I have an 05 F-150 4wd. 17000 miles ago AAMCO rebuilt the transmission. Been having some weird stuff going on at about 45-65mph. Feels like it's shifting in and out of gear but the RPM doesnt change when this happens. Locally owned shop , they have 3 or 4, said my hubs were leaking, got everything hot including the rotors which warped and damaged brake pads all were replaced with new about 10000 miles ago. Picked truck up last week but didn't really drive it much until today and still does the weird thing shifting but not shifting and medium application of brakes and the truck shudders. Took it back and he said right front caliper is sticking so its replaced free. Woo hooo. He says weird shifting sensation but not shifting is coming from transfer case. My question is how long should the transfer case for my truck last? Truck has been very well taken care of and only has 163,645 miles on it. I am the third owner at 120,000 miles. Go 4wd in mountains about every 90 days and its nothing real serious but kinda serious sometimes but not for long periods of time about 20-30 minutes. How long should, with regular care and service should a transfer case last before serious care is needed? Thanks for any input. I paid around 9500$ 5 years ago for the truck. In the last for years I have paid almost that much in repairs.

 

I've never heard of a transfer case going bad unless it was improperly used. I've driven trucks over 200,000 miles and have friends who had 400,000 miles on their trucks with zero transfer case issues. Most people won't actually have 4X4 engaged for 10,000 miles even if the truck is driven 400,000 miles. At that rate none of the 4x4 components should wear out unless abused or used improperly.

Operating in 4X4 on high traction surfaces will wear it out in a few hundred miles though. Even off pavement traction is too good to justify being in 4X4 in a lot of places. Most 4X4 issues can be traced back to operator error. Many people don't understand when and how to use their 4X4 system.

But this doesn't seem right. The transfer case has nothing to do with how the transmission shifts. It simply transfers power to the front axle when engaged and reduced transmission gear ratios when in low range. It just sits there otherwise.

 

I really appreciate the reply. I do not run in 4wd, only when needed and then I stop and disengage. I am seriously finding as much info as I can. I think I have found the shop with the knowledge and experience needed in this situation. Truck is leveled and has Goodyear Wranglers and in 4wd low would climb a tree if I could find one big enough. Thanks for the reply. Keep the rubber side down.

 

Let us know what you find out please. Sounds like it could possible be a torque converter but my bet is brakes.