For my cousin.It's a 1999 Jeep wrangler and he is towing it behind a class A. He was going down the road at 65 when bam the transfer case let go. He said transfer case was in neutral and the tranny was in 5th.Any clues as to what happened and was he doing right to begin with?Thanks in advance.

Res4cue wrote:For my cousin.It's a 1999 Jeep wrangler and he is towing it behind a class A. He was going down the road at 65 when bam the transfer case let go. He said transfer case was in neutral and the tranny was in 5th.Any clues as to what happened and was he doing right to begin with?Thanks in advance.He was doing right, if in fact the transfer case wasn't or somehow got itself into something else. This is the first I've heard of this, but that doesn't mean it can't happen, even if.....

I wonder if one could hit a bad bump or something and have it try to engage..?

Does the Jeep have front locking hubs that should have been disengaged so the two axles were in neutral from each other, as well as the TC itself in neutral from the transmission?Didn't some TCs use a drive chain, like a timing chain? I can see where a badly worn one could drop and make a real mess.

Not sure on this model but some transfer cases have oil pumps that are driven from the input side. If the oil pump wasn't able to work due to the TC being driven from the drive side the TC it may have seized due to lack of lubrication. I have seen that happen before.

j-d wrote:Does the Jeep have front locking hubs that should have been disengaged so the two axles were in neutral from each other, as well as the TC itself in neutral from the transmission?Didn't some TCs use a drive chain, like a timing chain? I can see where a badly worn one could drop and make a real mess.j-d, Unless the owner changed the front hubs, the factory ones are not like the old style of "locking" hubs. They haven't had those since the demise of the "CJ". The YJ, TJ and JK units all don't have those locking hubs. The engagement of those axles is all done from in the cab and Jeep/Chrysler have altered the mechanism over those years. As for the transfer case. If it's a bone stock unit, that transfer case in a TJ is what's known as the 231. That T/C HAS a built in oil pump just inside the rear output shaft housing. It's a very thin, rotary vein pump. The transfer case itself is aluminum and yes, it does utilize a CHAIN for the main drive in it. They do get loose but, usually not that loose that they can jump or skip teeth, like a timing chain can in an auto engine. Without seeing that transfer case in a "Phorensic" autopsy, it's hard to give a good analyzation of just what the cause was for it's demise. If the person did in fact, place that transfer case in neutral, and placed the trans in 5th, then it's technically done correct. As for the T/C being able to "self engage" into gear as you're towing it down the road, well, that's just about a million to one possibility. There's a few zillion Jeeps of all years and models being towed every day all over this country and the reported "self engaging" transfer case ordeal, you could count on less than one hand. It would be interesting to hear what the cause was.Scott

Dinghy transfer case exploded | Good Sam Community

Jayco23FB
Explorer
Jul 28, 2013
Not sure on this model but some transfer cases have oil pumps that are driven from the input side. If the oil pump wasn't able to work due to the TC being driven from the drive side the TC it may have seized due to lack of lubrication. I have seen that happen before.
j-d
Explorer II
Jul 28, 2013
Does the Jeep have front locking hubs that should have been disengaged so the two axles were in neutral from each other, as well as the TC itself in neutral from the transmission?

Didn't some TCs use a drive chain, like a timing chain? I can see where a badly worn one could drop and make a real mess.
ScottG
Nomad
Jul 28, 2013
I wonder if one could hit a bad bump or something and have it try to engage..?
tropical36
Explorer
Jul 28, 2013
Res4cue wrote:
For my cousin.

It's a 1999 Jeep wrangler and he is towing it behind a class A. He was going down the road at 65 when bam the transfer case let go. He said transfer case was in neutral and the tranny was in 5th.

Any clues as to what happened and was he doing right to begin with?

Thanks in advance.

He was doing right, if in fact the transfer case wasn't or somehow got itself into something else. This is the first I've heard of this, but that doesn't mean it can't happen, even if.....

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