Ya, but if that is my only mistake, i,ll be very happy.

 

It wasn't the sprag..... I built the Intermediate clutch wrong... Wrong apply plate at the bottom. I also found a stuck valve in the valve body..

Clutch built right now, valve unstuck.

Trans going back in tonight..

 

Ok, so it is finished, installed, and working!

So I ended up taking the trans out and in three times... Whew...

First time back in = no 2nd gear.. Intermediate clutch built wrong.

Second time back in = slipping reverse when warm.. (read: no reverse when warm) So this one had me perplexed for a bit because all other gears worked REALLY well, but in the end, after another complete teardown all the way to the bottom of the case, I found that I had installed the inner lip seal on the reverse clutch piston installed upside down. (also i had forgot to torque the 3 bolts on the re-enforcing plate on the separator plate. (it seals the circuit for the L/R clutch, and rear lube)

Third time in = no 3rd or overdrive. (like NO APPLY at all..) I knew these clutches were good, since they were working after the second time. The cause was over torqued VB bolts. I used a different torque wrench, and had it set properly, but the wrench failed. Yesterday, i took 5 hours and pulled all the VB's, and the solenoid pack, separator plate, all of it, from the underside of the truck. I found the all of them over torqued by at least 50%. I'm lucky i didn't start popping threads. I also retorqued the feed bolts, since they were also over torqued. I found one sticking vavle in the Accumulator Body. Direct was stuck. Obviously from being distorted under too much torque. OD accumulator was stiff, but not stuck. Freed both of them up, reinstalled everything, used my normal torque wrench, and....

WAL-AH! Everything is Good!!

I want to say thanks to all the people that answered my questions along the way, and gave great suggestions on what to check, common errors, and when needed, bad news. It may have seemed like I was in denial about some of the fixes, but i was really hoping not to have to take it out over and over. I guess i should have taken more time, and been more diligent about checking and double checking my work.

Advice for anyone thinking of rebuilding their own transmission for the first time:

#1.. TAKE YOUR TIME

#2. Have the ATSG or equivalent rebuild manual.

#3. If it feels wrong, It probably is. (i.e torquing bolts)

#4. If it doesn't fit right, check, check and recheck your assembly / disassembly method. Some things have to go together/come apart in a certain order to fit/remove properly.

#5, Have someone else check off the steps in the manual as you rebuild. The steps I missed I was working alone. Every step that was checked off by my helper (my son or my dad) was completed perfectly.

#6 If something breaks while assembling, Fix it proprerly right then. I had two pump bolts that decided that they wanted to hang on to the threads while being removed. Drill, tap and heli-coils where needed. If you don't now how to use a repair tool, learn.

#7. Use the resources here on FTE to bounce problems, after-install symptoms, and questions to the many helpful people, (and experts) to help you solve them.

Thanks again to all who helped!!!

 

I must have an r1 also, went to look and mine has one too( guess like most 99 sd's have a belly button, lol)

 

guess that ole saying "third times the charm" is tru... dammmmmmmm

I could not do that once much less three times.. enjoy the new trannie..

 

Wow...you had quite an ordeal with that thing. I'll admit what you went through is why I don't plan on doing one of these myself. I'll tear apart most anything else, but I don't think I'd be willing to go through what you did.

 

This was definitely a learning experience. If i had taken more time upfront, and slowed down, I could have got it right the first time. (eh, hind sight is always 20/20)

Would I do it again? Heck yeah. Now that i know what i'm in for, it ain't so bad.. just time consuming. At this point, if it goes out again, (hopefully not any time soon), i'll rebuild it again now that i know the condition of all the parts inside. Next time will just be seals, steels, and frictions.. (couple hundred, instead of a thousand..)

one thing I've figured out is that if you put it together wrong, more than likely it just won't work. You wont necessarily do any more damage to it. (now if you assemble hard parts wrong, thats a different story, but it is pretty polarized. It's kinda hard to assemble the hard parts wrong, you;ll get to the top of the case, and things will not line up, fit, turn, etc.. ) Seals, well, the directions show lip seals, but the seals in the kit are sort of a trapezoid shape. half of it is square, the other has an angle outward. the square part goes in the groove, the angled part is the face of the seal.. You just have to make sure that you face the seal lip toward the bottom of the apply piston. If not, pressure collapses the face of the seal, and you get no apply when the oil warms up. When installed right, the fluid pressure actually pushes the face of the seal outward and seals tighter.

once you understand some of the concepts behind how an automatic works, and get inside one to see the practical application of the concepts, rebuilding takes on a whole different meaning. I haven't mastered the valve bodies and the hydraulic system yet, but i'm understanding it more and more.. It IS complex, and definitely need special test equipment to see and test how it works, but basic hydraulic principals get you a much better understanding of it.

 

Torque converter went out.. It's back out of the truck again....

I have narrowed every failure except one, to a torque wrench faliure.

VB's, Pump bolts, pump-to-case, and torque converter nuts all were torqued with the same wrench. All of my problems have stemmed from one or more of those components.

solution = got a new torque wrench, verified with a known good wrench.

VB's checked out, freed another stuck valve (3-4 accum)

Pump disassembled, new pump bushing installed, New pump seal installed, Trans flushed, cleaned, put back together, awaiting new converter that should be delivered tomorrow.

Found the the over torqued pump bolts crushed the PR valve in the pump, which probably took the converter out. I replaced the valve with a sonnax PR valve that supposed to help keep it in the regulated position.

Hope fully the next post about this is truely an "all FIXED" post..

 

You just can't catch a break with this thing! I admire your attitude about the whole thing, and I'm sure you're learning a great deal. How far off was your old torque wrench?

 

as much as 50%..... and it wasn't that old. just a bad one..

It doesn't help to have a bad attitude, only makes it that much harder to concentrate on getting it done.

Do i want this distraction in my life done with? Hell Yes.. Do I want to have another truck payment? Hell no. So, I gotta fix..

 

Can I ask the make and model? Would be nice to know one to stay away from.

 

Pittsburg 3/8" torque wrench. from HF.

Nice part is Lifetime Warranty and no questions, drop off broken one, pickup new one.. This is the first bad tool I have ever bought from HF. I still have an Air Compressor that is now 10 years old, a gasless welder of the same age, and many many other tools, including two other torque wrenches that are both good, my 1/2" one is now 3 years old.

Are they cheap, yes, are they good quality? eh, most of the time the quality level is what I paid for, (i.e. good enough to get the small job I had to do done.. for cheap). To each his own. This time it burnt me. but it can happen with expensive tools too.

 

All back together now, working absolutely normal.. (with the exception of the shift kit and the low stall converter. thats just the icing on the cake.)

Noise I had with the last converter is no longer. lockup is great, shift points are spot on.

This is only day one. I'll report back in a week or so. (crossing fingers) I think I got it this time.

Drove it to work and home (70 miles mixed driving), and no issues.

 

Good deal. Let us know how it goes as you put some miles on it!

 

650 miles now on the rebuild. No problems to report... Towed my boat for 20 miles. 2500lbs. No problems...

I will keep updating as I get more significant miles on it..