Hi Everyone,


New to posting here but long time lurker.

Got an '89 I6 (3 months now) and have been doing all the fluid changes (I sure some of you know how fun it is doing these things in the driveway when it's 100 degrees out).

Got to the tranny. Drain plug no problem. First observation was "Wow - the Mercon is filthy...how's long has it been?".

Let it drain for 30 minutes then screwed the plug back in.

Then went to the fill plug. Socket wouldn't work, wrench wouldn't work. Even did impact wrench. Looked closer and noticed a silver braze around the lip of the plug towards the case. Looks like someone either welded or brazed the darn thing to the case!

Tried to tip the car up on the drivers side so I could maybe get some fluid in (20" raise) using ramps/blocks. No good. Tried from the rear - 20 inch lift - no good.

So now my question to anyone here (with much advanced gratitude I might add): Is my only move to drive/tap? All I need is enough rooom to add an aquarium air line as access. Was going to do the gravity method with the Mercon. If so, where should I tap? Just to the left of the old one?


I miss my truck. Anyone here have similar experiences and if so what was your resolution?


Thanks in advance


/Ricache <!-- / message --><!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: ad_showthread_firstpost_sig --><!-- END TEMPLATE: ad_showthread_firstpost_sig -->

 

Forgot to add - it's an M5OD

 

Also forgot to add that I inadvertantly doubleposted this thread. Won't happen again.

 

Myself rather then play around trying to drill and tap up under the truck I think I'd just pull the shifter out and pour the required amount of fluid in from the top.

M5OD takes 7.6 pints?

 

I've heard that approach as well.

Thanks for the info.

Pull carpet, shifter (replace M50D plugs....?), fill'r up.

 

Well, which is it- a weld or a braze? If it's just brazed, you should be able to take a torch and melt it off. Pics would be useful if you can provide them.

Also, I don't recommend trying to drill and tap a new filler hole for it unless you're going to drop the tranny and strip all of the gears out of it first. Otherwise you're going to end up with metal shavings/shrapnel inside the tranny which could wreak havoc.

If you can't break the plug loose then I'd say follow Dan's advice and pull the shifter.

 

Well, which is it- a weld or a braze? If it's just brazed, you should be able to take a torch and melt it off. Pics would be useful if you can provide them.

Yea I considered suggesting that to but I figured if its brazed/welded in the hole there must be a reason for it? Probably not a real good one either, might find something rather left unknown/unseen! LOL

Could always braze it up again once full I suppose but I'd be just a tad little concern with what is getting kinda hot inside while doing so, or how many times for it now?

 

just put it in through the top it would take less time it only takes 5mins to pull the seat out and about another 5 to pull out the carpet and about another 5 to get the shifter/floor pan out so total of half an hour for the whole job, that would be a ton of time saved rather than taking a chance of messing up your trans

 

I had low oil in a rear axle and was in a rush to take a trip from omaha to denver and back. the fill plug was siezed. I drilled a 1/4" hole at the oil level, filled the thing and plugged it with a vaccum line plug. never leaked on me.

 

Do you really have to remove the seat and carpet? :/
Not on my '75 with a T18. ;)

BTW, the T18 just has an ordinary 3/4" pipe plug and
an 18mm boxed-end fits the square top perfect. LOL :)

Alvin in AZ

 

I ended up filling from the shifter. Didn't have to mess with the carpet. Just pulled boot/insulation up to graduated part of shifter, put it into 2nd so I'd remember where it was then unscrewed the 3 torx that held the shifter into place. Pulled out shifter.

Then poured in the 3.6 qts then put her back together.

When I do it again in 30K miles it'll take me 1/2 an hour.

Forgot what it was like to do vehicle maintenance outside when it's 97 degrees (Dallas,TX). Since this was my first shifter/tranny experience with a Ford (tons with vintage VW's) I had my sights set on 1 hour a night for a few nights. Did it in one evening.

If I had to do the M5OD plugs I'd have to pull back the carpet and do other fun stuff but I didn't have to.

I still don't have the boot/insulation secure. I'm thinking of some sound deadening material between the insulation and the boot.


So - it's fixed. Shifts great. Thanks

 

Who knows why some people do things like this. Some things I've seen going to junk yards after parts just amaze me, and junk yards are usually the best places to find cobble repairs. It's always worth a laugh, that's for sure.

What kind of VW's? I recently sold a '75 Porsche 914 that I bought for $200 and rebuilt the motor. It had been sitting for 10 years but I just went thru the mechanical aspect and left the body work to the buyer.

Just curious.

 

VW's - Type I (Bug,Ghia) and Type II (Bus) - about 10 of them total. Only have a '70 Bug left out of the bunch. Parts still abundant. Tons of donors and good vintage VW's left here in the Southwest - rust free (except for the battery tray).

I like my bug but it's dropped (spindles/front disc - 2.5") and it's hard to get into now-a-days. Give me a truck so I can slide into rather than "bow" into. Have had this bug for 23 years now.

My bug has a Hurst Shifter with a Hurst T-Handle. Only parts on the car that are rare. For those in the know - It's a "Cal Look" bug. I did the complete interior/headliner/seats/hog ring/gauges with 8 spoke polished EMPI rims. 215/75 15 back, 195/65/15 front. Shoulda kept it stock.

Porsches - 911/914 old school. Type III engine (pancake) with close tolerances. Love to have one. A 356 would be awesome. I like Ghia's cuz they looked like the 356.

Kinda ironic yet not surprising that VW owns Porsche now.

A little off-topic but still interesting to some.


/Ricache

 

VW's - Type I (Bug,Ghia) and Type II (Bus) - about 10 of them total. Only have a '70 Bug left out of the bunch. Parts still abundant. Tons of donors and good vintage VW's left here in the Southwest - rust free (except for the battery tray).

I like my bug but it's dropped (spindles/front disc - 2.5") and it's hard to get into now-a-days. Give me a truck so I can slide into rather than "bow" into. Have had this bug for 23 years now.

My bug has a Hurst Shifter with a Hurst T-Handle. Only parts on the car that are rare. For those in the know - It's a "Cal Look" bug. I did the complete interior/headliner/seats/hog ring/gauges with 8 spoke polished EMPI rims. 215/75 15 back, 195/65/15 front. Shoulda kept it stock.

Porsches - 911/914 old school. Type III engine (pancake) with close tolerances. Love to have one. A 356 would be awesome. I like Ghia's cuz they looked like the 356.

Kinda ironic yet not surprising that VW owns Porsche now.

A little off-topic but still interesting to some.


/Ricache

 

Funny how when thinking about it being a pain in the neck to
add transmission oil I think of an air-cooled VW. LOL :)

I always figured -maintenance wise- my '75 F150 pickup could
go about 10 times as far as any air-cooled VW I ever had. :)
I believe you are going in the right direction. ;)

For the most part all I still have are the specialized tools and
a couple gears...
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/file12/spacer1.jpg
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/file12/spacer2.jpg

Alvin in AZ