I understand that there are a lot of variables, but...
Does anyone know if its possible to remove the transmission out of a 96 Allegro class A (with a Ford F53 chassis, 460 engine, and E4OD trans) without having to jack it up too high?
We had a tranny failure this weekend and have someone to rebuild it, just don't want to have the pay for the labor (becasue I know I can R&R it) let alone the tow bill. Luckily it shot craps less than a block from the house, well at least that's when it gave up the ghost. lol
I'm sure with a tape measure and a few minutes I could have the answer, but I'm at work right now and would like to get an initial idea of what it's going to cost so I can relay it to the lovely wife. Thanks in advance.
unless you have air tools, a good creeper, a good heavy duty trans jack, proper impact sockets, and are willing to take the risk of stripped bolts and other fun things that happen when doing the job- I suggest you fess up for a pro to do it. Especially when some of these guys put loctite on the flexplate bolts. Good luck doing the job in the driveway... Ready to skin your knuckles?
You'll need to get the rig up in the air around 24" clearance from the frame to the ground. You will need the lowest transmission jack you can get your hands on. Next, get a nylon strap ratchet type load binder that can wrap around the tranny and jack platform.Don't rely on a simple chain, the load binder strap will save your hind end! Next is a bottle jack, some timber studs and 2X4 studs to be able to support the rear of the engine when the transmission mount is removed. A BIG help is going to be a long-as-heck ratchet extension (around 4 feet total) made up of 4 foot-long extensions. Also have some six and four inchers for fine tuning. Impact wobble sockets are vital. Get them from HF if necessary. A good assortment of combination wrenches is important. Double up on the common sizes.
VITAL! Be absolutely certain you understand how to re-engage the torque converter into the front pump BEFORE you even start this project. If you don't do it right, you will destroy the transmission! It is a matter of jiggling the torque converter around and around until it drops into place. I do this with the transmission standing upright on it's tail, then being very careful to not dislodge it as it goes under the rig and up onto the engine. THERE MUST BE ROOM after the transmission is bolted to the engine for the torque converter to slide forward about a half inch. It is never supposed to be tight against the engine until you suck it forward with the torque converter bolts.
Soaking the cross-member bolts and exhaust hanger bolts is necessary and I give it two full days and a half dozen soakings with liquid wrench or eqvt.
Drain the torque converter and transmission before you remove them. REMOVE the auxiliary transmission cooler and flush all the metal chips and clutch plate residue. Failure to do this can blow a new tranny. So can trying to reuse an old torque converter. You have to use a reman or new one.
Hope this helps. And do not do this alone! At the least have someone standing "fire watch" in case you get into trouble. A huge flat screwdriver or pry bar will help to rotate the flex plate via the starter ring gear. It the ring gear teeth are worn or chewed up, now is the time to replace it.
mobilefleet wrote: unless you have air tools, a good creeper, a good heavy duty trans jack, proper impact sockets, and are willing to take the risk of stripped bolts and other fun things that happen when doing the job- I suggest you fess up for a pro to do it. Especially when some of these guys put loctite on the flexplate bolts. Good luck doing the job in the driveway... Ready to skin your knuckles?
I agree! Great advice for most people. But,... in a previous life, I used to turn wrenches for a living. The only thing I don't have is the tranny jack, but,.... even if I have to buy the jack, I should still end up light years ahead. If it were just the labor to drop it, I might let someone else do it. But now we're talking about the tow bill too. My biggest concern was sliding the trans assy out from under the RV without lifting too high.
mexbungalows wrote: I am a bit more optimistic :-)
You'll need to get the rig up in the air around 24" clearance from the frame to the ground. You will need the lowest transmission jack you can get your hands on. Next, get a nylon strap ratchet type load binder that can wrap around the tranny and jack platform.Don't rely on a simple chain, the load binder strap will save your hind end! Next is a bottle jack, some timber studs and 2X4 studs to be able to support the rear of the engine when the transmission mount is removed. A BIG help is going to be a long-as-heck ratchet extension (around 4 feet total) made up of 4 foot-long extensions. Also have some six and four inchers for fine tuning. Impact wobble sockets are vital. Get them from HF if necessary. A good assortment of combination wrenches is important. Double up on the common sizes.
