Rockwell T-221 Transfercase Slop - Need Advice

[Chaparralman1974]

Hi everyone!

So, I finally got around to cracking open the transmission and transfercase on my project. The transmission looks great. The teeth all look clean, the gear oil looks good and there is no water in it and there are no chips on the teeth. My plan there is to simply clean it, put in new gaskets and put it back into the truck after I clean and paint it.

The transfercase however seems to be a different story. I took the top cover off of it and even though the oil doesn't look bad. There seems to be an awful lot of slop in the big gear at the rear of the case. I took a little video of it. Can someone tell me if this is normal or am I in trouble?

https://youtu.be/wSXwHRE3mTU

[cbeerman]

That idler gear looks like its bouncing around but I can't tell if the shaft is also jumping around
Did you pull that bearing cap?
I started gathering parts to redo my 68 but I'm no expert

What year is yours?

If you haven't seen it here is the parts list

https://graphicvillage.org/meritor/pb90172.pdf

There are some differences between the divorced (60-66) and married styles (67-69)

I got a bearing / seal list if you want it and the Meritor Kit 479 is the 60-66 style shims and gaskets. Torque king is the only source I could find for the 67-69 shims.

[cbeerman]

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=800118

Post#2 shows a good pic of the idler gears and shaft

[Short 3/4]

Been a while, but as I recall you can reverse that shaft so the slop is in four wheel drive and it’s tight in 2wd. Of course you’ll have to tear down the whole case to do that, but looks like you’re doing everything right anyway, so no problem.

As stated above, Torque King is a great resource for these old 4x4’s. Also, many out there are ditching 221’s due to the misguided opinion that they are “obsolete “, so lots of used parts and even whole cases out there for reasonable prices. Take advantage of that while you can! (IMO everything about these trucks are obsolete, that’s their charm, if you don’t like it, go dump $100 grand at a dealer)

Anyway, sorry for the rant, but there is lots of good info on this forum about rebuilding these cases, and yes, all the parts are out there, you just have to dig a little, which is half the fun.

Been following your build and am very impressed. Keep up the good work
Tom

[Chaparralman1974]

Originally Posted by cbeerman

That idler gear looks like its bouncing around but I can't tell if the shaft is also jumping around
Did you pull that bearing cap?
I started gathering parts to redo my 68 but I'm no expert

What year is yours?

If you haven't seen it here is the parts list

https://graphicvillage.org/meritor/pb90172.pdf

There are some differences between the divorced (60-66) and married styles (67-69)

I got a bearing / seal list if you want it and the Meritor Kit 479 is the 60-66 style shims and gaskets. Torque king is the only source I could find for the 67-69 shims.

Thank you for the parts list! Mine is a 67, so it is the married one. Yeah, I have been looking at the Torqueking kit and I am going to get a new seal and gasket kit at a minimum. I am going to try to tear the case apart this weekend and see if I can get away with reusing the bearings. Hopefully all I need is gaskets and seals. The bearings are pretty spendy.

[Chaparralman1974]

Originally Posted by Short 3/4

Been a while, but as I recall you can reverse that shaft so the slop is in four wheel drive and it’s tight in 2wd. Of course you’ll have to tear down the whole case to do that, but looks like you’re doing everything right anyway, so no problem.

As stated above, Torque King is a great resource for these old 4x4’s. Also, many out there are ditching 221’s due to the misguided opinion that they are “obsolete “, so lots of used parts and even whole cases out there for reasonable prices. Take advantage of that while you can! (IMO everything about these trucks are obsolete, that’s their charm, if you don’t like it, go dump $100 grand at a dealer)

Anyway, sorry for the rant, but there is lots of good info on this forum about rebuilding these cases, and yes, all the parts are out there, you just have to dig a little, which is half the fun.

Been following your build and am very impressed. Keep up the good work
Tom

Thanks Tom! Yeah, I am keeping the Rockwell. And I agree with you on the charm factor. I was going back and forth on the front axle too....I really didn't want to take away the originality, but at the same time I am happy that I got a set of big hub front locking hubs for it. Everything else, I want to keep as original as I can. And honestly, regarding the transmission / transfercase whine, I kinda like it. Every one of these old trucks that I grew up with had the oh so familiar Chevy whine....music to my ears! :-)

[Chaparralman1974]

Ok, so my gears move exacly the same as the video depicts. Moreover, I was lucky enough to find a used Rockwell T221 on Facebook Marketplace yesterday 5 minutes after from my office! I couldn't believe my luck there.....It is like the classic truck gods are looking out for me. LOL

Anyway, I picked up that TCase for $100 because I figured that worse case scenario is I have a spart parts pile to pull from. I pulled open the cover of that one and the gears flop around identically to mine and the one in that other video! So, either all of these cases have the exact same wear issue, or they were built that way. I am going to pull it apart and clean it, put new seals and gaskets in it, and call it a day.

Also, do you all have any paint color suggestions for the TCase? I picked up a can of Rustoleum International Harvester Red. Not perfect, but I am hoping that it will look close enough.

[cbeerman]

I checked out you build thread that's already one sweet ride.

How are the splines on your input shaft?

Since you have a 67 you can still get the splined adapter sleeve for it.
https://www.transmissionpartsdistrib...2-ton-3890590/


Because of the trans adapter the married style shims on the rear of bearing caps and from what I can tell the front output shaft is not shimmed.

BTW there is a difference in the married and divorced front output shafts.

[Chaparralman1974]

Originally Posted by cbeerman

I checked out you build thread that's already one sweet ride.

How are the splines on your input shaft?

