Dana 300 issue

[GaryMB]

I'm trying to rebuild my dana 300 transfer case and have dissasembled everything, except I have not been able to pull the shift rods out. Is there a trick to doing this? I took the front output housing off of the case so I could take all the gears out while I thought it over and let everything soak in pb blaster, and have pulled and pulled but the shift rods simply won't come out. I've even tried using a mallet to get them out. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[GaryMB]

Also I've been thinking of installing a clear tube to tell how much oil (and water, lol) is in the t-case...would drilling into the housing weaken it very much, or at least be an issue?

 

[GaryMB]

OK, I've got the oil level sight tube figured out, but the shift rod issue even has the local machine shop confused. One guy there thinks there are two caps that need to be removed to let the ball detents out, and the other guy disagrees but has no idea how to get the rods out. Anybody here ever rebuild a dana 300 before?

 

[redrooster]

Skip the sight tube mod. I wouldn't drill the cast case. Pipe threaded ports will weaken the case.
I can't recall what holds them in. Nobody has replied yet, so all I can tell you is: I assume you have removed the shift forks, Remove the rear cap and see what is the holdup. The only things you have to watch is losing the spring or detent ball if it has one. My old 300 didn't have any.

 

[GaryMB]

My plan for the sight tube was to run the tube from the fill plug hole to a hole I drill in the bottom cover on the t-case, so the main case goes unmodified; my plan is to not only use this to check the oil but to quickly drain and fill it as well--I could just unplug the hose at the top and plug on a hose from my gear oil pump and fill it up. As for the shift rods, I went ahead and removed the entire front output housing so I could work on the rest of the case, and right now the front output housing with shift rods are at the machine shop. Hopefully they will be able to figure it out, but they didn't sound hopeful.

 

[ArkansasJeeper]

Whoa, man... Hate that it's been so long and you haven't gotten a reply. I haven't ever had any problems with stuck shift rods- usually, you just rotate them 90 degrees and they slide out (detent balls and interlock pins require rotation). I always just stick a small screwdriver in the hole and pull. I assume you've tried all the tricks?

One thing I would suggest- at least around here (rural Arkansas), never trust ANY machine shop with your stuff. Make phone calls, buy all the tools you need... But never take a machinist's word. Just a suggestion in case you happen to be stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Good luck!

 

[GaryMB]

Yeah, i've had bad luck with machine shops around here too...even the good ones are usually running a month behind schedule, and when i got my block back from being bored and decked i found they had dinged a main bearing journal and it had a burr. I think i'll just pick up the front output housing and shift rods today and keep working at it myself before the machine shop gets cocky and breaks it...just talked to them and they still havn't figured it out

 

[GaryMB]

Well the machine shop got the shift rods out. Now I'm assembling the case, and let me say, this is the first and last transfer case I will ever rebuild. Adjusting the end play on the output shafts and pressing on bearings with the gears in the case is a PIA. Hopefully it'll be done sometime tomorrow at least...