I decided that it would be easier
to work on the lil pup if I turned it on its top, so here it is ready to
take the transfer case out |
Breaking loose the flange nuts.
Are torqued to 100 ft. lbs. I used screwdriver to unseat locks. Used large pipe wrench to
hold flange. 1/2 inch drive 27mm socket. 18" breaker bar. Not enough. Need cheater
pipe for extra torque. Used hi-lift jack handle. Still VERY tight. Probably 2-man job. |
Bearing removal of rear output
shaft. Use 13 or 14mm socket to protect needle bearing |
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Installing bearings. Use 1 or 1
1/8 socket to press on center bearing race. I had a 1 1/8 deep socket that worked well
I did not have a plastic hammer and while I should have
gotten one at my Craftsman store, I used a ball peen hammer and a block of 2x2 wood.
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Besides the 27mm socket, I also bought a set
of pin punches at Sears to use for removal of the roll pins in the shifter forks. I bought
a set of ring pliers but ended up not using them for this install but if you need to
replace all the bearings, they will be necessary. I also bought my own bearing puller but
could have rented one at Auto Zone. |
Two shims. One on back end of input shaft and
one on back end of output shaft. I lost the one on the input shaft and when I tried to
tighten the mid-case to the back case, the gear sets bound. Make sure the shims go back
where they came from and you don’t lose them. |
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 I discovered too
late that you should somehow mark the bolts that hold the mid-case with the back case so
that you know where they go. There are three different length bolts – 1 long, 2 short
and the rest medium length. The short ones can only go in specific holes as they are
closed on the bottom but some of the holes are open and allow the medium bolts. The long
one goes in a hole holding the drain plug protector. |
 Calmini sent
petroleum based gear lube that I will use for 1000 to 1500 miles and then change to
synthetic.
Make sure you have some thick lithium based grease to hold
the thrust washers in place on the case halves for the countershaft. |
 I got it back
together and torqued down. I used the pipe wrench again to hold the flanges and set the
torque wrench for 100 ft.lbs. I had to put my body weight on the torque wrench to make it
pop but I was able to do it without any problem. I then filled the Tcase with gear lube to
check for leaks. |
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 New Mid Shaft Parts |
 New Mid Shaft Parts |
 New and old output gears |
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 Oops, leakage
from the speedometer cable hole. Turned the Tcase over to fix that and dumped more
lubricant out the shift lever hole. Boy am I getting dense and overly excited about
finishing. Topped off the lube after installation |
I replaced my bolts that hold the
drive shafts to the differentials and transfer case. I got grade 8 (metric equivalent) at
the local Yamaha shop since Suzuki wants about $5.25 for each bolt and nut; there are 25
of them. I bought the new ones, see picture, for 40 cents apiece. |
Don’t lose the shims that
are in you Tcase when you take it apart. I misplaced one and it took me a week to get a
replacement. Kudos to Steve at Calmini for sending me out the ones I needed. |
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 With the right
shims, the case bolted together with no problems. |
 I had to put the
front case on twice because I forgot the cork gasket the first time. |
Putting the case back in was no
problem except I ran out of Locktite to put on the bolts to the drive shafts |
Driving is wonderful. I have 31x10.50x 15 BFG
Mud Terrains and I have had power problems because of being way under geared. Crawling was
a problem and driving at highway speeds required 4th gear. I drove to work this
morning in 5th gear at 30 mph. Really nice. Low range is REALLY low. It
seems like you can only stay in first gear about 3 or 4 seconds. I was able to drive
around my neighborhood in 5th Low Range with no problems.
I can’t wait to go climb some rocks this weekend.
Overall experience.
Very good. I was not as prepared as I should have been. Calmini was
excellent getting the parts shipped out; Instructions were ok (get a real Suzuki shop
manual); technical support was outstanding. I sent in a little more money and asked them
to keep my core charge and send me a skid plate to protect my newest investment.
I did not pay enough attention to which bolts came from where. I did not
keep track of the shims that came out of the case. I had to go back and buy Locktite and
Lithium grease.
