Jim Warman wrote:

> First - a word of caution... Some electrical concerns with the control-trac
> system can be mistaken as a "loose chain" concern. The drive chain can be
> checked for "slop" without removing or disassembling the transfer case....
> Place the system in 4LOW to lock the transfer case.... With the car in park,
> raise the front wheels clear of the ground (use jack stands, of course) and
> rotate the driveshaft to the front diff back and forth.... This is a bit of
> an "acquired taste" and there is no real spec other than sound judgement -
> Usually (memory thing here) I see anywhere up to almost 1/8th turn of the
> shaft in a good T-case.... I believe that you will see well over 1/4 turn
> before things are loose enough for the chain to skip over the sprockets
> under heavy torque....
>
> Having said that, once you get the T-case on the bench, you will need a 30mm
> socket and a pair of lock ring pliers ( similar to these
> http://www.stridetool.com/tools/reta...pliers_06.html ) at the
> very least. This will be about a 7 on a scale of one to ten......
>
> Remove the front output flange nut first before splitting the case.... Also,
> to remove the shift motor, the electrical connector will need to be
> partially disassembled - this is not a difficult step but it is too easy to
> break plastic parts.... There is a plastic retainer clip inside the
> connector that is removed with needlenose pliers.... look closely inside the
> connector and you will see a little plastic tang holding the wire connection
> in place... using a seal pick or straightened out paper clip, gently pry
> that tang away from the wire and pull the wire fom the connector. I think
> you will be removing more that one wire so be sure to note the
> colour/location of each wire.
>
> Once you separate the case halves, the rest should be fairly apparent. Work
> with purpose - taking digital photos as you progress can help. There are
> three balls on a cam ring located between the clutch housing (the one the
> electric clutch coil reacts with) and the clutch pack - do not let these
> balls "escape". Once you get the clutch pack out, the drive sprocket, chain
> and front output shaft lift out as a group. Now is a good time to inspect
> the clutch pack friction members.... and replace is necessary - look for any
> discolouration that might indicate overheat and look for abnormal wear
> patterns.
>
> Carefully inspect the drive and driven sprockets for wear.... The teeth on
> the sprockets should be smooth. If these show distinct wear patterns, the
> transfer case may be noisy or this wear may affect the service life of the
> new chain....
>
> Now you are this far into it, this would be the ideal time to clean or
> replace the oil pump pick up screen, inspect and clean the magnet and
> inspect (or, if a hi-miler, even consider replacing) the oil pump..... There
> is a locating or "anti spin" lug on the oil pump that engages a boss on the
> inside of the front case half.... I don't recall seeing concerns with the
> 4404/4405 cases but I have seen the lug on the oil pump wear right through
> the boss inside the case on some transfer cases (usually F150, IIRC).
>
> Considering the scope of the project and the chances for things to go not
> quite as smoothly as planned, this may be an good opportunity to try a one
> use subscription at
> http://www.motorcraftservice.com/vdi...&menuIndex1=41
> or similar.
>
> Of course, you must remember that I'm both a dealer tech and I've been doing
> this for many years. People only ever pay me to disassemble things once....
> (and here comes the sarcastic dig) - however, there are those here that feel
> doing something right and doing it only once are something to be avoided if
> we can save a nickel and enjoy the project many times over. Perhaps one of
> these kind folks could step up to the plate and let us both know the ideal
> spot on your T-case and we can let everyone have a crack at wailing on it
> with a hammer....

Or we might pretend that thought and ingenuity are the same as running
over something.