These e-mails are the results of
discussions between myself, some WillysTech Members and two individuals that purchased
“New” T-90 transmissions and Model 18 Transfer cases from Krage
(www.jeepdoc.com).
Phil Christensen pacvis@pacbell.net
Jim Crandall crandall@Radix.Net
Rick Stivers rick48cj2a@aol.com
Date: Sat Aug 11, 2001 4:30 am
Subject: T90 Experts out there...bad synchro plate!
Well, I'm really in a pickle now. T-minus 5 days and
counting and I'm driving (towing actually) Willy to Utah to show off all my hard work. Up
late tonight installing my brand new T90 and as I'm checking it out I realize my clutch
hub just doesn't want to slide into 2nd or 3rd gear.
A quick mainshaft removal reveals one of my three
synchronizer plates is busted! Oh no, woe is me!!
I’ve come to the list looking for advice once
again. Odds are very slim I'll be able to track down a new one here in town.
These things look kind of like a tiny rectangular box
with the sides folded down along four sides. One of the short sides (the edge that strikes
up against the blocking ring) has snapped off.
Is there anyway I can use this thing? Temporarily? Am
I just courting disaster?
I'm going to finish
pulling out the old tranny tomorrow and will see if my old one can offer a donor synchro
plate, but since that poor thing has been grinding it's way into second horribly for the
last several months, I really doubt any of the three in there are worth salvaging. Philip
Christensen (Flipper)
Subject: Re: [WT] T90 Experts out there...bad synchro plate!
The used plate from the old T-90
should get you by. The synchro rings wear but I've taken a lot of transmissions of
different kinds apart and haven't seen those worn out. Good luck. John '56 Pickup TKER TOY
Thanks john,
I'll get out there and
dig into the old one. It sure is nice to have you all out there as an
"audience". Hopefully I can find the broken tang in the new one quickly and
easily without tearing it down too far. Fortunately I have Rick’s tape to guide me.
Matter of fact, had it not been for that tape, I never would have caught this and surely
would have tried driving this beast as is. Disaster and another rebuild would surely have
followed!! I can't recommend Rick’s rebuild tape highly enough to anyone working on
their old T90!! Regards, Philip Christensen (Flipper)
Date: Mon Aug 13, 2001 2:57 am
Subject: T90 saga continues...
Well, after a heck of a weekend spent almost entirely
with Willy, I am now completely whipped, with plenty of bruised knuckles, banged knees and
I have now added several choice swear words to my vocabulary.
Quick rant: One for PO who decided to substitute a
regular hex bolt for the allens on the front bearing retainer...grrrr.. makes it a bit
hard to bolt up you dweeb. For the dufus who welded in my custom exhaust...next time try
and leave me more than 1 inch around when I tell you to make sure I have room to pull the
tranny! To the guy who put together this T90 with a broken synchro plate, you better keep
low for a while! Lastly one more growl at the PO who used the wrong couplings to connect
for the feed line to my oil pressure gauge causing a steady oil drip for the last 10 years to completely coat
every nook and cranny of my drive train with 1/4" of grit and baked on oil.
Revelations: Yes, you can install the tranny first
then attach the transfer case. Matter of fact, I wish I had tried this first! Yes, that
throwout bearing can and will drop down into the bellhousing if you give it a chance (grr)
If you have an engine adapter (in my case for the 225-V6), bolt the adapter plate to the
tranny BEFORE trying to stab!
Anyway, now that that's out of the way. Thanks John
for the advice, my old T90 did indeed have a good sync plate for recycling. Whew!
I am concerned about one thing though. This has to be
the tightest doggone manual I've ever seen. It's impossible to shift into 2nd or 3rd.
Before putting it in, I looked at everything in the synchro assembly at least a dozen
times to be sure nothing was out of whack, but it sure seems OK. After getting it in and
bolting on the tower I tried a test and if I bump the engine very briefly I can get into
all gears, but at a standstill there is no way! Can I expect this to loosen up? I'm
praying this is just what brand new synchros act like, but don't have any direct
experience to fall back on here.
One more potential disaster on my hand. This one has
me most scared. My clutch isn't clutching anymore. By that, I mean the pedal feels normal
as I press down right up until the pedal should be disengaging the clutch. As I press down
the pedal just stops cold and will not budge. Matter of fact, it feels more like brakes
than a clutch (I'm tired, but not so tired I would mix up the pedals, so it's not that).
