5R55E/Adapter Housing/Transfer Case bolts missing.

[Fredness]

2005 Sport Trac Adrenalin 4x4 225,5xx miles
New front driveshaft (after lift) vibrates like crazy 40mph to 60, then NOTHING above 60. Driveshaft company says the shafts look fine, no issues, quality parts, proper lengths - but 2 bolts have backed out 2-3 threads on the front shaft.
Tech notices a leak between the xfer case and trans.
Get to the local shop that installed the lift/front shaft to inquire about the vibration/loose bolts, put it up on a lift and it's leaking like mad...

Almost ALL of the bolts from the trans to the adapter housing, and the housing to the transfer case are MISSING.

Before the vibration, we had a couple instances were the xfer case would go into 4High, but not 4Low, or 4Low would engage ("THUNK!") but the 4Low indicator would not light.

Shop procured the proper bolts and is putting in all the ones they can reach first, then dropping the trans crossmember with the trans supported to check the top.

I've never heard of this, THEY were stumped, but a web search shows many such instances...
WTH?

 

[Fredness]

Multiple iterations of front shaft/rear shaft only (for different reasons), and the vibrations always were with BOTH shafts installed - may that's part of the puzzle?

 

[Fredness]

...we joked about a ring of transfer case thieves.

 

[Fredness]

Full transparency, we live off-grid on a homestead 1.5 miles from pavement. ANY rain turns the road to clay offroad-park and we have used 4x4 50x more in the past year than we have in any year before. The County grades the road 2x a year whether it needs it or not (it ALWAYS does).
We've had to drag/harrow the road ourselves (dry) to remove farm implement ruts/tracks.

They could have been beaten out of the trans from the many trips in/out.

 

[Fredness]

The "Clunk" I was hearing on our rough road (sounded like a right rear bad shock absorber) is gone now, but the trans/adapter housing is still leaking, just nowhere near as bad. Looks like we're going to take care of ALL the trans problems at once - before the swap.

 

[Fredness]

Still leaking, interviewing shops today.

 

[Fredness]

Cracked case.
RIP