OK, here's the deal.
'89 Bronco II in fair overall shape(straight body).
I took the FM146 out to replace the input bearing(poping out of 1st. and 5th.), but got stuck(any "How To's" on this?).
Took it to a Junkyard/shop for them to put in another FM146, but that hasn't panned out. I've looked for somebody to rebuild the FM146(The gear clusters/syncros look fine), but appearently nobody in this country does 'em.
Here in Costa Rica, diesels are more common than gas motors in SUV's, so I asked the junkyard owner about a conversion. He has a Nissin 2.5L turbo diesel and 5 sp. that he said he could put in for $3500(I may be able to talk him down to $3K).
Regular gas is $5 per/gal. and diesel is $4 per/gal. here and he says I should be able to get 30 m.p.g. with this set up.
$3k is a lot of money to me, but I love that old Bronco II and the swap could pay for itself in about 30,000 miles
I would have to sell my '98 Wangler to do this and although the Jeep can be fun, I like the Ford better.
So, I could keep looking for a replacement tranny(perhaps a M5OD)
or keep trying to fix my FM146
Or bite the big one and go head with the diesel conversion.
Any thoughts?
Well, found out tonight that the Gov. stopped subsidizing diesel it now costs more than gasoline, so the coversion idea is out.
So now I need to fix/or find a tranny.
I have read that the M5OD is not a good mate for the 2.9 because of the ratios. They don't look that different to me, so unless I hear differently here, that is what I will look for.
Thanks anyhow.
The M5OD ratios are almost the same as the FM-146. Personally, I would rebuild it myself, but, if you can not then mail order one from E-Bay. You can buy them through Advance Auto Parts with a warranty too. Cost about $600 that way on the last transmission I checked.
__________________ The Year 2008 Anno Domini - May it bring a great year of Revelations to you.
Well, If I were in the U.S., I would do just that in a heartbeat, the problem is that I'm in Costa Rica
The red tape involved to ship it back to the States and back here would be hard for you all to comprehend. I would have to hire a broker plus the freight, drive 100 miles(four times) to the port of entry, wait all day and be subject to bribes. And all this could take months.
I'm not planing any trips back to the U.S., but if I were, I would send it though as my luggage.
All this is a little frustrating because the trans is in great shape(just needs bearings) and I am a decades-long professional mechanic(turf equippement).
If I just could obtain the plans for the jig and a little guidence in the form of a "How To", I know I could do this.
I did not know it would be that difficult to get stuff shipped to Costa Rica.
I am trying to find a decent drawings, but, are we talking the bearing on the main shaft behind the C-clip about 3" in diameter?
I thought that bearing was just pressed on, I will have to double check. If it is, all you need is a reg. press to put a new one on. Usually you freeze the shaft, lube it up fast, and press the bearing on (you can't heat the bearing - usually sealed).
When looking for a replacement tranny you know almost all the manuals found behind a 4.0/2.9/2.8 (Ranger, BII) are basically a swap in? I do not know the difference between a Fm-145/146, to me they look identical.
__________________ The Year 2008 Anno Domini - May it bring a great year of Revelations to you.
<< <...I did not know it would be that difficult to get stuff shipped to Costa Rica....> >>
Yeah, the Gov. here is incredibly obtuse and they tax everything coming in. Cars and trucks are taxed on a sliding scale, going up to an unbelievable 80% of the blue book value.
<< <...are we talking the bearing on the main shaft behind the C-clip about 3" in diameter?> >>
Yup, I had taken this apart a couple of years ago in the shop and for some reason, I thought the shaft had to be pressed out of the case, Duh(Not much turf equippment uses gear type trannys) .
But I'm looking at now and it doesn't look that bad. I think I will take it to a machinist and have him make a two-piece plate(1/4" and beveled?) and press it off.
It's been in a storage shed and the input shaft is covered with rust(I live near the beach), but all the internals are still covered in gear oil. there is a lot of fore and aft(thrust)movement on the input shaft, but I suspect that is normal.
I really appreicate your input. I guess what I really needed was someone to get me motivated and get it done.
If you ever want to take a vacation down here, come on down(Delta flys direct to here). I don't off-road my rigs much, I have dirt bikes for that.
There really isn't much in the way of restrictions when off road. Just respect people farms and what not and one is free to go most anywhere.
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