 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / Dodge / Dodge Trucks / August 2008Durango transmission
I'm helping out a friend with his '00 Durango 5.9L 4x4 that's in need of a transmission rebuild (46RE). For the life of us, we can't figure out what's holding the damn thing in. I've removed 4 converter bolts, 6 bellhousing bolts (4 14mm bolts from the top/center of the bellhousing, and 2 16mm bolts from the bottom of the bellhousing), and 1 16mm bolt that was holding the front differential to the transmission. Something's still got it stuck, because I can almost shake the damn truck off the lift from the back of the transmission. The FSM's next to useless here - no real details. It talks about some engine-to-transmission struts, that I don't see (the FSM talked about this for my truck's transmission, as well - they didn't exist - I figure maybe that's on 2WD trucks?). Anyone ever pulled one of these out of a Durango, and can tell me what I'm missing? I'm about to stick a 10-ton power-wedge into the bottom of the bellhousing and hope for the best. > I'm helping out a friend with his '00 Durango 5.9L 4x4 that's in need of > a transmission rebuild (46RE). For the life of us, we can't figure out [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > I'm missing? I'm about to stick a 10-ton power-wedge into the bottom of > the bellhousing and hope for the best. what about the crank sensor hanging on the flex plate? did you take it out? Remember it bolts to the bell housing and sits pretty damn close to the flexplate. could have you hung. Otherwise I'd feel around the bellhousing (yea i know that sucks) and make sure you didnt miss like a top center bolt or something. I'd bet its the crank sensor.  SignatureChris > what about the crank sensor hanging on the flex plate? did you take it > out? No, of course not. ARGH! Son of a.... Thanks, Chris. I really should stick to the oil burners... our CPS is nowhere NEAR the transmission :) >> what about the crank sensor hanging on the flex plate? did you take it >> out? [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Thanks, Chris. I really should stick to the oil burners... our CPS is > nowhere NEAR the transmission :) Your welcome Tom, just let me know if that's it or there's something more.. those things are easy to forget about stuffed way up there like they are. SignatureChris > Your welcome Tom, just let me know if that's it or there's something > more.. Well, the CPS came out (after a bunch of struggling), but that wasn't what was holding up the works. I decided to forego the hydraulics for a minute, and instead resorted to a 5' 2x4 as a prybar. After a couple of good yanks, and some screwdrivers to act as wedges, we finally got it off. It was frozen up on the locating dowels. What a major bitch... but at least it's out. Next step... teardown, assessment, and rebuild. Compared to the above, this is the easy part :) >> Your welcome Tom, just let me know if that's it or there's something >> more.. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Next step... teardown, assessment, and rebuild. Compared to the above, > this is the easy part :) not the first time I've heard of or seen dissimilar metal corrosion holding the transmission to the engine. WHAT A PIA!!!! SignatureChris > not the first time I've heard of or seen dissimilar metal corrosion > holding the transmission to the engine. WHAT A PIA!!!! Yep. That's not even the half of it. While trying to get the CPS out, we decided it would be easy enough to pull the passenger exhaust manifold. Well, we fould the source of one of the exhaust leaks... one of the manifold bolts pulled right out, and was noticably shorter than the others, with a funny-looking end to it. Yep - it was sheared right off. Well, there's a job for an Easyout. That should be fun. As for the rest of the exhaust... WTF were these idiots thinking?! The exhaust is all one piece, from the manifold flanges, through the Y-pipe, through the cat, all the way back to the muffler. The only way to have taken it down in one piece (as it was designed) would have been to drop the crossmember that holds the torsion bar adjusters. F*** THAT!! So, after slicing through it with a Sawz-All, it came out. I'll be picking up some generic exhaust flanges and donut gaskets, and welding them on to either side (if there's any real metal left to weld to once I clean all the rust off). Oh yeah, and speaking of rust, it's amazing the owner's still alive... I can almost, ALMOST, poke a scratch awl through any of the brake hard lines running down the driver's fender well. I have no idea how they were holding up to braking pressure, but there's no way they can NOT be changed out - not having that on my conscience. Now I gotta find my double-flaring tool... son of a.... >> not the first time I've heard of or seen dissimilar metal corrosion >> holding the transmission to the engine. WHAT A PIA!!!! [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > changed out - not having that on my conscience. Now I gotta find my > double-flaring tool... son of a.... oh and the joys just keep coming! I've got one of those tools if ya wanna drive down to get it...bit of a ride though! Probably cheaper to buy one from a discount house. Its amazing what I've seen come in the shop that should have gotten someone hurt if not killed that's still running. but then other stuff you wouldn't think would be a problem is the sh.t that just shows its a.s! No way I'd let that truck out of my shop without new lines and probably wouldn't