Just my luck! (The many ways how not to swap a transmission)

[tweakedlogic]

This is how things usually go for me...

After a long road trip in the Ex this last week end, I noticed the mild noise coming from my transmission was a bit worse. So i called several places and finally U-pull-it, and when they told me they had a 94 Navajo with 140k 4x4 5 speed I nearly wet myself. I collect the needed tools and rush over there. The shifter is gone but the trans is there with lots of stuff around it gone.

the tail shaft of the trans case spins, drain plug pretty clean, outside clean-ish

3 hours and it's on the ground

Home: truck prepped, fight and cuss and sweet talk, 4 hours and the transmission is out.

"Wait" I say, "I never did test to see if this thing shifted..."

Pop in my shifter, click it into neutral, I thought it was in neutral already... Now the tail shaft and input shaft are locked, and I can't get it to shift into any gear. :thumbdwn::thumbdwn:


So i need to find a 5 speed transmission rebuild kit with syncros, bearings and seals. Oreilly web site say they can get it but to call my store for availability and pricing. Which I plan on doing, but it's too late now. So far, they are the only place to find one. Not even Rockauto.


Anyone have a link for a master rebuild kit with pricing and stuff? That way, I will have some options to look at when stores open tomorrow.
.
.
.

 

[wood1]

Bump.

I will be watching for a "rebuild your transmission" thread.

 

[buckwill]

id almost be willing to bet u have it in two gears to lock it up,, look in the hole and align all the little slotsbefore u break it apart see if perhaps it doesnt go back into neutral, when u have the shift rails properly aligned u will be able to shift the stick fully left to right,,

 

[tweakedlogic]

Bump.

I will be watching for a "rebuild your transmission" thread.

Maybe, but i seems no one has the parts. O'Reilly's is checking with the supplyer PowerTorque, which is a good name...

I did find a shop that sells reman and dyno tested units for $700, which is not a bad price, but way more than I wanted to spend. That's why I took a chance on a used transmission.


As far as the shift rails go on the "new" trans, I peeked inside the shifter hole and it looks exactly like mine does. I tried wriggling things around in there and nothing helps.

 

[tweakedlogic]

Well, there will not be a 5 speed write up from me. I found two suppliers of rebuild kits and they take 5- 10 days to get to me. I can't have the truck down that long.
No one in town rebuilds manuals. WTF?

There is a local company that remans locally and sells nationally. So for $700 I can have a basically new box with a warranty, tomorrow.

My wife is displeased with the cost, and I haven't told her about the new fluid,the new slave cylinder, and machining of the fly wheel yet. I might not. Luckily, knowing I would need it soon, I found a killer deal on new clutch disk and pressure plate a couple of months ago. So that's set.

 

[wood1]

Nothing's ever easy is it...

 

[tweakedlogic]

LOL, I understand that some things are easy. I'm waiting to find them.

 

[tweakedlogic]

Stupid redneck! the guy I bought this truck from was an idiot.
Among other things, the slave cylinder was held in by one metric bolt and one SAE bolt.
Then there are the time waste-ers. driving all over town to find one part that keeps eluding me. I figured I would go ahead and change the pilot bearing since I had it int he open. Oriely's web site said my store had 1 in stock. Before I get there, a different store took it for a customer. One store had one, on the entire opposite side of Memphis. The same thing happened with the clutch line tool Wednesday.
Then my dumb ass left he gasket/seal for the t-case to trans on the transmission when I turned it in for core. I knew from searching the night before that no one had one locally. Now it's Saturday.

It's funny sometimes how things just resist you out right. Just laugh and stop for a beer.

 

[pteepee69]

When I started my swap about a month ago, I was annoyed with trying to find the parts needed. My situation might not be the same as yours because I have an extra ride to use while the Ex is down. Now almost a month later I have a 5speed sitting under the Ex, hopefully it will be in before the end of the day. I got mine from a pull-a-part and am wondering if it is a good one or not. I ordered all new parts as far as the matched clutch set, flywheel, and clutch/slave/line assembly. The clutch/slave/line assembly came with the line tool to disconnect the old one. And either the flywheel or the clutch set came with a new pilot bearing.

 

[tweakedlogic]

Normally I have another vehicle. I've been building a motor for a toyota 2wd. I promised myself no more projects until the Yota passes inspection. After that project was underway, my Rx7 developed an intake leak and bad TPS, so it's down cause I promised the Yota. So when I heard unhappy noises coming from my Ex, I decided I needed to have at least one vehicle in tip top shape, I figured a little over $100 for the used trans, I have most everything, should be done in one day, yadda yadda yadda.

