Smoke or Tranny Overheat

:grinyes: Thought I'd throw a quick FYI post with a resolution instead of a problem. I had an issue with my 97 4WD recently where it appeared the tranny was overheating and dumping fluid out the overflow next to the tranny dipstick. I've read some other posts in this forum that seem to point to either a bad tranny oil pump or degredating cooler in the rad. It turns out that the overflow next to the tranny dipstick is actually for the Transfer case. What happens is the transfer case front seal go bad and allows tranny fluid to flow from the tranny to the transfer case causing it to overfill. Anyway the simple diagnosis is to remove the fill plug (top plug) on the transfer case. If tranny fluid pours (or gushes in my case) a large amount of fluid, that's likely your problem. If your a DIY'er its a cheap fix at about $10 for the seal and a few hours of your time (just dropping the drive shafts and unbolting the transfer case to replace the seal). Oh yea - an another item of note - don't bother looking for the gasket between the transfer case and tranny. They don't sell it (aftermarket atleast). Just get yourself some black RTV (you'll need it for the seal housing in the trasnfer case anyway).