GOD%$^)!@ I hate Kormex!

New trans put in 20k miles ago. It has leaked since I bought it and they said leaks are "expected." Besides the leaks, a slight whine and notchy shifting I didn't have any other issues...initially. I took the car on a long run up to Mammoth Lakes, CA (about 300 miles one way). This is the first big trip I have taken with the car but I have put right around 20k miles on it commuting on the highway to work and school so I felt that so long as all of my fluids are good beforehand the drive shouldn't be a problem at all.

About an hour and a half in I start to notice a constant vibration under accel...it felt kind've like I was missing a cylinder but the car wasn't missing any power and the engine felt strong. I toss the car in cruise and the vibration goes away (or maybe I just thought it did because I wasn't on the pedal anymore?).

When driving the car home she overheats because a seal froze and cracked while up there but that's another story and I've already taken care of it. I noticed the same vibration all the way home a few days later. I just swapped in the new overflow tank and checked my tcase and transmission fluids while playing with the car. I pulled the transmission fill plug and checked it...of course I'm a little low because that's what always leaked after the new install. I checked the transfer case fluid level and I am solid......uuuuntil I look at the plug - damn thing has metal shavings on it.

Now, can this be the output shaft that is wearing off inside of the tcase and the shavings are accumulating on the magnet of the plug? Would a worn output shaft contribute to the vibration? The majority of me is pissed that I have a shitty transmission that should still be new, but a small part of me is wanted to fork out the several grand to have a transmission rebuilt by Jack's and get this whole transmission problem out of the way and in the past.

Correct me if I am wrong, but so long as the tcase has fluid in it I don't need to worry about it locking up, right? DAMMIT DAMN DAMMIT DAMMIT!


..../rant

Tcase shavings not from output shaft.

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aaaauuugh....tcase it is then?

Wait, "leaks are to be expected"?????

Frank proves himself as an ass once again.

That's exactly what I said. A new transmission should not leak and if leaks can be "expected" then somebody has been using the wrong products for a long time. I just looked them up on yelp.com and it says they are closed, but when I called he picked up. Friendly comment left for them on there. I know the majority of people don't look at those review sites but if I can help one person to avoid them I will be happy.


...grrrr

Can't attest for the vibration, I always think tire balance first on issues like that. I just resealed the t-case and its fluids are isolated from the output shaft. Shavings are from the t-case gears only. Any "its suppose to leak" bs is exactly that. I think we all been affected by dubious mechanics/vendors in our time, hence we are on here getting smarter and doing stuff ourselves where practical.

Hmm, thanks for the tip on the separation of fluids. I assumed that since the o/s is inside of the tcase that it may be the problem...that kind've just makes things worse lol. I thought I at least had a good tcase. DAMN IT ALL!

next time have ray p rebuild it he does it for $500+ parts or try to get in on ips's deal right now I think he is trying to set up a deal with mitsu to buy a large quanity brand new 6speeds for $1,478 or 5speeds for $2,309

The shavings are "normal".... and not like "leaks" being normal. What you can do if its suspect is pull the t-case, and open it up and do a reseal. But you can see if everything is moving fine with it separated from the output shaft and drive shaft. Read first, as the fluids can come out once the drive shaft is separated from t-case.

Transfer Case Reseal - 3SI Wiki

Check out the link on the link (to the transmission manual at the end).

My gut says your t-case is fine, I found shavings all over mine, 93k miles, but the gears looked and operated well. I had a little leak I am chasing. When fluids are low in t-case its hard to describe, but it feels sloppy when accelerating and shifting.

Thanks for info on the IPS dealio. I recall reading about it but haven't heard any updates so I never thought any more of it.

As for the leak it isn't the transfer case that leaks (of course..that's too simple) it's the transmission. I haven't had to mess with the tcase fluids for a while but the transmission needs fluid added every now and again...In 20k I've probably had to add an additional 4 quarts of oil to it :(. Guess I will just drive it til it breaks and avoid long trips which means anything outside of my AAA tow range ;). Maybe I should upgrade from the 100 mile to a 200 mile tow.

Thanks for the input, guys.