Transfer Case Maintenance
Q: I have a five-ton M-series truck built by Kaiser. I was wondering if you had any knowledge of any maintenance problems with the transfer case. The transfer case on mine pops out of gear, particularly while going downhill and using compression braking. Thanks.
—Barry
: In many cases, when a transfer case or transmission jumps out of gear on compression it needs a rebuild. This isn’t unique to 5-ton trucks. Early jeeps, both military and civilian, were known for jumping out of second gear on compression, because second gear wore out fast on those early model 3-speeds, which were actually Willys car transmissions. On the other hand, the Dana 18 and Dana 20 transfer cases were way-overbuilt and would usually outlast two or three transmissions. Mid 1960s CJ5s with V-6 engines would also wear their transmissions fast so they would jump out of second on
