Quick background:
About 1 year ago i had a brand new Shep stage 2 transfercase put in. I have been driving the car for a year no problems never whined or anything.

About 6 weeks ago had a reputable shop install a clutch on the car and all fluids in the driveline. Got the car from them, broke in clutch 1000 miles everything seemed fine. Now last week the transfercase all in the same 15 miles of driving started to whine and hum in 5th gear, then i smelled burning and loud banging metal sounds upon letting my foot off gas while in gear. It got progressivly worst all on the same drive home to where it was scary loud sounds. So in the morning i barely able to drive to a local shop by me(NOT the same shop that installed clutch). They put car on lift and the DRAIN PLUG IS MISSING . All the fluid leaked out. I can't understand how a drain plug falls out. (some1 didnt tighten in all the way) The mechanic puts in new fluid and drains twice with new plug. I go to drive it and it is undrivable making loud banging metal sounds and smell burning.

I explain this whole situation to the shop that did the clutch install and fluid change and they tell me to get the car to them. So i have the car flat bedded to the shop that did clutch install. 50 miles away. Takes them 5 days to get transfercase out of car and look at it. They tell me the transfer case is cracked. Remember the car was never launched or beaten on from the time of the clutch install. So i go down there to look at it and explain that the drain plug was missing from the transfercase and that this is the obvious cause. They tell me NO its not the problem and that i launched the car and I broke it. So now the transfer case is being sent back to Shep to check it out.

The shop claims that nothing inside is burned up from over heating with no fluid. I saw the ring and pinion are chipped and black. But other parts seem fine to me but i'm not a mechanic. And how the hell do i know that those are even my internals of the case. So my question is can not having fluid in the transfercase cause the case to crack??? If so how without destroying all the internals?

I appreciate if anyone can chime in and help me with this situation.

I'm not going to bad mouth any shop b/c situation is in process of hopefully being resolved, mistakes happen i know but some are more costly then others.
PM me with any personal questions

 

anyone???

 

seems to me that the shop that did all your fluids had either not tighten up the plug all the way and it adventualy came loose and fell out. or they put the the wrong fluid in there? i just use the standard stock fluid from manufacture wen my car got all the fluids drained. do you know what they used for replacement fluids?

 

I am almost certain that they used the correct fluid

 

Transfer case should be at Shep tomorrow (monday) for him too look at it. I researched everywhere and i cannot find any info on what happens to a transfer case driven with all the fluid leaked out. Also has anyone blown a Shep Stage 2 transfer case Ring and Pinion and/or cracked the case???