I've checked the pivot arm, cable, return spring etc and all is where it should be. I KNOW
the t90 is stabbed through the throwout bearing properly and if my fork was goofed up
somehow, I would expect the travel to feel radically different. Seems like I'm making a
habit of coming here desperate, this time I'm scared to death I'm going to have to pull
that whole darned thing out again. I honestly can't tell if my clutch pivot fork is
sticking out of the bellhousing farther or closer than it was before. I didn't look
closely at it before I started. It seems right.
I humbly ask for kind
words of encouragement and hopefully a simple soltution. It's been a long hard weekend and
Willy is getting the better of me. Philip Christensen (Flipper)
Subject: Re: [WT] T90 saga continues...
Phil, Your clutch petal should go all
the way to the floor without binding. Is the clutch disengaging completely? I suspect that
when you find the binding it will shift better. Did you trans slide up all the way or did
you have to pull it up with the bolts? Pull the top cover off and check the output shaft
with the trans and transfer case in neutral. It should turn freely. Make sure the syncro
plates are seated in the notches of the rings properly. It sounds like something isn't
seated properly. With any luck you can fix it without pulling the trans. But you may have
to pull the transfer case. Good luck
Date: Mon Aug 13, 2001 7:38 pm
Subject: Re: [WT] T90 saga continues...
Phil, Every trans I have ever put together would shift by moving
the synchro clutch hub with the trans on the bench. Not easily but the thing would shift.
That is a good place to start.
As far as the clutch disengagement
feel is concerned. I suspect the pivot point on the clutch release lever is not where it
should be. This *might* cause the binding you are experiencing. I hope the light of day
sheds good fortune and knowledge on your situation. Ric –
Date: Tue Aug 14, 2001 12:37 am
Subject: T90 installed - whew!!
Well, thanks to everyone for trying to pitch in and
help. My new T90 is finally snug and tight where it belongs and my clutch even works now.
Turns out the problem was very simple after all. I had
my neighbor work the clutch pedal while I crawled underneath and watched everything move.
All was hooked up fine except the fork itself had slipped off its little pivot ball. As I
looked at it, it just didn't seem to be sticking out as far as it was supposed to, so I
wedged a screwdriver in there and pulled it out and was greeted by a very satisfying
sounding "click". The moment I heard that I knew what had happened. The fork was
shoved in so darned far the two fingers weren't trying to push on the throwout bearing
with its "fingertips" but instead the fingers were completely wrapped into the
groove. Pressing the clutch pedal started pulling on that fork thereby trying to twist the
bearing rather than forcing it to it slide forward like it was supposed to. All is well
and it took all of 60 seconds to fix :)
As for the binding, that tranny was really really
stiff to turn before I even installed it. I'm still a bit worried, but a lot less now.
Since it does slide into all gears when things are spinning inside, I'm pretty sure those
synchros are just tighter than all heck and a few trips around the block filled up with
gear oil should gradually loosen it up (I hope). All I know is the Willys gods are going
to have to score a direct hit with one major bolt of lightning to get me to pull that
darned thing back out again. LOL.
I'm now just left with two minor little things to take
care of. The joker who rebuilt that tranny must have run a tap through the drain and fill
holes. And I mean he ran them ALL THE WAY through! Therefore my plugs just keep right on
going and never bottom out as I try and install them. I'm hoping I can find a pair of new
pugs at Napa or something that have a head on them. Or maybe screw them in halfway, get a
nylon washer and big nut to screw on the exposed threads. I'll figure out something. After
what I've been through this should be easy (yeah right!). Thanks for all the advice gang
:)
Tonight I will be sleeping much better. I might just
make it to Utah with Willy in tow yet! regards, Philip Christensen (Flipper)
Rick, just looked over you T90
rebuild guide and it looks great. If I decide to rebuild mine ( and it needs it) I will be
using it. In the article you mentioned that you can buy rebuilt T90's for $400. Can you
tell me where that is. I have not been able to fine anyone who has them. Thanks , Jim
Crandall
Subj: Re: t90
rebuild
Date: Wed, 29 Aug
2001 4:34:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Jim, I'm glad you
liked the guide. Rob Pearson put together a really good rebuild video to go along with the
guide too. As for complete rebuilt T-90s with the shift tower they can be bought from
Krage at: http://www.jeepdoc.com/catalog/zcatalog.asp#Transmission Once there select T-90
and pick your selection. I hope this helps. Rick Stivers
Jim, Make sure to dry run
everything on the bench before installing it to make sure it all works properly. Most have
worked fine but I did have one guy with a bad synchronizer plate in his new T-90 that was
causing it to bind. Studying the rebuild guide allowed him to quickly repair the tranny.
