Stranded 1991 FJ80 named Vera - transmission stopped working (1 Viewer)

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Sarmajor said:
Drive shaft bolts.
You can buy long ring spammers for jobs like this. Might pay to get one for these nuts and throw it into the trail tool box for later.
Click to expand...

This is a bit spendy, but pretty much perfect. (EDIT: Actually, perfect would be 6-point on the solid end. But still...) Extra long. Solid ring for muscle AND ratchet for speed. And 0° offset!

I know it says 17mm, but I think it's just a sample pic.

51RW8QFR7fL._SL1500_.jpg


GearWrench 85914 XL 14mm GearBox Ratcheting Wrench - Combination Wrenches - Amazon.com
 
I welded a 5/8 wrench to a 9/16 box end wrench to make a long wrench for this task. (All my SAE stuff rarely gets used and I had some duplicates.) The 9/16 fits the 14mm bolts nicely. It was a little flexy, almost free, and got the job done.
Keep wrenching.
 
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Not to highjack your thread, but when you have extra wrenches, a grinder and a welder...
The extra length made all the difference for me to break the driveshaft bolts loose.
 
GDA62/100 said:
View attachment 1466374
Not to highjack your thread, but when you have extra wrenches, a grinder and a welder...
The extra length made all the difference for me to break the driveshaft bolts loose.
Click to expand...

Nice! A welder is a someday thing for me for sure. Oh the tools I'll make. :)

For now I'm limited to jigs I can make out of wood and tool modifications by material removal. Like the set-up I used to remove my fan - thinned down a cheap box wrench to slip in that narrow spot, then used sliding wood wedges to clamp the wrench down on the nut so it wouldn't slip off while I broke 'em loose.
 
jonheld said:
If the truck is not on a lift, how do you plan to remove the transmission from under the truck?
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My friend has some 15-ton jack stands we're going to put it on. Now you got me thinking though... Surely this can be done without a lift?
 
You are definitely gong to want to split the transfer case off the back of the transmission before trying to get it down onto the floor. The combination is bloody heavy.
We used a hoist and trans jack.
I have removed and refitted the transfer case by myself using just a floor jack.

And daring the fluid if you haven't done it yet. Every bit of weight that isn't trying to fall down and crush bits should be removed.
 
jonheld said:
Uhhhh...the transmission/transfer combo is freaking huge and is VERY VERY heavy.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/attachments/a440fwithtransfer-jpg.615952/
That's mine sitting on a forklift.
Click to expand...

Last week I removed the transmission/transfer case combo from our 70 GMC K2500. About 600 LB. (SM465 and NP205)
I dropped it by myself in about 2 hours. I used ratchet straps and a floor jack for a more controlled drop. Didn't lose any fingers, but close......
All cast iron bell housing, transmission top, and transfer case.

I used the LC to take it to another shop for rebuild.
70 GMC trans tcase.jpg
 
BILT4ME said:
Last week I removed the transmission/transfer case combo from our 70 GMC K2500. About 600 LB. (SM465 and NP205)
I dropped it by myself in about 2 hours. I used ratchet straps and a floor jack for a more controlled drop. Didn't lose any fingers, but close......
All cast iron bell housing, transmission top, and transfer case.

I used the LC to take it to another shop for rebuild.
View attachment 1467032
Click to expand...
That's about 2/3rds the size of an A440.
 
Plodding along here.

Got some parts on Thursday.

View media item 55771
Pulled the starter and fill tube so far today, and with a little more space in there, finally got that 4th connector separated.

Here's the starter ready to be disconnected.

View media item 55773

The 17mm lower bolt for the starter didn't put up much fuss. A u-joint on a 6" extension got it there. The upper 17mm nut actually came loose, but then took the stud with it anyway. Not sure why. I figure I should put the stud in first for ease of hanging the starter up come time to re-assemble.

View media item 55780
Here's the fill tube hanging by what must be transmission breather tubes, as they seem to terminate to open air on a bracket at the upper part of the tube. I didn't think to disconnect them before unbolting the tube. Anyway, I found the other end of one of them (brittle and not tight) when I was working on the oil cooler connections, so I'm glad I hadn't tried to ford any streams yet.

View media item 55775

It's normal for FSM pictures to confuse me, but I think I found this view - facing rear on the driver's side of the engine.

View media item 55776View media item 55777
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I may hit those covers and torque converter bolts yet today, but I'm still working on the oil cooler tubes. The one toward the front came loose with a ping when I heaved a bit on the 22mm wrench, so it won't be a problem. But the one toward the rear is putting up more of a fight. I had PB Blasted both, but there's a lot more gunk on the second one. I cleaned up the exposed threads on the stuck one and dribbled a bit more penetrating oil, hopefully that'll help. I figure they're going to drip ATF, so I'm going to break them both loose before I disconnect.

