ATTN all X owners: factory transfer case fluid
Feb 17, 2011, 08:12 AM
#1
ATTN all X owners: factory transfer case fluid
It has been found that the factory in Japan has overfilled some X transfer cases, both 2008 and 2010. It is important to check and drain the excess, if any. This is not a problem that does damage right away, but can at a later date. I know of three cars that have spewed fluid out of the top case breather tube, two of which around 15k miles and the third around 20k miles. One able to be saved by just cleaning, inspecting, and filling with a proper level of fluid, but two were trashed and needed replacement.
To check if your car is affected is very simple, just remove the fill plug and if any fluid starts coming out let it drain until it stops. It wouldn't be a bad idea to document how much was removed and contact your dealer for them to input that information into their system.
To check if your car is affected is very simple, just remove the fill plug and if any fluid starts coming out let it drain until it stops. It wouldn't be a bad idea to document how much was removed and contact your dealer for them to input that information into their system.
Last edited by Kracka; Mar 5, 2011 at 03:39 PM.
Mar 5, 2011, 03:41 PM
#6
I haven't heard of any overfilled 2011's yet, but they're still new enough that even if they are you wouldn't know it yet. I say pull the fill plug just to verify it isn't (or ask your dealer to do it, they might be nice enough to check for you).
No need, it's a steel washer which can be reused at least a few times.
No need, it's a steel washer which can be reused at least a few times.
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Mar 6, 2011, 07:56 AM
#8
That could explain why there was excess fluid coming out of the breather when running the Kids with Cancer car at the Spring Mountain track. A few days later they said the rear end was making noises and the entire rear diff was trashed from pieces bouncing around inside.
Mar 7, 2011, 11:13 AM
#10
How does over filling cause a failure? I understand it spitting fluid out of the breather and that's annoying (and if it did spit some out, you'd suspect that it spit out as much as it needed to be at the right level), but how does having too much fluid cause a mechanical failure?
Mar 7, 2011, 12:44 PM
#11
My guess is the increased pressure inside the case causes damage to the bearings. Or maybe the fluid gets so churned up it can no longer protect the gears. Either way, it got really loud right before blowing out the fluid then after the fluid level was properly set it quieted down some but then slowly started getting louder until it was actually a grinding noise with a lot of drivetrain slop present.
Mar 8, 2011, 08:26 AM
#12
My guess is the increased pressure inside the case causes damage to the bearings. Or maybe the fluid gets so churned up it can no longer protect the gears. Either way, it got really loud right before blowing out the fluid then after the fluid level was properly set it quieted down some but then slowly started getting louder until it was actually a grinding noise with a lot of drivetrain slop present.
