ok before I bought the EVO I own (In beg of December) I work @ lexus and put it on the lift (before purchase and look it over) and noticed the Transfer case leaking a bit.

When I searched the history of the VIN I found they replaced the Transfer case in OCT (2 mths before I bought it) because of a noise the owner noticed in gears.

SO the car only had 18.5k miles on her so I figured...cool...if thats it then They'll fix it.

Long story short I send it to Mistu (2 weeks ago w/ 21000 miles on her) and they look it over and It needs a NEW Transfer case.
After them wanting more info on the car That I didn't have..they said we have to get approved my Warranty Reps to replace it again (3 days later)...only because it was replaced just 3 mths ago.

SO all in all they fix it and not sure 100% if they replaced the Seal (the cause of the leak) or the TC itself?EVEN looking at the RO it says "repaired".

Now I installed my Hotchkis Springs today and looking under the car..it is leaking again??????

I know these were the downfall of these cars but has this happened to anyone else.

I come from an STi so just need more info on this issue.

AM I going to keep having problems w/ this.or it should be fixed for good.

I know how to drive AWD and do not do 5000rpm clutch drops or any wild $hit like that in any of my cars STi or EVO.I really don't even beat on them.
aunched the STi like 2 times in the year that I owned it if that tells you anything.

 

One thing that killed a LOT of 2003 Evo 8 transfer cases was people putting in the wrong gear lube. And many times it was the dealers who screwed up! Personally, I had TWO transfer cases fail because two different dealers put in generic GL-4, non-LSD gear lube. The 2003 Evos absolutely need a GL-5 lube with LSD additives with a weight of SAE-90. But it seems many dealers didn't get the memo

The best way to keep the '03 transfer cases healthy is to use Mitsubishi's own DiaQueen LSD Gear Lube and replace it every 15K miles (basically every 5th oil change) at minimum. I have been told that replacing the lube at every 6K miles is even better. I'm not 100% convinced, but that's what I do anyway.

However, in your case it definitely sounds like you have a different problem. Even if you put in the wrong lube, it won't leak. It will just start whining and eventually die. It sounds to me like there is a problem with the seals. In my experience, many Mitsu dealer service centers do not seem to be very skilled when it comes to changing transfer cases. It would not be surprising if there was a screw-up at the time of the swap.

Emre

 

try searching. this has been discussed to death repeatedly.

 

Is it leaking from between the t-case and tranny? Or by the right side axle?

 

Thanks for the info

Thats whats going on.,It was whining when I bought it so I orig thought...ok...Transfer case or Diff or whatever.

Took it in and they "Repaired" it I guess...and there still is the whine and now noticing the leak again.

The whine is a tad quiter but def there and shouldn't be.
even going into 2nd is harder then it use to be before haveing them "Repair" it

On the STi I had what I thought was synchro problems (grinding into 5th about 5k+ rpms,and grinding into 6th anywhere above 3k)....took it to Subaru and they Diag'd it quickly and said there is a TSB on the Gear oil.
6th gear was catching reverse somehow.....
You need to use GM Synchromesh fluid...that put that stuff in a ALL problems Fixed and FWIW they were even cool w/ replacing the tranny too.

 

T case.

Its coming from a smaller portion around a bolt now...it was seaping through a flat spot (between bolts) on the underside of the Tcase.

 

It's not on the drain plug is it? There is a little metal washer that is easy to lose and might be the reason it's leaking.....should be like a 17mm bolt and there should be like a big 24mm bolt above it....

 

If it's whining, then that's a VERY bad sign. It means the gears are worn beyond repair. Again, this is almost always due to the wrong gear lube being used. When my dealer put in the wrong lube, my t-case started whining after maybe 400-500 miles of pure highway driving. It happens that fast!


Yeah, my dealer tried to pull this crap on me. They said, "we changed the seals and flushed the lube. You should be OK now." Right . Like the gears are going to magically GROW BACK just because you put in new lube!


