Where can I buy new viscous coupling for transfer case?

[captspillane]

All the ladies here on the Eagle web are assertive, tough enough to crawl under a car, undismayed by bloody knuckles, and interested in off-roading. I think they're awesome even if they're stubborn and abit abrasive sometimes. I thought that quote was hilarious and effective, even if it was terse and inappropriate among a group of like-minded people trying to help each other.  Realize from her perspective and mine your prior post sounded even more "know it all." It seemed to dismiss our efforts as pointless and imply that we were ignorant of how the real world works. You obviously didn't mean it to be viewed as such and I doubt she has any resentment against you now that you've confirmed that they do indeed rebuild them at a fraction of the cost of buying a new unit. That's a tangible answer to the question at hand. There is no reason for anyone to be angry or insulted, when we're really still just enthusiasts getting frustrated after countless google searches. Tis all good.

[rohnk]

 

First round is on me! Now kiss and make up!

[priya]

The cheapest price I’ve seen while searching today for the more common 249 Grand Cherokee unit, which may or may not be interchangeable, is 400 dollars. .

Where did you find that VC for $400?  It may make more sense for me to buy a VC for $400 than to spend money for shipping two transfer cases plus $620 and duty and brokerage fees on $620.

[mudkicker715]

It is just basically a clutch pack.this is the internals of a vc.

[captspillane]

My conclusion from all of this is that the viscous coupling is not worth replacing. It would actually be worth 400 dollars to me if I knew it wouldn't just wear out again in the future. I am going to use a 242 Jeep Cherokee case that has a "full time 4WD," a "Part time 4WD," and a Low Range. I'll leave it in "full time 4WD" most of the time because thats an open differential like the 1986 Eagles and many other light duty all wheel drive cars have. I've driven enough burned out viscous couplings to know that an Eagle can still get through most slippery surfaces without even missing it. I will have a "part time" 4wd mode that has a solid differential like the 231 for mud and slow speeds. If my lack of viscous coupling gets me stuck, the locked differential or low range will easily compensate. I won't often use the 2wd mode, but it might be useful for troubleshooting wierd noises and such.  

I honestly think the open differentials front and rear will take up the slack from a solid transfer case in highway speeds on dry pavement, but its not recommended for good reasons. In Jeeps that reason is mostly because of the U joints creating a vibration from changes in resistance as they rotate, a problem eliminated by CV shafts, but there is also a degree of undue wear that we'll face too. I might put a 231 in an Eagle just to see if I can notice a tangible difference.

My Red SX4 already has a 242. I have yet to install a shift handle but I did like knowing that I could crawl under the car if i was desperate enough. It did get me unstuck once that way. The factory slip joint was compatible with the factory Eagle U joints. I did have to put a section of metal pipe to limit the internal driveshaft slip joint. I'll post pictures in my project thread. In the future I want to use a slip yoke eliminator because I hate the way fluid can pour out the back of the transfer case. I found this company:

http://www.driveshaftsuperstore.com/SYE_Kits_$375.htm

This link works now.

[priya]

Captspillane, that link gives me a "Document not found" message.

I'm unclear, does a burned out viscous coupling mean there is no power supplied to the front wheels, or is it then like an open differential and the front wheels are driven unless there is a real big imbalance in traction?  thereverandbilll gives me the impression that the front wheels are driven even when the viscous coupling isn't working.

I don't want a 2wd Eagle, the sole reason I bought an Eagle is because it was 4wd so if I need to spend $400 or even $620 to get the 4wd working I definitely want to do it.

[captspillane]

I put "249 viscous coupler" into google's shopping tab and there is a whole list of prices and suppliers from $398 to $450. I didn't investigate further for final cost with shipping and such. I'll probably get a coupler along with a seal kit, like Quadratec offers together for $480 dollars. I call it a viscous coupling, but it seems its supposed to be called a "coupler." I'm actually looking for a 249 unit myself because I have a 249 that I was going to use to complement the limited slip rear in my 401 SX4. That's the only Eagle I'm definately going to replace the viscous coupling in. The 249 is much more common than even the 229, but you have to be careful with the earlier years that have an open differential in low range. I will confirm if the 249 is the same as a 119 coupler when I rebuild it this winter. I'm sure that they are the same internally and have the same fluid.

Thats a great picture of the internals, Mudkicker. The problem is actually the fluid tho. Its silicone based and designed to be more viscous after it gets hot. It doesn't get hot until one output yoke has spun faster than the other for a period of time, similar to the way a soft locker has to use the centrifugal force of the loose tire spinning to engage the locker. As I understand it, the reason they burn out is not because of the fluid leaking or those plates wearing, but instead the fluid itself loses its viscosity over time just like oil in your engine does. Replacing viscous couplings is a form of oil change to me and should be done at a set maintenance schedule.

[mudkicker715]

It works as an open diff if burnt up. Vibration¿ Never felt that.  I have dropped my rear driveshaft on a good vc and driven home on tje front at highway speed. A burnt vc would have left me stranded.

