Transfer cases are often misunderstood, but they're a crucial part of your truck's drivetrain. Let’s break it down for you.
What Is A Transfer Case?
A transfer case is the "middleman" between your transmission and drive axles. It allows you to change from two-wheel-drive (2WD) to four-wheel drive (4WD) by locking up its center differential that divides engine power between the front and rear axles. The center differential is controlled by a lever inside your truck cab or by pushing a button on the dash.
How Does A Transfer Case Work?
The transfer case has four sets of gears; two for each axle. The first set of gears hooks up to the transmission via a driveshaft that runs from below the truck cab down into the transfer case. The second set of gears hooks up to each axle shaft through an output yoke located at each end of the transfer case. The coupling has splines that mate with splines on each axle shaft and transfers torque from the transmission through the driveshaft into those splines, where it gets sent out to both axles simultaneously.