If it's whining, it's basically on the way out. Look on the service invoice to see how much you were charged for gear lube. If it was $10, then you can PROVE that they put in the wrong lube. The DiaQueen LSD Gear Lube they're supposed to use is very expensive. You'd be charged $40-50 at minimum just for the lube itself.

Good luck!

Emre

 

You sir have Nailed it! Thank you very much..they very well did not use the diaqueen because after looking last night it was around $10 a liter or something like that.

I'll called them today.They said the leak where it is leaking now obviously wasnt there when I brought it in the 1st time (so I understand that part)..but the whine is still there....and the Tech that worked on it says (w/o seeing it) "I know exactly what it is"...the seal between the Tranny and T-case is where the fluid is building up and leaking.Though They did put a new t-case in it 2 weeks ago...and fluid (not diaqueen) YES it does still whine.

 

welcome to my world...dealer replaced my transfercase and 3-4 days later the whine came back... now they keep saying they dont know where its coming from...can anyone tell me the best place and cheapest to buy diaqueen? im going to hand them a jug myself to show im serious about this situation

 

i'm pretty much waiting for my t-case to go...it's been whining for a good 1000 miles...i got refused a warrenty claim since my car was apparently involved in a accident. really sucks...that's why i am selling my 03 evo for a couple of thousand below its value

 

http://www.lancershop.com/customer/p...&cat=15&page=1

 

That's why I tell my friends not to buy a used Evo because it was either abused or not maintained properly.

 

Well, it's too late to do anything about it now. Like I said, it's not like the worn gears are going to grow back just because you put in the right lube now. The damage is done.

I had the same headache with my t-case. The stock one failed because a dealer put in the wrong lube. I got a new one. When the new one started whining after 200 miles or so, the dealer said "Well it CAN'T be the transfer case...we just replaced that!" So they went on a witch hunt. They ended up replacing the tranny for no reason...even though I was killing myself trying to explain it was the t-case!

After the new tranny, the whining was still persisting. They FINALLY relented and gave me another new t-case. This time the dealer listened to me and used DiaQueen. Guess what? No more whining! Problem solved.


The problem is that the dealers are told by Mitsu to use GL5, SAE90 "or equivalent" gear lube. It's the "or equivalent" part that f-cks everything up...Mitsu didn't make it clear that you must use DiaQueen. My dealer put in the regular GL4-5, SAE75-90, non-LSD crap they use for regular Lancers. He said "Yeah, well it's equivalent to GL5, SAE90." But a GL4-5, SAE75-90 is NOT really equivalent to a true GL5, SAE90, LSD gear lube. It's shocking that a dealer service center wouldn't know the difference!

That's what was killing all these '03 Evo gearboxes.

Emre

 

Heres what I found out today...if anyone can Make this 100% true.Here is the part # on the oil used when they replaced my T-Case:
3775610 - 4 liters
I called the Parts manager and asked him about the GL5 and Diaqueen oils and if they were used.

he mentioned the BG SynchroShift...but I then corrected him telling him thats for the Transmission....not LSD & T Case oil.(am I right there?)But also said the Part # should read 3775610 and thats what They use.

We need to find out what this is.lancershop doesen;t have the PN for thier fluid so I couldn't match it there.

I go back monday to get this Leak on th eother side fixed and want them to go ahead and replace al the fluid w/ THE RIGHT STuff!I will pay for whatever to get this right for one last time.

But for good measure lemme get this straight before I go Demanding this stuff.

SO I need Diaqueen for the T-Case or the Diff's?
Whats needed for the Trans? BG Synchroshift?

I'll get my ducks in a row and they are finally cool w/ me.I even got the OWNER of teh delaership wanting to talk to me about a certain Service manager that they would like to get Rid of.SO they are down for whatever..I just don't trust thier tEch's.My Lexus Techs are I'm sure alot more skilled and ASE certified as well,..+ I've got a 13yr Mitsu Tech working @ my Dealership as well.So that helps alot.

Thanks Alot guys