Overdrive Rant

I need to rant... This started back in January of 2013. By the fall of 2012, my Warn OD had stopped synchronizing on the shifts. Herm had rebuilt it for me about 10 years prior to that, so no complaints there. I pulled the OD and sent it back off to Herm. Apparently it needed a lot of parts as it was pretty worn out. I think the total came to about $400 to have it completely gone through. Upon reinstalling and test driving, it kept popping out of direct drive and still didn't want to synchro. I called Herm and he had me shim the barrel gear to help with the popping out of gear, but it still wouldn't synchro. Long story short, the damn thing went back and forth to Herm 5 times and I had to spend a bunch more money on something that should have been fixed. The last time, he gave up and gave me a different back half to the unit. After receiving the different back half, it worked fine. For 2 months. Then it wouldn't synchro anymore and started popping out of gear again. That was last fall (2013). I pulled the OD over the winter and sent it back yet again. I just got the Jeep out of winter storage and gave it a try. It synchros, but STILL pops out of direct drive. I called Herm and he told me to shim the barrel gear .060". I shimmed it to his spec, jacked up the rear end to spin the wheels to make sure it wasn't bound up, all checked out so I went for a test drive. I started out in direct which worked fine. I got up to about 35 mph and tried to shift to OD. It didn't sychro and ground so bad it startled me. I tried to go back to direct and it wouldn't go in. I pulled over with the overdrive in neutral. It would shift into OD, but the Jeep wouldn't move..it would just stall when I tried to let the clutch out, and it physically wouldn't go into direct. I had to get towed home. I have absolutely HAD IT with this overdrive. I think Herm really is trying to help me the best that he can, but the best that he's doing isn't good enough. My overdrive has more miles on it in a shipping box going back and forth the Herm than it does on the road and the f%$#ing thing still doesn't work...AT ALL. I called and left him a message letting him know what happened after I did EXACTLY what he told me to, but have yet to hear back, maybe tomorrow. I couldn't drive my Jeep most of last summer because the od was removed, now it looks like it might happen all over again. My patience has run out. This is the last chance to get this thing right. If anyone has any suggestions as to how to deal with this thing, PLEASE let me know. Is there anyone else out there that works on them? I just want to be able to drive my Jeep!!

 

how is your transfer-case intermediate shaft and transmission mainshaft? did they get rebuilt as well?

 

I would also looking at the condition of the transmission (endplay on the mainshaft) and condition of the intermediate gear and shaft in the transfer case.

Unfortunately this type of issue is not "news" without being more specific.

 

Herm rebuilt the Tcase in January of '13. I have an adapter between the SM465 and D18 with a bearing in it that carries a spud shaft that the bull gear (barrel gear) attaches to. When the bull gear is tightened to the spud shaft it sandwiches the inner race of the carrier bearing so there is literally zero endplay. When I did the Tcase/OD rebuild in 2013, I inspected the bearing for wear and it was, and still is in good shape with no slop. It worked great for 10 years, now it won't work at all. I'm really lost...

 

Sorry to here. I've been there.