Anybody ever put ATF in thier auto transfer case instead of the blue autotrac fluid? When I took out the trans and rebuilt it I cleaned the gunk off the transfer case only to learn when I put it back in that the gunk was keeping it from leaking.I don't have the time right now to pull the transfer case and rebuild it and the autotrac fluid is $9 bucks a quart and I'm going through a qt. almost every week.

 

Don't use ATF...it needs Autotrac fluid.

 

thunder is right. The clutches in the case need that fluid to operate right.

 

I see it all the time, with no problems. It's not the right fluid, and I wouldn't do it on my vehicle. But it does work ok.

 

When I bought my 99 it had synthetic ATF in the transfer case. When I replaced the front output seal I put Auto Trac back in it. Hasn't been an issue here.

 

When I had my trans rebuilt they put ATF in the transfer case and it would make grinding noises at times when accelerating from a stop, while turning hard left or right even in 2WD. When I drained the ATF out there was silvery flakes in the fluid. I was concerned about this but just refilled it with auto trac II to see what happens. I have put a few thousand miles on since then and the grinding is gone. These NPG 246 T-cases can take abuse but they need Auto Trac II fluid in them.

 

Definitely use the correct fluid...as for your leak, if you search around this section you'll find that there's a clip that breaks in the t-case and causes the pump to move around and wear through the case half, rendering the case half as junk.