VITAL! Be absolutely certain you understand how to re-engage the torque converter into the front pump BEFORE you even start this project. If you don't do it right, you will destroy the transmission! It is a matter of jiggling the torque converter around and around until it drops into place. I do this with the transmission standing upright on it's tail, then being very careful to not dislodge it as it goes under the rig and up onto the engine. THERE MUST BE ROOM after the transmission is bolted to the engine for the torque converter to slide forward about a half inch. It is never supposed to be tight against the engine until you suck it forward with the torque converter bolts.
Soaking the cross-member bolts and exhaust hanger bolts is necessary and I give it two full days and a half dozen soakings with liquid wrench or eqvt.
Drain the torque converter and transmission before you remove them. REMOVE the auxiliary transmission cooler and flush all the metal chips and clutch plate residue. Failure to do this can blow a new tranny. So can trying to reuse an old torque converter. You have to use a reman or new one.
Hope this helps. And do not do this alone! At the least have someone standing "fire watch" in case you get into trouble. A huge flat screwdriver or pry bar will help to rotate the flex plate via the starter ring gear. It the ring gear teeth are worn or chewed up, now is the time to replace it.
Great write up. Do Ford torgue converters have drain plugs? If so that's great (I'm more accustomed to GM products.) will make a lot less mess.
There is a guy here in the area that does rebuilds (for over 30yrs) that has done work for me before (when I was turning wrenches for a living) when building heavy-duty transmissions for higher performance engines. As long as there is no planatary gear damage, hubs, or other major damage he has given me decent price with a new converter and building it to withstand the heavier demands put on the RV.
But you think 24" should do it? Like I said before, if all else fails I'll slide under it tonight and take some measurements. Just growing impatient here at work. (we were supposed to take the MH to the lake and spend some time this upcoming weekend.)
When Ford does this job they also require an in-line trans filter to be installed. You can get this at NAPA (same one Ford sells) NAPA #1-8514 I put one on each of my cars and MH. Incase you miss any thing in the flushing process.
John & Carol Life members
01 31'Sea View single slide, F53 V-10
96 Toyota 4-Runner auto 4x4 (Remco, M&G brake system)
Security by Bentley
God Bless
I have to admit I'm confused here.....tow bill? You said you stalled out a block short of where you live, so are you saying you're going to do this on the side of the road? are there other houses where the rv is now? if so, not sure the neighbors will like that. Heck, i'd pay the tow driver to tow it the one block to my house so I could work on it in my own driveway. Or chain an F250/F 350 to the MH and have a friend drive the MH, if it will roll in neutral. But only if in a low speed area, and use my hazard lights
a side note too- if your rig has hydraulic leveling jacks you could chock the rear wheels and put a few boards under the front jacks, then take them down and they will lift the tires off the ground possibly far enough to get trans out. Put jack stands under front for safety in case of hyd. jack failure or leakdown
mobilefleet wrote: I have to admit I'm confused here.....tow bill? You said you stalled out a block short of where you live, so are you saying you're going to do this on the side of the road? are there other houses where the rv is now? if so, not sure the neighbors will like that. Heck, i'd pay the tow driver to tow it the one block to my house so I could work on it in my own driveway. Or chain an F250/F 350 to the MH and have a friend drive the MH, if it will roll in neutral. But only if in a low speed area, and use my hazard lights
It did, me and a couple of neighbors did tow it to my driveway. When I said the tow bill, I meant to have someone else to work on it.
You had the same thought I did about the leveling jacks. In fact, I just came in from outside. I extended the front jacks and it's going to be close. I may have to put a block under it to give me a couple of extra inches, but I think it will work.
For years Ford used a hex pipe plug to drain the converter. The plug is usually pretty tight. I'd use a 6-point boxsocket wrench and whack the open end part with a mallet. Have the tranny guy slip the converter in for you and then give it a close eyeball to see just how far back it is supposed to sit. Jam the flex plate ring gear with a screwdriver when you go to remove or tighten the converter bolts. I like to replace the vacuum modulator at the same time. Check the seal surface of your drive shaft slip yoke to make sure there isn't a groove worn in it, you don't need a leak from the extension housing seal to foul up a good job.
Offline
