2000 Wrangler TJ leaking from transfer case?

Tracy-TJ2000

New Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2020
Messages
8
Location
Vancouver canada
Hi All, I am hopping for some advice, especially now when a lot of places are closed. My jeep tj started leaking something a couple of wks ago. At first it was just a little bit but now it is a lot. I put cardboard under it and the leak is about one foot by one foot is size. Due to the virus I really havent been driving it.

The colour of the liquid is a bit pinkish and it has a slightly oily feel to it. It seems to drip down from 2 spots. One spot seems like it is dripping from the skid plate so not really sure where that leak is coming from at all. And the other seems to be from a part that is big, probably around 10” in size and has about 5 or more bolts on it. Im not really sure if that is the part that is leaking or just where it is dripping from.

I have check the transmission fluid and it is actually a bit above max. I havent topped it up in a long time and really am not sure when it was last topped up.
I checked the oil too. It was a bit low so I topped it up but the fluid coming out is defintely not the same colour as the oil.

My rad overflow always seems to be a bit on the low side (checked it cold). The antifreeae I use is pink but the texture of the liquid on the ground defintely seems oily so I would not think it could be the rad.

When i look at the vehicle, the leaks are directly in the center, both front to back and side to side.
Here are a couple of pics. The front of the vehicle is one the right. This is taken from the passenger side, pretty much directly where the front door is.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!!

658A234E-C14F-45F2-9D7D-7837B8A99729.jpeg


69EA34DE-2F1D-4F15-909B-F8E1F3AFAEC9.jpeg
 
Has your speedometer gear ever been changed? If so it's likely the o-ring was nicked in the process which allows ATF to leak out and cause a hard to find leak. It happened to me years ago, I was thankful I finally tracked it down to the speedometer gear housing o-ring.
 
Ok, good to know. Thank you. Any idea what would cause it to leak so much? Does it have a gasket or could the bolts be loose? Is the transfer case the big thing with all the bolts that is about a foot in front of the skid plate (Towards the front)? I googled but couldnt tell for sure.
 
Support the trans and drop the skid. That should allow the drip to come straight down and locate the problem area. You'll probably wan the skid off anyway to fix it.
 
Hey guys, so I am sure there are lots of ladies out there that can do repair work, but sadly I am not one of them :-( I was hoping for some info that I might be able to pass on to my son and maybe he can fix it. With the virus right now and things being shut down, I am not sure if mechanics are working or not.

Does it sound like it is the transfer case leaking based on what I have said above and the type of fluid that is coming out?

Can I drive it?

Let me know what you think and thank you so much for your answers!!
 
You would want to make sure you have a good fluid level in your transfer case and transmission if plan to drive it. You would also probably want to make only short trips and check the level regularly which would be a pain.
 
Just be sure fluid levels are good. Easy to do. Unscrew fill port, stick finger in there and see how far down the fluid level is. Just how much is actually dripping? 1 drop an hour? Every 5 minutes? 2/3 drops a day? This will be the biggest factor. You will likely lose more fluid when actually driving because all the moving parts and vibration could increase the drip a bit. But first confirm what is losing fluid first.
 
Just be sure fluid levels are good. Easy to do. Unscrew fill port, stick finger in there and see how far down the fluid level is. Just how much is actually dripping? 1 drop an hour? Every 5 minutes? 2/3 drops a day? This will be the biggest factor. You will likely lose more fluid when actually driving because all the moving parts and vibration could increase the drip a bit. But first confirm what is losing fluid first.
The fluid in the pic is from a 24 hr period. The tranny fluid shows as being fine, actually a little high. Oil is good. Only thing that was low was the rad and I do use a pink antifreeze but the liquid under the jeep is pinkish and seems oily so I assume it cant be from the rad. Someone else mentioned power steering fluid but said that would be leaking at the very front of the jeep and this is exactly in teh middle.

I will see if my son can check the transfer case fluid and see if it is low. If i understand correctly there is no way to check it like you can with the oil, you have to remove the fill bolt from the transfer case and just stick you finger into it?

Thanks so much for all your help everyone!!
 
Yea. Just unscrew the fill plug and stick a finger in and down. The level (ideally) is level with the plug. Bus as long as it is within 1/2"to 3/4" from the hole is fine. Any less and I would top it off.
 
Leaks and moving parts don't mix. I'd suggest bringing it to a shop for immediate repair. It is likely a seal or O-ring. Usually not a difficult or expensive repair.
 
Hi All - thank you for all your help. The puddle underneath got so big that I ended up calling BCAA and had it taken to a mechanic. Can’t wait to see what the bill is :-(