[captspillane]

Not all of the link comes up blue. You have to copy paste it into the address bar for it to work. I'll modify my post to say that.

Yes, the all wheel drive functions beautifully without a viscous coupling. The only time you'll notice a difference is when you're stuck in mud with one wheel spinning away. It takes awhile for the fluid to heat up and start forcing the other yoke to move and get you unstuck. You won't notice it at all unless you're in an extreme situation.

[captspillane]

Yes vibrations from the transfer case have nothing to do with the viscous coupling. Its very robust and only the fluid properties inside it change when they burn up. Yours probably isn't as healthy as it should be, Priya, but it might still get you home without a rear driveshaft too. If it was healthy you would feel a sizeable resistance keeping one output still while the other turned even while cold. When it heats up from slipping is when the fluid gets considerably more viscous and then locks the two together enough to propel the vehicle forward. Your tired old fluid might still be strong enough to move the car when hot even if it was weaker than it should be cold. Even if it wouldn't work without a rear driveshaft, thats not something to worry about really.

Driving without a rear driveshaft puts alot of strain on the viscous coupling and causes alot of undue wear on it. I wish there was a transfer case similar to the 242 with a viscous coupling in "full-time 4WD" and an option of "Part-time 4wd". That would let you bypass the viscous coupling and prevent damaging it if you have to drive that way. The 242 locks the outputs together and would work in that situation.

[captspillane]

In another post about rear axles, there was several people who swore that their rear axles were limited slip units because they saw both tires spin together in a peel-out. An open differential naturally splits the engine torque 50/50 when the outputs have equal resistance. If all four wheels are on the ground and all four tires have equal resistance to spinning then all four wheels will recieve 25% of the applied engine torque, even if you have an open differential at the transfer case and in both axles. In practice the resistance of the brakes, bearings, wheel inertia, and U joints provide enough consistant resistance to always see a split in torque, even when one tire is in mud and another is on pavement. Thats especially true at speed because there is alot of inertia at each wheel. In practical application there is a limit to how much faster one tire can spin than the other. Usually the only way your all wheel drive won't function is if the car is totally stopped, a jack is inserted under one wheel, and a single tire is able to spin fast enough that the other tires don't need to.

If you are going to spend money on low speed traction in severely slippery conditions, the first step is actually to put a limited slip rear differential in. Then the second upgrade would be a low range transfer case. Third would be a new viscous coupling. Fourth would be a full time electric locker front and rear. Fifth would be a solid front axle. Sixth would be mud tires that vibrate terribly at highway speeds because of the obnoxious tread. Eventually you will have an awesome mud vehicle that your other Eagle can tow to an offroad park to play with. Point is that the viscous coupling is an upgrade equivalent to a limited slip rear differential that new Eagles enjoyed from the factory.

[mudkicker715]

Ahhhhhhhhh. There I go screaming like a girl again.

I have run a 242 however it requires a new rear driveshaft to be made. I had a rear tire off the ground and walked out both with a 242 only in low range, and a 129 that has just over200k

[eaglefreek]

"I have no need for further comments from you."

If only it were that easy. You are posting on a public forum asking for advice... I promise I will never reply to another one of your posts and hope you will do the same for me.".

Yes, I asked for advice on where I could buy a Viscous coupling.  You unfortunately didn't give any advice on that, instead choosing to go on and on about a peripheral issue, that's why I asked you not to comment unless you had something to say relative to what I asked.  So don't get upset at me for having little time for your games.

I finally got an answer from Midwest. The guy I talked to says they have a company that rebuilds the VC for them.

So, here the situation was as I suggested and yet you are angry at me for suggesting that they weren't simply reusing used VCs.

 I know Autozone sells a complete rebuilt unit for $620 with exchange but I'm thinking by the time I pay shipping for two transfer  

Same vc however. Its shared by a few cases

Are you sure?  The link Jurjen posted shows the VC for the 229 at $750 whereas Autozone sells the complete rebuilt transfer case for $620 with core.  In Jurjen's link the VC is about 1/3 the cost of the entire rebuild kit, on that basis the Autozone VC should be about $200.

I didn't pull the Autozone rebuilt transfer case out of thin air. You mentioned it twice before I even commented. I was just trying to rationalize how they can offer a rebuilt transfer case for less than the price of a new VC. I never said they were using old VC's, just a possibilty. I've been around alot of rebuilt junk from MAJOR supposedly REPUTABLE companies and was just trying to assist you in your decision. Good Luck.

[priya]

I put "249 viscous coupler" into google's shopping tab and there is a whole list of prices and suppliers from $398

I don't see a shopping tab on google?  I tried putting in 119 viscous coupler in Yahoo and google but it didn't show any for sale, just threads of people discussing them on forums such as this.

[Hokie Eagle]

I don't see a shopping tab on google?  I tried putting in 119 viscous coupler in Yahoo and google but it didn't show any for sale, just threads of people discussing them on forums such as this.

There is a gray bar at the top of the page with "you web immages video....." and to the right is "More" with a drop down.  There will be a shopping selection.  Very useful!  Good luck!