5-speed swap beginning tomorrow - any hot tips?

[M3M3]

1 minute ago, jimk said:

And one that has a metric tapered pipe thread, which the above doesn't.

agree!

[MattL]

Just now, M2M3 said:

and are you sure that plug and case were cross threaded before you got it?  if you hand started it several turns, the likelyhood that you did the damage is pretty low.

 

Yeah, the fault is mine. @resra sold me a nice repaired unit, and aside from the bell housing damage from a drop (which was thoroughly repaired), the thing was in fantastic shape. And he gave me a great deal on it. Definitely don't want to lay any of this at his feet. 

 

I was able to get the plug out for draining, without any issues. Not sure how I screwed up putting it back in, but I sure did. Wow. 

[ray_]

And I see what looks like a LOT of good threads in there

[MattL]

Thanks for that, Ray! I appreciate the encouraging words!

[resra]

Matt, how did the oil look if there was any? I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this transmission stays as rewarding as this thread and your efforts. I’m eagerly waiting to see.

[MattL]

On 5/3/2020 at 11:45 PM, resra said:

Matt, how did the oil look if there was any? I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this transmission stays as rewarding as this thread and your efforts. I’m eagerly waiting to see.

 

Hi @resra! There was only a little in there: about half a pint. And since this is the very first time I've even seen transmission oil, I can't offer any kind of subjective evaluation. To me, it looked pretty similar to regular ol' motor oil: semi-transparent and yellowish brown. It was pretty glittery, but I put that down to it being the dregs of the oil. 

Edited May 9, 2020 by MattL

[MattL]

For any still following my progress on this: the plug is in the hole and all is right with the world. I had considered taking a thread file to the hole myself, but the prospect of getting chips in the inner workings gave me pause. So, I took it to my local transmission guys. They took the same general approach, gave it a flush, replaced the seals (except the rear seal, because the flange wasn't budging), and filled it with Redline MTL. Relieved, I gave them a good tip. 

 

So, now I'm on to next steps. With the flywheel off, I could see that I have a needle-type pilot bearing, so I ordered one from Blunt. As I wait for that to arrive, I'm getting other stuff prepped. I had had Top End lighten a new (to me) 215mm flywheel a few weeks back, and it's been sitting in a box, looking nice and shiny and pretty. With the old flywheel off, I had a chance to compare the two, and there's definitely a noticeable difference in weight. And it looks like most of the reduction in the new one's mass was towards the outer diameter. So, I expect to feel it when I get the car back on the road. Can't wait. 

 

I started to dry-fit the 245 today. Was pleased to see that -- turned on its side -- the unit just fits under the car on the Harbor Freight tranny jack. Once in the tunnel, I just had to then pull it upright. I Had to pound the driver-side tunnel in a bit for the clutch slave, as expected. And there's some heat shield on the passenger side that will need to be trimmed back a bit for the new bracket. Other than that, though, it seems like I'm in pretty good shape from a "making room" standpoint. 

 

I have some square aluminum tubing and some angle iron, and I thought about doing the original-to-center-bearing-bracket supports thing. At least to help get things aligned and drilled. But with the tranny jack at my disposal, it seems like that would just be adding unnecessary work to the process. 

 

Onward and upward! Or rather sideways, then over, then upward, then tilted back, then forward, then tilted forward, then wiggled side-to-side, then...

 

[ray_]

Good luck with it!

 

This thread might oughta be a tech  article...

 

Cheers,

[MattL]

Okay, back to FAQ well. I dry-fit the shifter assembly while the transmission is on the jack in order to run through the gears. 1-4 seem to work fine, but I can’t seem to get into reverse or fifth. Is there a trick to doing so? I would be super bummed if this thing turned out to be shot. 

[MattL]

I’ve removed the shift platform to eliminate its orientation from the equation. I then gave it a try with the help of a screwdriver through the selector pivot. No dice. I found posts that said bolt placement may be an explanation, but I couldn’t find clarification as to which rear 1 o’clock bolt would be the culprit. Could somebody mark up the photo below to indicate? Thanks in advance. 

Edited May 24, 2020 by MattL

[tahoedon]

[MattL]

Thanks, @tahoedon!

[MattL]

Well, that wasn’t it. 18mm. Any other possibilities, or am I sunk?

 

 

[Buckeye]

Back out locking pin screw (2-3 turns out) and try. Make sure trans is neutral when screwing screw back in.

[MattL]

Hey @Buckeye! Thanks for the tip! I’ll try it tomorrow morning.