SHO Service Nightmare...

[COliveira95]

Hey all,

I have a blue 95 MTX which just turned 58k miles. I decided to do the 60k and install a new clutch. I was going to do the entire job myself but decided to have someone else do it because of long work hours and no days off.

I had the clutch replaced with an IRT (I got tha last one from Gary Morell). When the clutch was replaced, it didn't shift gears! The installer removed the transaxle again and double checked everything and put it back together, same thing. After diagnosing the situation with Josh T. from SHO NUT we came to the conclusion that it was a bad pressure plate (yay IRT!).

As I waited for the new Ford clutch to arrive from SHO NUT, I went ahead and got some time off from work and performend the 60k service. Everything went smoothly. I checked the valve gaps, replaced all the nessecary shims and so forth. I cleaned everything and it looked like a new car.

After the 60k was complete, I started the transaxle teardown. I supported the motor, removed the subframe, tranny etc. Installed the new clutch and had a HECK of a time reinstalling the transaxle! After that was done, I installed the subframe (oh fun!) and then the nightmare began.

The car drove home with steam pouring out of the hood. Turned out I must have loosened one of the coolant lines at the rear of the motor with the chain. I fixed that. Next day I notice a huge puddle of tranny fluid under the car. Get underneath, notice the driver's side axle seal is SHOT. Today, I replaced the axle seal. It just didn't want to go in square! After some weird manuevers to get around in that tiny area and around my 13" brake kit, I FINALLY got that done. I went to reinstall te ball joint and notice that it has grease everywhere. Looks like the ball joint is shot. I installed it anyway and then in goes the tie-rod end. I went to tighten the nut and the tie rod spins. Now I need new outter tie rod ends and LCA's. I top off the tranny fluid and notice the leak. The new seal was leaking worse then the old one was! I look at the seal and see the axle in place and a weird metal elastic ring halfway in the tranny and half out, I pop off the axle, slide back this ring and reinstall the axle and the leak stops. What is this ring? where did it come from? I looked at the exploded view of the halfshafts in my Helm and don't see anything like it anywhere. It's too large of a ring to be around the stub of the axle.

My question after this long post is, what is this and where did it come from? Sorry for the long post. This job has just been a total nightmare for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

-Chris
95 MTX headbang

 

[jasonty]

If the "metallic elastic ring" is at the end of the half shaft where it goes into the transaxle, it is called the retaining ring. You pop the axle into the tranny, and it keeps the axle from coming out. Kind've like a C-clip on a Chevy Differential. This thing confuses the **** out of the people who can't figure out why the half shaft isn't coming out. Takes a bit of prying and pulling to get it loose. Sounds like somebody forgot (or was unaware) to shove the axle in past the clip. Hope that helped, and I hope all is well with your SHO.

 

[sdpatt]

Are you sure it wasn't the spring that was inside the axle seal before it was damage? There is a very small (1/32" diameter) spring that encircles the sealing surface inside the axle seal. It may have just come loose when the seal was trashed. Something caused the axle to damage the seal. You will need to find it and fix it or continue to damage seals.

 

[SHO_Driver]

Sounds like a friend of mine that recently changed his clutch. He damaged the axle seal while prying out the driveshaft. Tore the balljoint with that seperator fork tool and busted a few bolts in the process. I'm not saying you did the same thing, just that it's better to work carefully and save on all those parts that have to be removed. I give props to anyone that can drop a transmission by themselves. wink

As the others were saying the new axle seal spring is torn out or the circlip on the axle came out.

 

[Yamaha V6]

Chris, just trying to clarify...

Was the service performed somewhere else by someone else & you were assisting, or were you doing the service (or most of it anyway)?

If I read it right, someone else did the first part (installed the defective pressure plate), then you took it from there & did it at your own place?

Anyway, if it was done somewhere else, I'd look into having the shop do the repair & eat the costs. If it was a friend helping you (even for a few bucks), that's different.

Totally sucks man. That's Jim F's old car, right?

 

[RStalveyARFF]

Hey Fred,

I was the one that put in the IRT clutch. I was also supposed to do the 60k, but since the troubleshooting of the defective part took some time with the second teardown and all, Chris decided to do it himself so he could learn about it. Chris also decided to go for doing the clutch since he has the sho nut video trilogy. And yes, it's Jim's old car. The thing is sweet!

SHO_Driver

Next time you do a balljoint, forget that fork. All it does is destroy the balljoints. Get 2 lengths of pipe, a ratchet, adjustable crescent wrench, 24mm deep socket and 3" extension. attatch the wrench to the flattened spot on the strut rod, and put a pipe over it. Put the 24mm socket w/extension and ratchet over the strut rod nut @ the control arm and throw a pip over the ratchet. Push down simultaneously on both pipes, and if need be have a friend tap the socket with a hammer while applying the pressure. The balljoint should pop right out, with no damage to any components.

Chris,

If you have a torch, just heat up the nut till it is red. You should have enough time to thread it most of the way up and not worry about the tie rod end moving.

 

[jasonty]

sdpatt:
Are you sure it wasn't the spring that was inside the axle seal before it was damage? There is a very small (1/32" diameter) spring that encircles the sealing surface inside the axle seal. It may have just come loose when the seal was trashed. Something caused the axle to damage the seal. You will need to find it and fix it or continue to damage seals.

I didn't even think about that Scott! That's probably what it is. Come to think of it, the seal retaining spring is a metallic elastic. You tha man!

 

[COliveira95]

Scott, seems like you hit it on the nose! When I installed the new seal, and pushed in the axle, it must have come out of the tranny from the old seal. Now that the axle is in and the ball joint and tie rod is back in place (Erik, I managed to get the bolt up and torqued, thanks), I will probably just pull back that ring and cut it with some wire cutters. I am in the process of ordering new LCA's and tie rod ends for replacements before I go get the car re-aligned.

Fred, thanks for the info and yes, this was Jim F's car.

The car is now in excellent shape (not counting the LCA and tie rod), I have gotten everything taken care of and she is as tight as the day she drove off the showroom floor! Thanks for everyone's help.

-Chris
Hopefully don't have to pull a tranny out again for at least 100k miles cheers