On the plus side, the new trans is in, with the new slave and clutch. I'm going to make a gasket for the tail shaft to t-case from paper gasket material. Really, all I have left is the t-case, drive shafts, fresh lube, and bleeding. I think I'm going to try and find a better fitting for the slave cylinder. One that will allow me to put a bleed hose on a nipple. Neither my new or old slave have nipples and bleeding them is a real mess.

 

[tweakedlogic]

Now with pics!

I love new parts. They're clean and shiny, and they have no idea the mayhem and filth they will see.

Remember I said there was no gasket locally, and I abandoned mine with the old transmission... I made a new gasket.

Perfect? no way. but I have confidence it will work flawlessly.

I could not find anything that would work to add a bleed nipple to the slave cylinder. So I came up with this. It's a poly hose that is just a little too big for the hole. I pressed it in nice and tight. At least this way the brake fluid won't spray and drip all over the place. I haven't done any bleeding yet. I had to stop 'cause of my wife's social calender. We have to attend a double retirement party.

 

[tweakedlogic]

Finally got the thing back together. Thought I might share a couple tricks I used. My little bleeder hose worked great. I still have a little air in there, but the clutch works, just with a really light petal. It was also clean. Every other time I've bled this clutch it was a real mess. I just added a longer piece of hose into a bottle, no mess.

Now onto how i filled the transmission. Normally I use a funnel under the hood with a long hose to the fill hole, but it sucks and is messy. This time I made a hole just big enough in the lid for a piece of hose. A little hose connector from my vacuum pump kit, and a few other parts from the same kit. you can see the really tiny hole next to the hose in the lid. I used a small funnel looking thing from my vacuum pump kit, connected it to my air blower with a dial to turn down the pressure. I pressurized the fluid bottle to about 2 PSI and the fluid traveled up the hose into the transmission. No muss no fuss. Pay no attention to the small piece of hose. At first I just had that coming out of the top of the bottle and was manually squeezing. After about 15 minutes, my hands were tired and I had only added 1.4 quart. so I made this doohickey.

Lastly, a picture of one of the many thing that stupid redneck did to this truck. I guess he didn't know to remove the shifter one has to remove the nut from one side and tighten it on the other to pull the shaft out. He, used what I guess is pliers to try and pull the shaft out the wrong way. I had a time cleaning the threads enough to get a die on it.

 

[mr cribb]

Finally got the thing back together. Thought I might share a couple tricks I used. My little bleeder hose worked great. I still have a little air in there, but the clutch works, just with a really light petal. It was also clean. Every other time I've bled this clutch it was a real mess. I just added a longer piece of hose into a bottle, no mess.

Now onto how i filled the transmission. Normally I use a funnel under the hood with a long hose to the fill hole, but it sucks and is messy. This time I made a hole just big enough in the lid for a piece of hose. A little hose connector from my vacuum pump kit, and a few other parts from the same kit. you can see the really tiny hole next to the hose in the lid. I used a small funnel looking thing from my vacuum pump kit, connected it to my air blower with a dial to turn down the pressure. I pressurized the fluid bottle to about 2 PSI and the fluid traveled up the hose into the transmission. No muss no fuss. Pay no attention to the small piece of hose. At first I just had that coming out of the top of the bottle and was manually squeezing. After about 15 minutes, my hands were tired and I had only added 1.4 quart. so I made this doohickey.

Lastly, a picture of one of the many thing that stupid redneck did to this truck. I guess he didn't know to remove the shifter one has to remove the nut from one side and tighten it on the other to pull the shaft out. He, used what I guess is pliers to try and pull the shaft out the wrong way. I had a time cleaning the threads enough to get a die on it.

The dumb things some folks do... I'm a redneck/ country boy, but I certainly know how to use the right tools, or ask to borrow if I don't have them.

 

[tweakedlogic]

There's a country boy, good 'ol boy, bumpkins, whatever. Nothing wrong about living a good quiet life in a rural area.
When I met this guy I should have guessed some of the idiotic things he had done to this truck. He was probably the dumbest, least educated, "n-word" dropping, poor grammar speaking, and laziest, moron I had ever met.

But I guess I can't blame him too much, I did buy the truck after i met him after all.

I meant no offense to all hard working men and women who earned the redness on their neck.

 

[mr cribb]

Yeah those types exist everywhere and in all races, unfortunately.... too bad they all can't live in one state, then the rest of us would bypass that particular state.

So needless to say for the sake of not using foul language, or disrespecting anyone, the truck in particular was extremely jerry-rigged?