205 transfer case guru's needed....

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j par

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I'm having a howling noise from about 45 up to about 65 with my 205 transfer case on my power wagon....
1974 divorce transfer case. Everything's new and I mean everything...
I've looked stuff up on the internet and getting everything from lowered the transmission and inch and a half to tilting back the transfer case which I take is tilting the bottom forward to pinion angle...
I'm going to try the pinion angle first because I have some shims but I still I'm not feeling it from there.. it really sounds as if it's coming from the transfer case...
Anyways all helpful ideas and suggestions welcome thank you...
 
How’s the double cardan joint at transfer case for the front driveshaft? There’s a ball and spring in there that tensions the joint and the “pin” the ball and spring goes on rust and wears. If when it’s disconnected it just flops around and doesn’t kind of spring one way or other good chance that’s where it’s at. Could pull the shaft and drive it to see. That’s about all I can help with. Seems like years ago someone made a kit to eliminate that joint but that’s going back a long ways for me.
 
How’s the double cardan joint at transfer case for the front driveshaft? There’s a ball and spring in there that tensions the joint and the “pin” the ball and spring goes on rust and wears. If when it’s disconnected it just flops around and doesn’t kind of spring one way or other good chance that’s where it’s at. Could pull the shaft and drive it to see. That’s about all I can help with. Seems like years ago someone made a kit to eliminate that joint but that’s going back a long ways for me.
All four drive lines were completely rebuilt with new Spicer u-joints carrier bearings balanced painted to the tune of close to $900... I'm hoping that's not it...
 
> T-case howl is bad; is it there in BOTH 2wd And 4wd?
> is that the T-case with a chain and center differential?
> are all four tires the same brand, model, size, and inflated to the same pressures?
> are both differentials the same ratios?
I'm no guru anymore, but I have rebuilt hundreds of those, back in the 70s/80s.
Put the Trans in Neutral when it is noisiest; Does the howling stop?
Does the howling change with more/less application of modest power?
 
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The divorced NP 205’s I’ve run always had some noise to them. Married weren’t as bad. I always just figured it was the gears.
 
OOPS, I missed "divorced". So no center differential and locking hubs right?
Makes no difference to the questions pertaining to howling; except these are simple gearboxes, and IIRC, spur-cut, so some noise is inevitable.
Obviously, tho, without the center diff, the vehicle would Not move locked in 4X4, if the differentials and tires were not closely matched.
I built hundreds of those as well, but about 50 years ago,lol.
 
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> T-case howl is bad; is it there in BOTH 2wd And 4wd?
> is that the T-case with a chain and center differential?
> are all four tires the same brand, model, size, and inflated to the same pressures?
> are both differentials the same ratios?
I'm no guru anymore, but I have rebuilt hundreds of those, back in the 70s/80s.
Put the Trans in Neutral when it is noisiest; Does the howling stop?
Does the howling change with more/less application of modest power?
205 is gear driven.
 
So I had a discussion with John from JB Fabrications who I got my twin stick stuff from. He said he had one where the t-case needed to be tilted a little bit towards the transmission to lessen the severity of the short driveline angle... But then I went on to tell him how it has a solid brace on the back of it coming from the intermediate shaft cover on the rear to the frame. He was saying since the rest of it is rubber mounted that the first thing he would do is take that brace off cuz that could be making the vibration into a tuning fork...
I'll start by taking that off... Unfortunately I have to work for the next couple days...
 
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Good luck with it. U did check the oil in it right? Kim
I filled it up back when it was easy..:thumbsup:..
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This is the best picture I got of that t-case bar... It's home made and I just put it back.. maybe it worked better with worn out drive lines...
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This is the best picture I got of that t-case bar... It's home made and I just put it back.. maybe it worked better with worn out drive lines...
View attachment 1715952132
I like your exhaust work! Do you have some more pictures of it?

Also.....FWIW, I had a 63 Dodge M37 Military truck for a number of years. Drove it every day. When I got it, the transfer case was inop, with a huge crack in the case, so I found an NOS one from a guy in North Carolina that's a serious collector. NP200. All gear driven. That truck had a top speed of about 47-48 MPH, but would do it going up a tree. The transfer case was the loudest thing on the truck. Drove it probably over 6 years everywhere and it never gave me an issue. And keep in mind, that truck was a true FULL TIME 4WD. No lockout hubs. So, geared transfer cases WILL make some noise regardless.
 
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I would be leaned toward the solid mount causing the noise. I’m running a 203/205 married setup in my truck with no transfer case noise. I do have rubber mounts. I’m praying for you that’s it’s not the case itself. That sumbitch is heavy.
 
I would be leaned toward the solid mount causing the noise. I’m running a 203/205 married setup in my truck with no transfer case noise. I do have rubber mounts. I’m praying for you that’s it’s not the case itself. That sumbitch is heavy.
Even as old and archaic as the M37s are, they still used rubber biscuit mounts to mount the transfer case. lol
 
I would be leaned toward the solid mount causing the noise. I’m running a 203/205 married setup in my truck with no transfer case noise. I do have rubber mounts. I’m praying for you that’s it’s not the case itself. That sumbitch is heavy.
As shown in the pictures I did rebuild everything so it's clean it's not going to be like some dirty grimy old transfer case taking it out. I have my trustee dusty harbor freight transmission jack so it would be strapped to that for sure...
 
I like your exhaust work! Do you have some more pictures of it?

Also.....FWIW, I had a 63 Dodge M37 Military truck for a number of years. Drove it every day. When I got it, the transfer case was inop, with a huge crack in the case, so I found an NOS one from a guy in North Carolina that's a serious collector. NP200. All gear driven. That truck had a top speed of about 47-48 MPH, but would do it going up a tree. The transfer case was the loudest thing on the truck. Drove it probably over 6 years everywhere and it never gave me an issue. And keep in mind, that truck was a true FULL TIME 4WD. No lockout hubs. So, geared transfer cases WILL make some noise regardless.
My son 76 has the all-time four-wheel drive that I just drove back from Colorado. I can't hear it. But it's the change of and one as well. If I don't have a ton of pictures on my '74 power wagon build of the exhaust I'll post more here if need be...
 
Even as old and archaic as the M37s are, they still used rubber biscuit mounts to mount the transfer case. lol
Truck page 41 of my build thread it has a lot of stuff there. This was the $96 Amazon kit with two $24 mufflers...
Oh yeah and a couple $5 for both swap meet chrome tips...
 
So just because I'm not kind of member that doesn't post for help and then not let everybody know how I fix it or what happened so people can be helped as well... It was just like the guy at JB fabrication said that extra brace that someone had put on there. I'd of course taken the time to clean it repaint it buy grade eight nyloc nuts bolts and washers for it like everything under the truck and it did nothing but caused me heartache lol..
In the end the damn easy fix...
I'll post this update to my build thread as well...
PXL_20220707_225711927.jpg

:mob:....
 
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