Tranny Replacement Done But A Few ?'s

[SHOracer14]

The SHO finally hit the road again on early Saturday Morning after a diff pin encounter. Thanks to Justin (foxwulfe) and Chris (speedy_91_sho) the car came back together (without them I don't think the SHO would have been in one piece again so thanks guys). Anyways I had a small coolant leak after it got back together but then dissappeared after it ran and got warmed up. It doesn't seem to be leaking coolant anymore but last night the "Low Coolant" light came on. Filled the reservoir today so I guess I will see what happens with that. The next mysterious problem is that I'm leaking a healthy amount of tranny fluid. I haven't got a great look yet (I'm heating the garage as I type this) but it seems to be coming from the driver's side, where the halfshaft goes into the tranny. Is there a seal there that can go bad or what? My other quick question is that the new tranny shifts perfect but if I want to shift fast (even when I'm not pushing all the power) it grinds in second. It doesn't grind if I shift normal though. Is this a bad synchro or what?

 

[MeShoHorny]

Yes, there is a seal that can go bad it you damage it with the half-shaft install. I can't remember the part number off hand but the seal costs about 4 bucks. I used and ATX seal in mine, I am pretty sure they are both the same.

I would not drive it until you fix the leak.

 

[revhardSHO]

That grind into 2nd is a worn out blocking ring...syncros are probalby fine. What year is this tranny out of?

 

[SHOracer14]

The tranny is an 89'. Unfortuneately I have to drive it for the time being as it's my only form of transport right now. I bought a few extra quarts of fluid just in case of something like this. Guess I'll have to go make a trip to autozone today.

 

[SHOracer14]

BTW I love this, "I live my life a transmission at a time. And for those three months or less i'm free" -MeShoHorny lol Sadly it's so true doh

 

[sdpatt]

The output shaft (axle) seals are available as the Timken 3622S from AutoZone for $2.99 each. They have a metal frame that is an interference fit within the transaxle casing and requires some effort to dislodge and install. There should also be a sealant (RTV or the ****** dressing used between the MTX case halves) between the metal seal frame and the MTX case.

These seals are much more easily removed by tapping them out from the inside. If you are in need of new blocking rings, that would give you a good opportunity to replace the axle seals, the input shaft seal and the shift shaft seal.

 

[revhardSHO]

yeah the 89-91 trannys have brass blocking rings. Little tougher engaugment, and when they wear quicker i believe (than the fiber rings). It will eventually start grinding lower and lower in the RPM range.

 

[MeShoHorny]

Actually in 91' Ford started to use paper and went away with brass.

 

[autobahnsho]

Paper??

Do those ones wear out faster? Logically I can't see any reason besides cost that Ford would make such a switch. Or do the paper ones shift smoother??

 

[David Dorr]

SHOracer14:
BTW I love this, "I live my life a transmission at a time. And for those three months or less i'm free" -MeShoHorny lol Sadly it's so true doh

Yeah, sounds like me and my Plymouth Voyager POS

 

[fricker66]

autobahnsho:
Paper??

Do those ones wear out faster? Logically I can't see any reason besides cost that Ford would make such a switch. Or do the paper ones shift smoother??

The inside of the blocking rings are now lined with a paper or fiber material. The ring itself is still brass. The pre-91 rings have no such lining. According to Josh @ SHONut, the paper lining is considered an "improvement" and from his experience they do wear better than the all brass rings.

 

[Bizzy]

fricker66:
The inside of the blocking rings are now lined with a paper or fiber material. The ring itself is still brass. The pre-91 rings have no such lining. According to Josh @ SHONut, the paper lining is considered an "improvement" and from his experience they do wear better than the all brass rings.

Bingo! thumb The brass rings tend to be a bit more notchy when new compared to the lined ones. The paper ones when aged will feel much like the brass ones as the lining gets "burned" away.

More directly related to the question posed, if you're leaking tranny fluid you really need to find the leak quickly as well as maintain the proper level of fluid in your tranny. The only seal that cannot be replaced from the outside of the tranny is the input shaft seal. The shift shaft seal as well as the axle seals can be replaced from the outside of the tranny with a little effort. While the axle seals are more easily removed when the tranny is open, but it can be done with some prying.

The one thing you really want to pay attention to with those is that they are installed evenly. I have a huge socket that I use to tap it back into place. Also, the axle seals do have some built in sealant on them, but it is a good idea to use some Permatex anaerobic gasket maker as well as a reinforcement sealant. The shift shaft seal can also be reinstalled using a socket to tap it into place. All are very cheap parts.

Grinding into second is not always indicative of a worn blocking ring and very well could be a synchro issue. If the synchro gets burrs on it for whatever reason, that side of the synchro could have issues while the other side would not.

My suggestions would be to first fix the leaks, then make sure the tranny is full of fluid. You might consider changing the fluid to Redline, Trick shift or GM Synchromesh to see if that helps any. If those things don't help any then the only other thing to do is drop the tranny again and take a look inside to see what's going on.

<small>[ November 29, 2003, 01:26 AM: Message edited by: Bizzy ]</small>