Since you have a 67 you can still get the splined adapter sleeve for it.
https://www.transmissionpartsdistrib...2-ton-3890590/


Because of the trans adapter the married style shims on the rear of bearing caps and from what I can tell the front output shaft is not shimmed.

BTW there is a difference in the married and divorced front output shafts.

Thanks Cbeerman!

I am not sure on the splines yet....I have not yet separated the transmission from the transfer case. I plan to do that either tonight after work or tomorrow. I did pull the cover off of the transmission and the inside looks excellent. Heck, the gear oil even looks clean, so I am hoping that is a good sign that it was not abused and the splines are in decent shape.

[cbeerman]

Here is the bearing/ seal list Timken part numbers
The seal numbers in parenthesis are SKF numbers

The PTO seals are wrong for a 67 but look to be the same as the output seals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Cd5Tj9YpI

This guy says he used the 3/4 thick Meritor A-1805-E-447 seal in the adapter. Again I'm no expert and have no experience with this particular double lip seal but it looks like he has them in backwards. On my 68 adapter the spring side of the seals faced both the trans and transfer case.

Torque king says
The original Rockwell T221 Transfer Case Seal was a low temp rated, opposed Double Lip/Double Spring Seal that was 3/4" wide and it protruded out from the bearing retainer about 1/4". QU30300 is a high-temp single lip seal that is 5/16" wide so 2 seals can be stacked in each bearing retainer. For maximum oil sealing, I recommend you stack the two seals consecutively with the open side of the seals towards the inside of the transfer case and both seal faces toward the outside. Installed this way, you will get double the sealing effect compared to a single seal which is especially important if you have worn yokes or loose bearings. If road splash is a problem, you can install the 2 seals face to face to mimic the original Rockwell seal. When installed face to face, the inner seal keeps oil in the transfer case and the outer seal seals out road splash and debris.


Now is the part where I could use a opinion on output seals

SKF 17379 is a Single Lip Oil Seal - Solid, 1.750 in Shaft, 2.502 in OD, 0.313 in Width, CRW1 Design, Fluoro Rubber (FKM) Lip Material
and
SKF 17381 is a Double Lip Oil Seal - Solid, 1.750 in Shaft, 2.502 in OD, 0.313 in Width, CRWA1 Design, Fluoro Rubber (FKM) Lip Material


Because of the T221 running temps I would think the Fluoro Rubber would be the preferred seal material but wouldn't a double lip seal be better?
I was going to stack them like suggested but use the double lip on the outside and since I already have the 17379 seal put them on the inside.


BTW another thought that I had to avoid leaks is to use Permatex Thread Sealant on all of the case bolts like you would do on head bolts

[Chaparralman1974]

Originally Posted by cbeerman

Here is the bearing/ seal list Timken part numbers
The seal numbers in parenthesis are SKF numbers

The PTO seals are wrong for a 67 but look to be the same as the output seals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Cd5Tj9YpI

This guy says he used the 3/4 thick Meritor A-1805-E-447 seal in the adapter. Again I'm no expert and have no experience with this particular double lip seal but it looks like he has them in backwards. On my 68 adapter the spring side of the seals faced both the trans and transfer case.

Torque king says
The original Rockwell T221 Transfer Case Seal was a low temp rated, opposed Double Lip/Double Spring Seal that was 3/4" wide and it protruded out from the bearing retainer about 1/4". QU30300 is a high-temp single lip seal that is 5/16" wide so 2 seals can be stacked in each bearing retainer. For maximum oil sealing, I recommend you stack the two seals consecutively with the open side of the seals towards the inside of the transfer case and both seal faces toward the outside. Installed this way, you will get double the sealing effect compared to a single seal which is especially important if you have worn yokes or loose bearings. If road splash is a problem, you can install the 2 seals face to face to mimic the original Rockwell seal. When installed face to face, the inner seal keeps oil in the transfer case and the outer seal seals out road splash and debris.


Now is the part where I could use a opinion on output seals

SKF 17379 is a Single Lip Oil Seal - Solid, 1.750 in Shaft, 2.502 in OD, 0.313 in Width, CRW1 Design, Fluoro Rubber (FKM) Lip Material
and
SKF 17381 is a Double Lip Oil Seal - Solid, 1.750 in Shaft, 2.502 in OD, 0.313 in Width, CRWA1 Design, Fluoro Rubber (FKM) Lip Material


Because of the T221 running temps I would think the Fluoro Rubber would be the preferred seal material but wouldn't a double lip seal be better?
I was going to stack them like suggested but use the double lip on the outside and since I already have the 17379 seal put them on the inside.


BTW another thought that I had to avoid leaks is to use Permatex Thread Sealant on all of the case bolts like you would do on head bolts

This is awesome! Thank you very much Chuck! I love this board!!

Clay

[cbeerman]

I know there is so much knowledge that members are willing to share.

This is an idea from a member that I plan to do and would recommend.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=764384


The thread also mentions seals which are double lipped but made of Nitrile.

[cbeerman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J1fjL-AFGc

Just found this video its not great but you'll definitely want to check that rear input shaft bearing. That bearing failing and taking out the aluminum retainer seems to be a common problem. Luckily Torque King still has them. One difference from the video is your married style should have shims under that rear input shaft bearing retainer.

[Accelo]

What I found interesting is the shafts are imperial sized, not metric.
The imperial dimension ball bearings are more expensive, and more difficult to find, than the metric equivalents. Has to be an old design, wouldn't even be considered today.

[cbeerman]

Here is the Meritor Maintenance Manual 3A

http://graphicvillage.org/meritor/mm3a.pdf

Its for the T223 which is the T221's big brother but it is still the "Clover Leaf" four shaft design. It shows a good example of shimming the bearings.