Good stop-leak additive for transfer case?

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Hello all -

My mother-in-law took her '06 Hyundai Tucson (4WD) into the dealer for a regular oil change/A-service, and they told her that the transfer case is leaking and needs to be replaced to the tune of $1800. The vehicle had no symptoms, so she was unaware there was a problem. She considers the dealership honest and reliable.

I'll crawl under tomorrow evening and check it out to verify. If there is a leak, my first thought would be to top it up as required, and to monitor it.

Rather than replace the transfer case, I'd be much more likely to try a stop-leak additive first.

My questions:

1. Does a transfer case typically take GL4, or GL5 gear oil? (I guess I'm asking if there are any brass gears or synchronizers.)
2. What's a good stop-leak product to use in gear oil?

Thanks all!
 
If there is a leak, look to replace the gasket/torque down all bolts before replacing anything.

Also, does she ever use 4wd? If its a grocery getter and a-b transport then 4wd is not required and you can forget all about the transfer case.
 
Until you know where its leaking from any answer is just guessing. If its a rubber seal a sealer might work but if its from the mating surface of the case it may or may not use a gasket
Anaerobic and RTV sealers are commonly used on aluminum mating surfaces and no stop leak will stop a leak, if anything the solvents commonly used in these sealers could make it much worse. Leaks from parts using these products generally get worse (sometimes quickly) and should be addressed ASAP.
Weeping from paper or fiber gaskets can sometimes be stopped by tightening the bolts/nuts a little, its not uncommon to find them slightly loose because of gasket compression. If the bolts are tight leave it alone and top it off occasionally, the weeping rarely develops into a full blown leak.
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
ATP205 is the best for this


+1 This stuff and LGR are the only products I don't consider snake oil. If you don't want to fix the leak, 205 should do a nice job. I would also drain and fill with clean fluid. No sense in using the additive with old fluid.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Most use atf. I bet its just a seep and you can top it off every year or so.


Most imports I find use gear oil.

Searched and came across this thread:
http://www.hyundai-forums.com/cm-2007-20...uid-change.html

Looks like it uses gear oil.

IMHO, fix the problem, not the symptom. There has to be a way to reseal it? A Honda/Acura transfer case can be out of the vehicle in about 20 minutes, hardly anything to them. All it does it transfer the output shaft 90 degress from the transmission towards the rear.
 
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Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: Trav
http://www.import-car.com/tech-tip-hyund...-transfer-case/


"If the inner seal is damaged, replace the transaxle."

Holy CRRRAFFFP! They can't replace just the seal?


+1

Interesting that to fix a leak, you just replace the entire transfer case. What kind of backwards world is this?


and so much for environments protection , fuel economy, consevation of natural resources, greenhouse gases ....
real hypocrite, we have!
 
Help me out, here. A leak was noticed but no time was spent putting the vehicle on a lift and diagnosing the problem. The driver was not asked how the vehicle is used and what service has been done. The solution offered is to replace the transfer case based on a leak.

My advice....RUN. Find a mechanic, figure out what the problem is and what might be required to fix the problem. Then if warranted, try the stop leak solution offered above along with checking the fluid level and make a decision based on information from a mechanic and your own experience with the temporary fix.

Service based on replacing parts certainly has its place but things can still be fixed every now and then.
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071

Interesting that to fix a leak, you just replace the entire transfer case. What kind of backwards world is this?


Most of the Haldex type PTUs Ford uses are like this. They do sell seals, but 90+% of the time you need to replace the assembly.
 
I would top off - use the ATP stuff as a band-aid until you come with a plan of attack. I think you have a good shot at servicing the PTO/PTU seals and the outer transaxle seal. I'm thinking Hyundai is recommending transaxle replacement instead of having a flat-rate dealer tech take apart the transaxle and replacing the internal seal, the part might be reasonably priced, but the time it takes to get to it and the possibility of things not working right.
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: Trav
http://www.import-car.com/tech-tip-hyund...-transfer-case/


"If the inner seal is damaged, replace the transaxle."

Holy CRRRAFFFP! They can't replace just the seal?


+1

Interesting that to fix a leak, you just replace the entire transfer case. What kind of backwards world is this?


I read the TSB and it doesn't provide any more info but I have to guess its some sort of case defect, still it sounds crazy. I only posted this so the OP has something to research before trying mechanic in a can.
If it is a case issue nothing will stop it except maybe a sleeve installed but that would have to be a custom job if Hyundai isn't offering a fix other than tossing the unit in the trash, if its case porosity then who knows.

Good used transfer cases are going for 200-700 for this with warranty, worst case this may be a good alternative.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav


I read the TSB and it doesn't provide any more info but I have to guess its some sort of case defect, still it sounds crazy. I only posted this so the OP has something to research before trying mechanic in a can.
If it is a case issue nothing will stop it except maybe a sleeve installed but that would have to be a custom job if Hyundai isn't offering a fix other than tossing the unit in the trash, if its case porosity then who knows.

Good used transfer cases are going for 200-700 for this with warranty, worst case this may be a good alternative.


Sounds like if the inner seal is physically damaged, it is due to possible worn bearings inside the transfer case possibly? Maybe Hyundai does not sell internal parts for that unit.
 
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First they want you to use a UV dye on it to verify leak location. Yes it sounds like they screwed the pooch somewhere and now the warranty is done the customer gets hosed real good. Hyundai is by no means alone with these kinds of shenanigans.
 
I put vehicle up on ramps this evening and crawled underneath. There is a bit of a leak, but the level was not down significantly. (Fluid dribbled out after I removed the check plug. The check plug was really tight, so I doubt they had removed it yesterday. It was a bit unusual - sort of a pan head bolt with a recess for a 10 mm Allen key.)

The fluid that dribbled out had that rather sickening sulphur smell, so definitely gear oil, not ATF. GL-5 gear oil as required fill was confirmed in the owner's manual.

The plan at this point is to monitor the level to determine how bad the leak is - I plan to recheck it in a month. The vehicle's only done about 12K km over the last 2-1/2 years, so even if I have to add a bit a couple of times a year that seems preferable to dropping big coin on a replacement transfer case.

If the leak does turn out to be substantial I'll consider the stop-leak additives recommended. If that doesn't do it, I'll consider pulling the TC and either resealing it or replacing it.

Thanks all for your replies!
 
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