Now that is a statement and a half! You might like to phone a friend when you get to that stage!!!

The fun has only just begun!!! but big congrats on your progress so far... it's a good achievement when it's all done and back together and you can feel good about saying "I did it myself!"

 

Well, I make that statement because.. as I mentioned. Iv taken it slow and easy deliberatly. Marking the snot out of everything. Adjusting the trans cradle to the right angle... and so on.

So!.
Risking further damage to my elbow (a work misshap) I finished removeing the bolts today. (its taken me this long because, I know if Im not motivated Ill do something dumb, and this isnt something to be dumb about).. Now.....

How have "you" removed the trans?.
In theory it should simply "slide" off.. But we know that theory and practice are never alike.
So I wanted to see how others had mamanged to pull the trans off the drive.

'get a friend on the other side and simple Wriggle it back and forth off the drive.' seems like an idea to me...?

 

Adrian,

If all the bolts (and everything else) is now undone as you say, then the transmission should now be loose and free and comfortably resting on the jack.

It should only need the slightest of wriggles to separate it from the engine. If however it is not moving, then you may need to check that all the required bolts are undone and also that it is not hanging up on anything (ie is it free from the surrounding transmission tunnel?)

 

Check that you removed the started motor bolt that passes through the bell housing.(it hidden without a lot of room to work with)

 

 

You know how you get so involved with a problem that you forget somethign else?.
Well, thats happened.

I got the Trans loose!
I was right, the side was "stuck" and the application of a sahher anc chizzle broke it loose.
the bell is a lot heavier that it loose. Ill have to redo the platform when I go to put it back...
However, its not on the floor yet... Remeber my earlier statement?.
I forgot to remove the exhaust!?
So, how comes the trans and hangs on the exhaust..... :\

Minor problem. But irritating enough to cause a beer break.
But! Iv got it loose and on the floor myself. Without breaking anything!!!.
Not bad for a computer nerd hehehe.

 

HAH!
Problem solved!!
Just a little lateral thinking and a second Jack..
Its out!

Yes, its out and on the floor!.

Now I know the process, getting it back will be a breeze!. As long as I line up the bits correctly...... and lift the nose another 2 inches, lol.

Right now I have the Torque converter upended and draining into a clean catch can so I can inspect the fluid. But initial inspection... Its dark and murkey. Not good. Over heated... Ill check for chunks and metalics tomorrow when its done draining.

Iv removed the offending seal... Very offending too it is!!
Such a simple small thing can cause such a huge headache. Poor design I say!! lol
So, thats on order... and Thursday I can pickup the new seals, gasket and filter.

The rest of the trany is sitting still on the floor waiting... Im hoping a hose will magicaly appere over night. But if not, Ill buy a hose wrap the nose and clean the thing before I even start to strip it down. Dont need any grit getting in there... :\

 

Adrian,

Think carefully before you go cleaning it with the hose.... water is a transmissions number 1 worst enemy...2nd is grit.

Have you thought about how far you are planning on stripping down/overhauling the trans? Remember...There was a reason for the seal failure and the old murky fluid is not it! The murky fluid and the seal are a symptom and probably not the cause!!! and there is a known fix to stop it happening again in the future.

It's always a great feeling to work on your own car, and if repairs are done properly, it can be very rewarding.

You've done really well to get this far!

However, there are times when it is best to swallow some pride and allow a professional to tackle the job. Transmission overhauls fall into this category!!! Like I've mentioned before...if by some chance your repair is not done properly....lets just say "a good carpenter always measures twice and cuts once"

 

Good to hear your problem fixed , thanks for your update

 

Alrighty!!

Bits are shipping here now.
I called a transmition guy and asked some probing questions...
Mostly about "Why" in the frist place.
Lets recap, the car would start and shift into 1st no problem. Butit would have to be running for a good 3 to 5 minutes before it would shift up.
I explained about the oil change and he hummed for a minute....
Then came back with... The oil change was a good idea, however the car was probably started too soon. Adding new oil and then starting right away disturbs the debris in the system and can cause constriction in the fluidways, govonor or valves.
Since its shifting into 1st, N, and R... He suggested that its very possibly a Valve hanging up.
So!!.. The valve bodies are going off to a shop to be cleaned and serviced.

In the mean time he siggested cleaning the channels and the gov...
So QUESTION::
What does one use to clean those parts??

