Ford BW1356 Transfer Case Rebuild Bearing & Seal Kit

Complete bearing, seal and gasket rebuild kit for the Borg Warner 1356 transfer case, the aluminum-cased unit stamped 13-56. Manufacturer part number BK1356. It covers both the electric shift and manual shift 1356 used behind the Ford C6, E4OD and ZF5 in F-150, F-250, F-350, Bronco and Ranger applications. Check the tag or the case casting for 13-56 before ordering, since the 1354 and 4406 cases look similar from underneath but use different bearings.

The kit includes the case bearings, all external and internal seals, gaskets and inserts. Bearings are Nachi and Koyo. It does not include the drive chain, sprockets, planetary or the shift fork pads, so inspect those while the case is split. If the chain has stretched enough to slap the case or the fork pads are worn through to the metal, order those separately at the same time.

Typical reasons a 1356 lands on the bench: gear whine that changes with vehicle speed rather than engine speed, a puddle of gear oil at the rear output or at the front output yoke, or a growl that shows up only in four wheel drive. All three point at the case bearings and the output seals, which is exactly what this kit replaces.

On the bench, drain the case, pull the rear housing and the chain, then press out the input and output bearings and drive the seals. Clean every mating surface down to bare aluminum before you lay the new gaskets, and set the output seals flush with the housing bore so the yoke seal surface rides on fresh material. Refill with the fluid the tag calls for, which on most Ford 1356 applications is Mercon ATF and not gear oil.