuilt and they didn't put the skid plate back on the truck and they bottomed the truck out on a big hump and it sat down on the t-case snapping the tail piece completely off the trans.
There is no fluid in that area of the trans or t-case. There is a seal in the tail piece where the output shaft comes through and the t-case shaft slides up on the output shaft of the trans inside the tail piece. The t-case also has a seal where the shaft comes through the case.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 11,132
Likes: 3
From: Southern West Virginia
Also, I'm pretty sure the tail piece off a ZF from a gas truck will work too. I've got the trans from my 460 gas crew cab out and compared them out of curiosity, and they are the same other than the bell housing bolt pattern.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 11,132
Likes: 3
From: Southern West Virginia
