Transfer Cases: What Are They?
A transfer case is a device in 4-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicles that allows driving power to be delivered to both axles. It is mounted between the transmission and the driveshaft and is made up of various parts, including gears or chains, a
transfer case output shaft seal, transfer case shift shaft seal, and transfer case motor.
Transfer cases normally have a shifting device that disengages the front drive for street driving. This is true of “typical” 4-wheel-drive systems, or 4WD systems that employ a longitudinal drivetrain (vehicles that are not normally front wheel drive). 2-wheel-drive (2WD) vehicles don’t need a transfer case because their driveshaft connects the transmission to the drive wheels directly.
How Does a Transfer Case Work?
Transfer cases work by delivering power to either the rear wheels or the front and rear wheels, depending on what settings you’re using. Either way, the power flow looks like this: power from the engine runs through the transmission, through the transfer case and then to the wheels.
A transfer case uses either chains or gears, depending on the vehicle. You can choose to either drive with the rear wheels only, or to supply power to all 4 wheels.
There are normally 2 gear ranges for you to choose from to tackle the road ahead, and the logic works like it does on a gear-shifting bike. The high gear range (when using all 4 wheels) engages the front and rear driveshaft so that the front and rear wheels pull the vehicle without much extra torque being applied. The low gear range (when using all 4 wheels) engages the front and rear axle and supplies more torque for pulling the vehicle up steeper hills.
Common Transfer Case Parts
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