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Hello,
I have a 1992 F150 5.0L with a E4OD trans and an automatic BW1356 transfer case. Around July 2021 I blew the first one up, now I just lost my second. Rather than rebuilding the BW1356, is there a better, stronger option that I can use? I don't care if I have to install a manual shifter for the transfer case as I am also contemplating switching from the automatic hubs to manual. I'm open to opinions here as my frustration is overwhelming. Thanks in advance!
I have had the same transfer case in my ‘87 Bronco since I bought it in 1995. The truck has ~300K miles on it. The pickup has 240K miles with the original case. What on Earth are you doing to them? I’m going with you are abusing them. Are you using 4wd on dry pavement?
You could find an old iron gear drive transfer case but be warned that they are very heavy which will stress the rear of the transmission. Another option is the Atlas transfer case but they aren’t cheap
Yeah, what's the mode of failure you're seeing? And what are you doing when they fail?
Was the replacement case a used one that you tossed in as is and hoped for the best?
A used replacement case should be split, shift forks replaced, and the oil pump retainer modification done before use (my opinion).
And yes, replace your hubs. The autos are junk for most use cases.
No idea what you're doing with your truck, but the BW1356 is generally considered a pretty robust and reliable transfer case. I mean, you can break anything, if you try hard enough, but in normal intended uses, these cases don't generally give much trouble.
In any case (hah, pun), I'm pretty sure that you can find an NP208 out of an early bullnose that would bolt right up to your existing transmission mount. Your popular options for "really really strong" are going to be a Dana 300 or NP203/NP205, or something aftermarket like an Atlas, but you may, or may not need an adapter to bolt one of those to your transmission, I don't actually know.
That being said, in my opinion, any of the earlier cast iron cases are going to require some extra attention in the mounting to counteract the weight of the case, hanging off the back of the transmission.
Alright, I understand what everyone is saying but I don't abuse the 4WD system at all. I only use it when I absolutely have to, I never shift on the fly I always come to a complete stop, put the truck in neutral, then putting it into 4 high only when I need it which is almost always in a field. If the field is muddy, I'll shift in to 4WD at the entrance while still on the road we're talking inches from the field. It's been driven in 4WD twice on pavement both times the road was snow covered. I really don't feel like I beat these transfer cases up. The second one was a used that I put in to get the truck back on the road so I will admit, it could have been a similar failure twice. The first failure was a typical pump failure. The second one I have to dismount and disassemble it this weekend to verify suspicions of the same failure.
I guess the question I'm really asking is this: Is there a better transfer case than the BW1356, and if not are there any recommendations on rebuild kits? I'm hoping that it is as simple as the pump failure but if its something I'm doing I'd love to know what it is.
If you're seeing oil pump failures, the solution is find a good case and install the oil pump retainer mod. There are no good cheap bolt-in options for a different case.
FWIW, I opened up the case out of my '95 with 130k very hard miles on it a couple years back and the oil pump retainer slot in the case was hardly worn. I've had several of these cases now in different trucks and never problems.
I've fixed and rebuilt 2 BW1356s with spun oil pump retainers. Simple to create a better retainer than the factory design. One of them also had the shifter bore through the side of the case ovaled out. Easy repair with an oilite bushing. The two that I rebuilt were very high mileage, and were subsequently abused heavily before failure. I feed one of these (never opened since '94) 500 HP in my pulling truck with no issue. They're very resilient so long as a guy isn't yanking the stick at less than ideal times.
Thanks for the feedback. The only problem I have heard of with these cases was the pump stop failure. I had hoped the replacement case would have lasted more than a year lol. Luck of the draw I Suppose.
I've fixed and rebuilt 2 BW1356s with spun oil pump retainers. Simple to create a better retainer than the factory design. One of them also had the shifter bore through the side of the case ovaled out. Easy repair with an oilite bushing. The two that I rebuilt were very high mileage, and were subsequently abused heavily before failure. I feed one of these (never opened since '94) 500 HP in my pulling truck with no issue. They're very resilient so long as a guy isn't yanking the stick at less than ideal times.
Question for you since you have rebuilt two of these: My range slider has 38 outer teeth and 32 inner teeth. I can only find sliders with 31 inner teeth that have two "missing" teeth. Can I use one of those sliders or do I need to specifically find a range slider with the exact tooth pattern my current one has? I've included some pictures of the range slider. I feel like it definitely needs to be replaced. Scoring on range slider tooth pattern
Figured I'd give everyone a quick update. I got my original BW1356 opened up and found the typical spun oil pump failure. The drive gear, driven gear, chain, upper fork and electronic shift components look fine. The lower fork, and oil pump are completely destroyed (see below) and the range slider doesn't look very healthy. Figured I'd shave some pictures since I haven't seen very many pictures of the damage caused by a failure like this. Top side of lower shift fork Clip damage on lower shift fork sheared pump inlet mangled pump holder tooth pattern for range slider scoring on range slider
Where are you located? I have a 1356 on my bench that I would part with. It was intended for my truck, but ended up going with a 1345 for the fixed rear yoke. This 1356 is from a TTB truck, so the front yoke is for a conventional ujoint rather than the CV/double cardon. Standard slip yoke rear. Fluid I drained was clean, supposed good case. I removed the front yoke for investigative purposes when fitting my 1345, so a new seal would be recommended. PM me if you are in/near CT.
Where are you located? I have a 1356 on my bench that I would part with. It was intended for my truck, but ended up going with a 1345 for the fixed rear yoke. This 1356 is from a TTB truck, so the front yoke is for a conventional ujoint rather than the CV/double cardon. Standard slip yoke rear. Fluid I drained was clean, supposed good case. I removed the front yoke for investigative purposes when fitting my 1345, so a new seal would be recommended. PM me if you are in/near CT.
I appreciate the offer, but I'm in WV. You might be able to make some money parting it out.
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