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my transmission finally exploded


Skulptr

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After 4 hours if struggle, I gave up getting it out of the truck. It is completely free of the engine, but I can't get it to clear the front diff. I did disconnect it and roll it down, but it ends up hitting the engine and can't roll down far enough. Any tips on getting he front axles off the diff? I'm having to do this with 4 wheels on the floor cause my garage is TINY.

 

I did get a tranny from the jy today. Out of 15 trucks, only one semi decent tranny, and I had to get it out of a 2 wheel drive. I did find one of the 4wd trucks, but it was in a front end collision, the engine pushed the tranny and transfer case back so far they busted their mounts clean off. I pulled the tranny out to inspect it anyway, since someone took the engine out. Front case was cracked, and the rear case had a huge hole in it where it got smashed into the frame crossmember.

 

Now I have to figure out how to block off the hole to the speedo cable, I'm really hopin my tranny has a blocker plate I can transfer over.

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well i finally got the damn thing out, with the front diff still in. but not without damage, no myself. when it finally came down, the corner of the front casing smashed my hand into the concrete floor. i'm praying right now that the swelling goes down and my hand isnt broken.

 

well here's the results.

 

first thing i saw was the drain plug magnet, and what came off of it.

 

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the crack in the cover and the other side of the cover

 

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and at last, the detonated cluster bearing

 

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and here's the tranny i came up with. i have the 26" tranny, and got lucky to find one, even though it came from a 2wd, maybe i'll get better mpgs with the higher gears.

 

 

can you tell which ones which?

 

IMG684.jpg

 

the ONLY visual difference between the 2, besides the mount still hanging on to the new one.

 

4wd tranny, speedo hole, untapped and blocked

 

IMG686.jpg

 

2wd tranny, speedo hole, tapped and open

 

IMG685.jpg

 

 

now i just have to get back to the yard to clip the end off that speedo cable, but i wont be able to until next weekend. so i'm gonna take the new one down and pressure wash it before i put it back in.

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IMG676.jpg

 

I'm not surprised at all looking at the 'liquid' leaking out. Looks like mostly water. Water is heavier and will sink to the bottom of the transmission and displace the oil out the breather. It goes milky and or silver with dissolved aluminum powder from all the wear. Immersing it above the transmission breather in cool ditch water will cause the warm air inside to contract and draw in water. Differentials will do this as well.

 

If 4x4-ing in mud and water check your transmission every week and check your two diffs right away.

 

You could remove the breather and run a hose from it to a higher point on the vehicle. The diffs and trans case should have this but could have been ripped off.

.

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thing is, i just changed the oil a few months back, never been in water deep enough to touch the tranny, let alone submerse it. and i drained both diffs, the t case, and the tranny, and only the tranny looked like this. and doesnt the tranny breather hose go up into the engine bay? i havent followed its course yet, but i know it was on there good. didnt really want to come off easily.

 

one thing i hated finding more than the detonation, i KNOW i went back and retorqued all the bolts connecting the tranny to the engine, and yet the top 2 bolts weren't very tight

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So the junkyard is getting lazy, they destroyed the drain plug, and decided to drill a hole in the bottom, and stick some rubber plug with what looks like rtv around it. Is there an option for another type of plug that is removable for oil changes? I'll post a picture of it when I get off work

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Wrecking yards in Washington are required to drain them before they put them out in the yard. Some don't always do it, but the law is that all fluids (engine oil, coolant, transmission, differential, etc) must be drained.

 

 

If the hole is a standard size I suppose you could tap it for a pipe plug. But you'll have to clean out the shavings from inside the trans and inspect what they hit with the drill bit. I'd take it back, but they might claim they didn't do it.

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Here's how it looks. And the guy at the counter said they do that instead of removing plugs. In my case destroying the plug first.

 

 

IMG693-1.jpg

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So the junkyard is getting lazy, they destroyed the drain plug, and decided to drill a hole in the bottom, and stick some rubber plug with what looks like rtv around it. Is there an option for another type of plug that is removable for oil changes? I'll post a picture of it when I get off work

 

I have seen this before, they screw up the drain plug, then drill the case, you have two choices, take it back and get another one, or find another front case and install that one on this transmission, assuming this tranny is good.

You should have caught that before you paid for it, I am sorry to say that, but it should have been inspected by you before you left with it.