 

Ok,

If you are sending the valve body off for a clean and service, then you will have no need to worry about cleaning the channels as they are inside the valve body! It's very possible that one or more springs are broken which can explain the shifting problem. You are going to need a good strong torx bit (It should be a T27) to remove the screws that attach the valve body to the transmission.

Remember that you will also need a special spacer tool in order to reattach the valve body to the transmission when you get it back!!!

The governor (located at the opposite end of the tranny to the bell housing) can be opened up and cleaned with brake and clutch cleaner...there is a seal that will probably need replacing and you might also find that the collar that attaches to the driveshaft has been ground down over the years in which case a good machine shop can spray weld and hone this back to correct specs for you

The other thing that can be causing the shift problem relates back to the leaking seal and a burn't out 1st gear clutch pack assembly and again I draw your attention to this article which explains the procedure to fix it....pay particular attention to the converter seal and bushing replacement.... ZF 4HP22 repair / rebuild info

 

So, Iv given the remaing bits a good cleaning.
The valves are off to the shop for a service, and the clutch is in the shop being inspected also.
Its amazing.. The inital quote for the work from the shop was over $1500.
But I got it down to just $200 by pulling the parts myself and taking them to the shop. lol.
Now the guy doing the clutch work looked at some pics and said that he doesnt belive the clutches "need" seriouse attention. There didnt seem to be enough clutch material in the system for it to be bad. But hell check them anyway.

Tomorrows job will be cleaning the gov, pulling the magnets from the pan and cleaning them and generaly... Cleaning!.
Seals should be in the shop Sat afternoon, so I can install those carefuly. Then Monday the clutch and Valve body will be ready.

I have a helper on standby to reinstall the tranny to the car. Looks to be about 3 hours work including frustration breaks.

Then...... Fix the exhaust.....
While Its up I might hit the underside with some rust killer, and then spray it with some rust retardent too....
But that might also be a rainy day job... We shall see.

 

Cross threaded?... I was livid!!!

So. Everything is back together.
Dragged the tran back under the car and up onto the two jacks...
One for the front, and a small one for the back.
Of course, Small doesnt make it lift high enough. So theres a 4" bit of wood between the jack and the rear of the trans.
With a little effort I managed to get it linned up and it slipped forward slightly. Enough to get two bolts that pass through the alignment pins in and biting.
My biggest issue is getting the torque converter linned up so the bolts pass through the flywheel properly.
The first one too about 5 minutes of hassle to get linned up. The second....
"Mother *****!" It started fine, then kinked and cross threaded slightly. Feeling the odd angle I stopped and checked, but it has damaged the thread enough to make it cross again... So... Im taking a quick frustration break...
Im hoping that when I thred the other in, and come back to it.. the pixies will have fixed the problem. If not, I hope theres enough clearance between the bolt and the front cover that it wont make a huge differance.... as long as I can torque it down properly.

 

SO! I started it!
......
instant leak...
?????
But thats good... Means the pump is working.
Put it into gear and the rear wheel spins.. So thats all good.
But theres a leak..... and a whining noise too...

First thing that springs to mind........
Appart from a few profaine words....
Did I have a lapse of focus and install the front seal.... Backwards?
<sigh>
Ill let it cure over night, see if things will seal up with fresh oil running about. If not, Ill have to pull it off and check the seal again... LOL.
BUT! I know what Im doing this time, so the process should take a matter of hours instead of weeks.

 

To be fair, there is no positive indication that Adrian ignored any advice that was given.

At least he is actually doing something that results in grease under the fingernails rather than moaning about how someone else stuffed his car while he sipped a latte in the customer lounge and tweeted about the relative merits of that particular dose of milk and coffee.

Dropping and fixing a tranny is a messy, heavy job that most people wouldn't even dream of trying.

 

Well, since everything came back from the respective profesionals in "working order" (at a cost of over $200), and the bushing was fine (no play or wobble). I suspect that the seal is still undamaged.
Infact, the case that the leak was instant doesnt point to that bushing at all. Else it would have happened once the new seal was "worn" by the damage.

Id also like to point out that nobody is forcing you to read this crap. A lot of it is as I have mentioned before, me thinking out loud.

SO!. before unhooking the battery chrager (you would think a gelcell would hold a charge for a lot longer) I fired it up one last time last night. The leak had slowed to a drip, and checking the dipstick, it was dry... Apparently that torque converter hold a hell of a lot of oil. More so than the chap at the autoparts store thought. lol.