Here is my take on the fix or buy. With your current vehicle, you have owned it long enough to know what it wrong with it. You also can price out what it will cost ot fix it. If you purchase another used rig, you have no idea what could be wrong with it and whether it will make it 1 week or 10 years without major repair. I chose to fix my 1981 instead of buying another used vehicle. I know at any time what needs fixed, and what will need fixed in the future.

By the way, the original AOD is still in it and should hit 200,000 miles in about 3 weeks! Can't ask for more than that!

Kenny

 

I am going to fix it.

How big of a job will it be for me to put the trans in myself? Any good books or websites that I should check out?


J

 

Go to PEP BOYS or OREILLYS Auto Parts and get a Chiltons manual for your truck that will be one of the biggest helpers you can have on how to pull your trans and how to do all the adjustments you need for your trans install. I have a Haynes manual and plan to get a Chiltons also since both has some information that the other won't have.

 

Good luck! I think you have made the right choice. Keep us posted.

 

Get a new truck

 

Putting in a trans isn't hard especially on old ford rear wheel drive truck, make sure you have a floor jack or trans jack availible( there cheap to rent). Well before you yank that thing out you should see whats really wrong with the trans first thats the main mechanics can be wrong, well you know it doesn't go into 3rd, did u try up shifting it manualy like start in 1st work your way up. Check the trans fluid level before u start it, it should be over the full line, then check it when its running it should be at the level. check the fluid color by wiping it on a white piece of paper and notice the colors, red, dark red is ok brown and black your clutch packs are burn't up. Drop the pan see what on the bottom of the trans pan. Check the linkage that should be really the first thing make sure its moving correctly. Look on the dipstick for what kind of fluid it uses, I believe its mercon not Type F that could be a proplem if there's the wrong fluid in there. Or are there any lose connection or vaccum lines down by the trans. From experience alot of simple things are OVERLOOKED, what ever you do don't be intimidated by a auto trans alot of mechanics and technicians are thats why they want to throw a new one in there or a junkyard one. There's nothing to them, if u need to rebuild it why not or if its an interal proplem like a planetary gear its a matter of replacing a part, u might need like 4 tools to rebuild a trans which would all be under 75$ and a manual.

 

yeah doing a tranny swap on a older pickup isn't really that hard. A tranny jack can be had for $200, and then you can get the other one rebuilt, and swap it in yourself again, saving youself a lot of money overall. The Biggest challenge that I had with my standard trans during a clutch job was getting it back in. Patience, a spotter, and a tranny jack would have made this a piece of cake. you can probly look up tranny swap in the search engine jch and see if it's within your abilities. I'm not that good and it wasn't that bad for me.

 

I have a friend who's willing to let me borrow a trans jack for the weekend, as well as someone who's willing to help me do the heavy lifting etc...

It was mentioned to me that I should find a junk trans with a torch converter intact. Can anyone tell me more about this?

Also - and this may be a long shot, I was wondering if any of you (who have done a similar trans swap) would be willing to let me pick your brain one on one...either through email or on the phone. I think it would help me put my mind at ease a bit.

Thanks!

J

 

well I've got a 77f100 with the 3 speed manual, so I can't help you much with the torque converter, but otherwise feel free to PM me, there are still a few things in common.

The torque converter is kinda like a pair of electric fans pointing at each other. Turn one fan on, and the other one will spin in the breeze. Imagine one fan attached to your motor, the other one attached to the tranny, and instead of air an oil, and in laymen's terms you've got a torque converter. When you pull the junker tranny the converter should stay with it, and I don't see why the junkyard won't sell you both for the price they quoted you.

If your buddy will help you do the swap and you've got the jack then I'd definately go for it. You have another vehicle, if the crap hits the fan you can still get around. And if you're really bold, I've heard like Johnny said that re-building an old automatic isn't too terribly difficult, You just need a manual, which I think ATSG sells for like 20 bucks. and maybe a couple specialty tools, The re-build kit that you buy costs like 200 bucks, and if there's internal damage like your mechinic says then it's gonna be a little extra. But even so 300-400 for a re-built tranny isn't that bad right? I'd start with the removal. Once you see how easy that is for you, go from there. If it's as easy as we're saying, then maybe you're up for the re-build. If it's a total spastic heart attack, then maybe the rebuild is more the mechanic's job. Either way dropping the tranny yourself is gonna save you money. Somebody you know is gonna have a truck to get it to the mechanic if you can't go further. Hope it helps.

 

Before you hop into pulling the tranny i'd fix that vaccum leak and change the tranny fluid/filter. Also may not hurt to put some sea foam into your tranny fluid. Then drive it around for a while and see if anything happens. I'm 18 and me and my 18 year old girlfriend removed and put back in the tranny on my truck with a floor jack. Its not as hard as it sounds. The gas tank thing is easy. Check out a junkyard. I found some nice ones at a junkyard a couple years ago, well, now one is leaking, so i think i'll just buy a new one for 79 bucks. Ahhh, soo much to do.... Seriously, that 4.9 wont blow up on you either. They are probably the most indescructable engine that ford has ever built. But i would make dang sure to get all your vaccum problems taken care of. Its stuff like that that probably causes most of the tranny mis-diagnosis. Make sure the fluid level is good too. When i took my tranny out, I filled it up with fluid and ran it to the other side of town to find out it would only go into 1st gear, it wouldnt shift up to 2nd. Kept driving it and it just magically shifted up to 2nd the 3rd. Was driving out to my GF's house and it wouldnt go into OD. About 5 miles later it just magically decided it would shift. I think the fluid needed some time to work out all the air bubbles. So if your tranny fluid is low it wont shift right either. Thats why i'd drop the tranny pan, replace the filter, then fill it back up with fluid and a can of sea foam trans tune and drive it for a while. Same thing happened with our 98 dodge caravan. Just got all gunked up with crap. Brought it down to a shop and they ran "heavy duty tranny cleaner" through it and got it working again. I mean, if it works it just saved you like 400 bucks, if not your out like 20 for the filter and fluid. Good luck

 

Old thread, I know - but how did it go?