I can't tell if your case is ruined looking at the photos, if your case is good, you might be able to use it, if this tranny is good, you will have to inspect your old case, check to see if there is any damage to the hole the bearing sits in, if not, you could likely use the front cover off the new used/drilled transmission, your old case, with the drilled case gears/tailshaft case.

I am assuming that the tranny you have bought is out of a 1985-86 truck, therefore the cluster gear bearing would be the same size, this is an option for you, but your case will need to be inspected very closely, it has to be perfect, inside and out.

You will also need to inspect the new trannys gears/bearings, to make sure this transmission is worth chasing/keeping in the first place.

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Question, for those in the know. What is involved in getting the front case off. I took the rear off a damaged tranny in the yard, but it didn't turn out pretty

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so basically, once that one metal ring is off the main shaft, it should, in theory, just tap apart?

 

any advantages or down sides to doing it input up, or input down. or are those gear clusters not coming off those shafts without some motivation.

 

 

and what did you use to replace the gaskets with, or (i couldnt tell) was there even a gasket between the 2 halves.

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I think he just said you should put some sealant in between the two halves... My guess is gasket maker appropriate grade for the situation or RTV of some sort.....

 

Great write up there wayno... not that I'll ever need to mount a z tranny to an L motor... but if I ever trash a tranny and need to make one good one from two like skulptr here, now I know how.

 

gotta love these boards.

 

Good luck getting this back together bro.

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so basically, once that one metal ring is off the main shaft, it should, in theory, just tap apart?

 

any advantages or down sides to doing it input up, or input down. or are those gear clusters not coming off those shafts without some motivation.

 

 

and what did you use to replace the gaskets with, or (i couldnt tell) was there even a gasket between the 2 halves.

 

 

The gears are not coming off without pulling the bearings, unless something is broken, like the shaft.

You have to remove the bolts holding the two halfs together to get the cases apart.

I put the imput shaft on a 2X4 and tap around the base till it falls the inch or so to the floor, and then lift it out of the case.

As far as I know, there is no gasket, but some add a small amount of gasket sealer when putting the halves back together, but I never have, and so far I have only had one that might of been dripping, couldn't really tell, it wasn't leaving drip marks in the driveway, but it was always wet in that area.

You should inspect the case/metal around the bearings to make sure it's good on the outside before you crack the case, if it looks good, then take it apart and look real close at the bearing/case hole, if it looks like the bearing spun in the hole, then likely it's no good, that's something I would have to see myself to determine if it was usable.

You can also use a 1980 datsun 720 longshaft 4 speed case, I am not saying they will all work, but I have one that did out of a 4X4, but I also had a 5 spd. case to check them side by side to make sure.

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well i pulled them apart, i started getting excited until i got the replacement apart, and to my great disappointment, it's no good. or at least wont be after long.

 

inside of my front case

 

IMG694.jpg

 

the only visible "damage" i could find in the cluster bearing race. doesnt look like enough to scare me enough to not use it.

 

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and the internals

 

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the mess of whats left of the bearing

 

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some really messed up ball bearings

 

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what i found inside the replacement front casing. where the drilled through sent shards of metal and huge chunks of casing all over the inside. and i also found chunks of bearing (holds the bearings apart) what ever thats called.

 

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and this is what pisses me off. i hope you all can see it, i also took video hoping it shows the difference better.

 

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that versus what the same bearing looks like in my blown tranny

 

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and the video.

 

 

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i'm to the point now where i'm considering removing the cluster bearing from the replacement tranny and pressing it onto my blown one. i'm running out of trannys to chose from

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So the replacement tranny also has a bad bearing, can you take it back?

Obviously it is a bad tranny, sold as a good tranny, take it back, don't even put it back together, show them it's bad.

If you think that your case is good, buy a new clustergear bearing, buy the best one money can buy, don't get cheap.

Don't use that other bearing from that bad tranny, it's hard to say how much metal tainted gear oil has been in that bearing.

You should also check/replace any other bearing you can get to easily in your tranny, as you kept driving that truck until it blew the tranny also, so they have had metal tainted gear oil going threw them also.

To be honest here, there is damage in your transmission, I can see it in the photos, there might not be any issues, or it might come apart in 3 months, it could howl from the start, or it might last as long as you own the truck, do you feel lucky?

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