Driveshaft grenaded, is the tc done too?

Bobbytron21

Greenie N00B Member
Greenie Member
While doing 60 on the highway my car started making a violent rattle from the transmission area and the 4wd light illuminated. This stopped shortly after and the light turned back off but my cabin began to fill with smoke. (I think this was grease burning off of my engine filling the cabin)

I got home and checked it out, and quickly realized the driveshaft cv boot i replaced (following this thread https://mazdaspeeds.org/index.php?t...ed-6-propeller-shaft-cv-boot.9856/#post-92895) had ripped and the bearings done. you can see the ripped boot in the attached photo. (and the O2 sensor it took out in the process)

https://mazdaspeeds.org/index.php?a...2/&temp_hash=16868398e102edff1ad0fc1b0490d0a6

My question here is if my transfer case took damage too? It was already leaky (it takes .1-.2 qts of gear oil every month or so) and i’m not sure if i should just pull and rebuild it while I'm in the process of replacing my driveshaft? I think the bearing may have locked up momentarily stressing the transfer case but i’m not skilled enough to make that conclusion.

All suggestions are appreciated!
 

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With the front wheels off the ground, turn the output shaft of the Tcase. It should be smooth. If there is any grinding or crunchy action there is big trouble. Also feel for changes in how smooth it turns. If the vibes were short lived it is possible they came from the joint failure. You can also try driving the car with the driveshaft removed. The Tcase wont be under load, but if there is any bad vibes then you have a problem to diagnose.
As a side note, I noticed in your picture it looks as tho you didnt install a heat shield. Also important is to grind the metal between the 2 grooves in the cup so the boot can seat properly. Those may have been the reason for the boot failure. If you need to try this again in the future I would suggest those 2 solutions. I have been running the same setup without issue for a few years now.

Also considering its leaking, I would suggest repair or replacing it with another unit that dosent leak.
 
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