hurt to have new hoses and take a close look at the wheel cyls and calipers while your at it. if the lines look like that what ya reckon the rest looks like??? as far as the exhaust who ever accused Dodge of knowing what they where doing when it comes to piping the exhaust gases to the back of the trucks was a COMPLETE IDIOT. why they had to run both down pipes to the cat is beyond me, whats wrong with a standard Y pipe like the rest of the world uses? The broken exhaust manifold bolts were common down here atleast on the 3.9/5.2/5.9 family. lay a straight edge across the sealing surface of the manifold, I'll bet its warped. SignatureChris > The broken exhaust manifold bolts were common down here atleast on the > 3.9/5.2/5.9 family. lay a straight edge across the sealing surface of the > manifold, I'll bet its warped. Let's not forget the 5.7 in that batch. There's been 3-4 in the shop over the last couple of months with blown gaskets and warped manifolds. Always been on the right side. Denny >> The broken exhaust manifold bolts were common down here atleast on the >> 3.9/5.2/5.9 family. lay a straight edge across the sealing surface of [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Denny Yea see 5 years ago when I left the shop, the 5.7 was still the "new thing" so I haven't messed with them. But I'm glad things haven't changed much! <GBMFG> SignatureChris > oh and the joys just keep coming! I've got one of those tools if ya wanna > drive down to get it...bit of a ride though! Probably cheaper to buy one > from a discount house. Nah, I have it... I just gotta remember what I did with the little double-flare die doo-hickeys. They're in a plastic bag, and I specifically remember putting them somewhere "so I'll know where to find them". Yeah... you can see how well THAT plan worked out. Hoses, calipers, and wheel cylinders were replaced a year ago or so - I made him replace all that when the stock hoses were holding residual pressure in the calipers, and warping the rotors. The hard lines up front were behind the inner fender liner - you know the deal, out of sight, out of mind. > beyond me, whats wrong with a standard Y pipe like the rest of the world > uses? Not sure - but you can guess what the exhaust will look like when I'm done with it. Maybe I'll take a picture of it and send it in to Chrysler. "Hey, look! Flanges! sh.t that actually disassembles for service! What a concept!!" > The broken exhaust manifold bolts were common down here atleast on the > 3.9/5.2/5.9 family. lay a straight edge across the sealing surface of the > manifold, I'll bet its warped. You're assuming I plan on removing said manifold. I don't. Most of the rest of the fasteners are so rusted over, you can't even turn them anymore. Even my damaged bolt head extractor tools were just peeling layer after layer of what-used-to-be-steel off of them. Screw it. I'll try and get the one broken piece out if I can. If I can't, I'm filling the hole with JBWeld, sticking the bolt back in there, and sealing around the outer perimeter of the manifold with muffler/tailpipe sealant. Hey, nothing but the best around here! :) > You're assuming I plan on removing said manifold. I don't. Most of the > rest of the fasteners are so rusted over, you can't even turn them [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > around the outer perimeter of the manifold with muffler/tailpipe > sealant. Hey, nothing but the best around here! :) Well, there's always the "hot wrench" that usually works on anything ;) Besides just think of all the stuff that you could mess up in the process! TONS OF FUN!!!! Be sure and throw in the "If this was a Cummins powered truck, we wouldn't be doing all this (insert appropriate adjective here)" as often as you can. what's the prognosis on that tranny BTW?? have you even looked at it since all the other fun started? SignatureChris > Well, there's always the "hot wrench" that usually works on anything ;) Would you believe one of the few things I don't have is an Oxy/Acytlene setup? Just never got around to getting one, and have always been able to get by without one. 'Course, if I _REALLY_ get pissed at it, I could light up the plasma cutter. Not quite as "subtle" as an O/A torch, though... > what's the prognosis on that tranny BTW?? have you even looked at it > since all the other fun started? Well, I haven't torn into it yet - promised my buddy I'd wait for him to come back, since he wants to see the process. However, with some long-distance diagnostic help from Max340 here, I'm pretty certain that at least the converter clutch is shot, and I wouldn't be surprised to find the clutch packs burnt up a bit, too (it started slipping real bad). The last time we worked on it, we just pulled the valve body (wanted to check out the TCC solenoid), and found that the hacks that rebuilt it the last time busted off one of the bolt heads that holds the governor assembly to the VB, so THAT must have been leaking like crazy. We put a new bolt in, but it's likely that the body it warped, because a governor pressure test showed governor pressure bouncing all over like crazy. I'm probably not even going to try messing with that, and just get a rebuilt VB for the thing. As for the rest, I'm planning on a complete overhaul. I don't think anything's really BROKEN, as the pan was clear, so we're just looking at clutches, steels, gaskets, and seals (and of course, a new converter). I should be able to get him going again for around $800. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.