Speaking of which, drained the atf from the pan (again) and will also drain the transfer today on the advice to minimize weight.
 
BTW, in the "no job is too big to get bigger" category...

I had found a thread where someone had replaced the bottom shifter assembly rubber boot, but I can't seem to find the thread any more. Anyone have tips on sources and/or what these parts are called so I can search?

Edit: Of course, no sooner I post that than I find the thread I had lost. But I'm leaving these here for the pics. And the question about part#'s, names, or sources is still open. I found the parts on SOR's page, but all are out of stock.

Main things are the boot, the linkage bushings, and the bulb.

View media item 55781View media item 55782View media item 55783View media item 55784View media item 55785View media item 55786View media item 55787View media item 55788
 
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In the "next time find a lift" category, the torque converter bolts are out, and I'm celebrating with 100mg of advil per bolt thanks to the tight quarters and tight bolts.

Cast iron suspension parts 1
Elbow 0
 
Any tips on stubborn oil cooler line nuts? One's fine, the other isn't budging. I'm acquiring what's hopefully a good quality 22mm crowfoot flair nut wrench, and I'm hoping that plus a 1/2" extension and 1/2" breaker bar gives me the leverage I need. It'll at least get me clear of the frame and heater/brake plumbing.

What's not worked so far is...
A couple days of PB Blaster (plus cleaning exposed threads with a wee steel brush)
A standard 22mm open ended wrench
A cheap 22mm flare nut wrench
Different combinations of banging on the wrenches and the fitting.
 
OK never mind. After a little more study and a night's sleep, I got the second fitting loose.

EDIT: I guess this means I'm no longer desperate for those crowsfoot flare wrenches, but guess what... I'm keeping them anyway. Cause power steering is next.

One of the biggest problems with being a noob is the basic wrenching techniques I don't know yet. Anyway, reading around the internet I found an effective way to apply controlled violence to this sticky fitting. Tap on the head of the wrench while twisting. I know, I know... "you said you tried banging on the wrench." Yeah, but the other, scarier, "break the fitting off your tranny" end on the wrench. Truth is, I think I've done this type thing before on my 35-year-old bike, just needed to be reminded.

I slipped a 19mm box end over the end of my cheapo flare nut wrench for extra leverage and found a position on the nut that would let the combined lever pass between the body and frame. Put enough tension on the wrenches to just start spreading the flare wrench and then gently applied the ball peen hammer. Literally, just tapping on it, enough to drive a small finish nail, but not enough to drive a framing nail, if that makes sense. I'm guessing the sustained twisting pressure plus the direct shocks were the combination that broke the bond of stuckness.

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Side note, here's a couple shots of the torque converter bolts and access hole.

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And the random 80's nostalgia-mobile parked by me when I was buying check flare nut wrenches at HFT.

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BTW, u-joints are spotty, some nice & smooth, others slightly notchy. Due to the notchy ones, I've not bothered to check for play - They're all getting replaced while the shafts are out. Probably getting Moog 387 (2 x front) and 389 (2 x rear) from Rock Auto.
 
Another specific question - looking at the cooler lines, seems like I might want to disconnect the soft lines that basically connect the hard lines on the trans to the hard lines to the cooler. It looks to me like that'd be the spot to drain most of the ATF that's in those lines. Any thoughts on that? Or just put a catch pan down under the fittings on the transmission, disconnect from the trans first, and work my way forward?
 
Planning to drop the trans this coming weekend. I've got lifting & holding tools, a strong, experienced friend (not the same guy as my transmission rebuild sme, Kevin), and built a custom cradle to keep the A440F upright on a motorcycle jack. I actually borrowed an industrial bench Kevin had hanging around (surplus he bought from our work, now I wish I'd bought one, too). It'll be dedicated to this job, and relatively clean. I protected the top with some corrugated cardboard to comply with his wife's request that I not ruin the top. I'll replace as needed for absorbency and cleanliness.

12T stands. Vollyball for scale.
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Bench
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Also in between, cleaning and rebuilding my driveshafts. I don't own a full sized vice, so getting the first u-joint out was a bear. So much so, that I'm probably going to bring the rest in to work, where a friend will give me access to the shop and big vice to do the process from the FSM (knock cup out as far as you can, grip cup in vice, tap yoke away from cup/vice to release.

Neglected U-joint

View media item 56478

Joint removal carnage

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One cleaned set of yokes.

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New U-joint

View media item 56480
 
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