Transfer case noise...file under "bloops and blunders&q

[smj999smj]

File this one under "bloops and blunders":

Getting the my 06LE ready for trip back home to NJ. It's just about to hit 150,000 miles. Changed the oil, ATF and cabin filters, a few days ago, along with rotating and balancing the tires, greasing the U-joints and doing an overall inspection.
So, yesterday I serviced the trasfer case. I used Valvoline Maxlife ATF last time and going with the same this time around. Even got two, new, 11026-4N200 plug washers. Drained and refilled the fluid; being the AUTO transfer case, it took a little over 5 pints. Easy and quick job using my transfer pump and even torqued the drain plugs to 26PSI. So, what could go wrong?
Backing the truck off the alignment rack, I noticed several "shudders." Proceeding to drive down the road, I hear a loud "whine" noise that I don't ever recall hearing before. Wth? "All I did was drain and fill the transfer case?" I thought to myself. Tried changing drive modes, transmission ranges...nothing worked. Highway speeds, not as noticeable, but you especially heard it when accelerating from a stop and slowing to a stop. The noise did get quieter the more I drove it, but now I'm worried knowing I'm heading on a trip that will probably put 1500 miles by the time I get back to home.
So, I bring her back to the shop and jack her up. Only thing I can think to do is recheck the fluid level, so I removed the fill plug...and then I find the problem!
The drain plug and fill plug are similar, except for the fact that the drain plug has a 1" magnet protruding out of it. I had the plugs swapped and the magnet was pressed into the transfer case gear. The gear looked okay, but the end of the magnet was pretty chewed up.
Cleaned off the magnet, drained the fluid, installed the "correct" plug in the drain plug hole and refilled the transfer case with new Maxlife ATF. Road test confirmed that was the noise.
The worst part is that I new the two plugs were different while I was servicing the transfer case and still mixed them up!
Lesson be learned!

[Thupertrooper]

Thanks for sharing good thing the magnet gave and not the gears

[disallow]

hate learning lessons like this. Thanks for sharing!

t

[Kestral]

Wow could have been ugly.. Nice save!