Flat tow disaster

T

TahoeJohnny

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Jun 29, 2019
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Lake Tahoe
Any thoughts on what could have caused this?

While flat towing my TJ from Moab back to Lake Tahoe, after about 450 miles, I suddenly feel some vibration which felt like either the road or possibly a flat tire. I immediately look for a place to pull over and suddenly the vibration intensifies.

I look underneath and see massive amounts of what looks to be transmission fluid leaking from all over my skid plate. The rear drive shaft is missing!
The transfer case shifter is still in neutral but now floats all over the place. The stick shift is completely loose.

My question is, what could have caused this? My initial thought is somehow the transfer case popped out of neutral and went into one of the gears? I find that kind of hard to believe, but has that happened to others?

I disconnected the front drive shaft and remove the remaining portion of the rear drive shaft and towed the car the rest of the way home without issue.

I have not had a chance to see what damage has been done above the skid plate, but would like to know has this happened to anybody else and maybe in the future I will just disconnect my drive shafts so it doesn't happen again.

Thoughts?

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Probably unrelated to the problem being discussed, but what the heck is this?
Was this welded back together at some point?
1714230467931.png
 
I guessing your rear driveshaft was a double cardan at the tcase and it seized.

Usually this happens with the factory/aftermarket front double cardans when they seize.
 
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I’ve flat towed our TJ, with a manual for about 20,000 miles now. 2x I must have not had the transfer case fully in neutral, as luckily someone heard a clicking sound as I drove by out of campground. I assumed I was being careless and not checking closely enough. Not sure on the true mechanical details though.
 
Ebaron said:
I’ve flat towed our TJ, with a manual for about 20,000 miles now. 2x I must have not had the transfer case fully in neutral, as luckily someone heard a clicking sound as I drove by out of campground. I assumed I was being careless and not checking closely enough. Not sure on the true mechanical details though.
Click to expand...

I am positive I started out with the transfers case in neutral because I always put it in gear and slowly let out the clutch. Besides that would have felt resistance. 500 mi with it in gear would be obvious. I would think.
 
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My money would be in your drive shaft seizing and exploding your TC, and possibly your Trans?

I had this happen when my son had my TJ at TTech and Covid nonsense hit.

In a rush got up to move him out and tow it home. Front DS went bye bye on us and New 231 on the way.

My CJ5’s I’be always taken out the rear DS because that was the procedure back then.

You shouldn’t need to with a TJ, but on super long trips I might, just for the piece of mind.

100% unnecessary I know, unless you have a failure. Proper lube and it shouldn’t.

Sorry to hear that, sucks, been there. Look for whatever it may have hit and damaged.
 
TahoeJohnny said:
Any thoughts on what could have caused this?

While flat towing my TJ from Moab back to Lake Tahoe, after about 450 miles, I suddenly feel some vibration which felt like either the road or possibly a flat tire. I immediately look for a place to pull over and suddenly the vibration intensifies.

I look underneath and see massive amounts of what looks to be transmission fluid leaking from all over my skid plate. The rear drive shaft is missing!
The transfer case shifter is still in neutral but now floats all over the place. The stick shift is completely loose.

My question is, what could have caused this? My initial thought is somehow the transfer case popped out of neutral and went into one of the gears? I find that kind of hard to believe, but has that happened to others?

I disconnected the front drive shaft and remove the remaining portion of the rear drive shaft and towed the car the rest of the way home without issue.

I have not had a chance to see what damage has been done above the skid plate, but would like to know has this happened to anybody else and maybe in the future I will just disconnect my drive shafts so it doesn't happen again.

Thoughts?

View attachment 522205

View attachment 522206

View attachment 522207
Click to expand...

What does the t-case look like?
 
TahoeJohnny said:
Any thoughts on what could have caused this?

While flat towing my TJ from Moab back to Lake Tahoe, after about 450 miles, I suddenly feel some vibration which felt like either the road or possibly a flat tire. I immediately look for a place to pull over and suddenly the vibration intensifies.

I look underneath and see massive amounts of what looks to be transmission fluid leaking from all over my skid plate. The rear drive shaft is missing!
The transfer case shifter is still in neutral but now floats all over the place. The stick shift is completely loose.

My question is, what could have caused this? My initial thought is somehow the transfer case popped out of neutral and went into one of the gears? I find that kind of hard to believe, but has that happened to others?

I disconnected the front drive shaft and remove the remaining portion of the rear drive shaft and towed the car the rest of the way home without issue.

I have not had a chance to see what damage has been done above the skid plate, but would like to know has this happened to anybody else and maybe in the future I will just disconnect my drive shafts so it doesn't happen again.

Thoughts?

View attachment 522205

View attachment 522206

View attachment 522207
Click to expand...

Is it me, or is this not what is seen on TJ's often?

This looks more like the old school CJ drive shaft. It doesn't look to be a Double Cardan or have a Slip Yoke TJ OEM style end, does it?
Each end is a standard U Joint, unless I'm missing something? So it wouldn't be the DC joint seizing.
 
cpwolf said:
Is it me, or is this not what is seen on TJ's often?

This looks more like the old school CJ drive shaft. It doesn't look to be a Double Cardan or have a Slip Yoke TJ OEM style end, does it?
Each end is a standard U Joint, unless I'm missing something? So it wouldn't be the DC joint seizing.
Click to expand...

As a guess, the pinion looks rotated up to point the pinion at the driveshaft. It would be odd to have those arms and not have a SYE of some sort and a DC driveshaft. Purely speculative until we see the t-case.
 
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