Let me know how you like your new parts. Rick Stivers
Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2001 7:35:07 AM
Eastern Daylight Time
Rick, thanks for the tip. Do you
install both at the same time or do you install separately? JC
Date: Thu Sep 6, 2001 1:51 am
Subject: (was) T90 Woes...Brake problems...(now)on the
road :)
Well all, Those of you who've followed and helped me
along the way I offer many thanks. Not the least of which goes out to Rick and Rob for the
great rebuild T90 tape (I can't recommend that tape enough, it saved my bacon) and Pete
here in San Diego for some high priced brake parts.
I did succeed in getting Willy safely out to Moab and
back. It was a great week of playing with the family and I've even got a bunch of new
parts. It looked pretty bleak for a while there but some long hours right up until the
last minute to get the tranny, transfer case, linkages, wiring, gauges all put back to
where they belonged.
The new tranny turns out to run just fine. I was
really worried about it being so stiff, but one night setting bathed in fresh oil and she
already shifted into all gears and after a few miles under her belt feels fine. The
transfer case ended up being quite a disappointment as it leaks like a sieve out the
"brand new" front shaft seal and three of the rear case bolts. Since it was
bought as a "fresh unit all ready to go" I'm not too happy, but I guess I got
what I paid for.
Buyer beware, there are serious downsides to buying
mail order. If I were a schoolteacher I'd have to give Krage a C- overall. They took what
seemed forever to deliver (three weeks instead of 1), when it did arrive I was missing key
parts (shifter boots and fill/drain plugs) and the overall condition of theD18 was not
good. Sure it looked fresh, but under the shiny gloss paint was a lot of rust and they
even painted the critical mating surface between T90 and D18 and the rear bearing seat. I
have no doubts this case won't last anywhere near as long as the original unit it
replaced, but oh well, we live and learn. It is running and as long as I don't mind
spending a couple minutes madly tugging yanking and jerking levers (can you say hard to
shift?) I can even go 4 Wheeling and if I get lost on the road, I even have a trail of 90W
breadcrumbs behind me that I can follow back home. (anyone know if that front seal can be
replaced without D18 removal/disassembly? After doing it once, I'm not too keen on pulling
it again in the near future unless someone holds a gun to my head)
Still much work to do, but I've started using Willy as
my temporary daily commuter as I identify the rest of the weak spots and thanks again to
all those who've helped so far. Philip
Christensen (Flipper)
I got this very
disturbing e-mail from another Willys friend and felt that I should pass it on to you. I'm
sorry that it is after the fact but maybe it's better late than never. I'm not saying your
parts will be like his but I do recommend replacing the front and rear seals with the
double-lipped seals I list on my web page and make sure everything on the yokes is
polished and sealed. In addition, I would remove each bolt one at a time and seal the
threads. Make sure to look your units over very carefully and let me know if you have any
problems. I can provide you with all of the previous discussions on Phil's problems if you
need me to. Rick Stivers
--- Phil Christensen <pacvis@pacbell.net> wrote:
> If I were a school teacher I'd have to give Krage a C-
overall. >
Have you contacted them about this? I have dealt with them
several times and have had outstanding service. I'm willing to bet large sums of your
money that Krages obtains their rebuilt transfer cases from a wholesale rebuilder. It was
probably shipped directly from the rebuilder, not Krages. If that is the case, Krages may
not even be aware of the poor service and substandard quality unless you tell them.
From my dealings with Krages, they should stand behind their
products and will do whatever is needed to correct the situation. That may include using a
different source for future rebuilds and compensating you for the repairs you need to do.
Please let us know what happens, good or bad, after you contact Krages.
>(anyone know if that front seal can be replaced without D18
removal/disassembly? >
Funny you should ask: http://www.vernco.com/id317.htm
Once you get the skidplate out of the way, access is not too
bad. Make sure the yoke's sealing surface is smooth. Here are details about the same type
of yoke/seal combo used on the axle, and possible repairs for it:
http://www.vernco.com/id199_yoke_seal.htm
Regards, Dr. Vern in Vancouver, WA
Subject: Re: [WT] (was) T90 Woes...Brake problems...(now)on the
road :)
Phil, Are you talking about the front
driveshaft seal? Remove the yoke and run sheet metal screws into the seal 180 degs apart
and use a claw hammer to pop it out. When you put the new seal in use grease on the yoke
to lube the seal until oil can get worked into it. If you don't it will start leaking
again real soon. Try using some nonhardening sealer on the rear case bolts to try and seal
them. Glad to hear you had a good trip. John '56 Pickup TKER TOY
Thanks for the advice John (and "Vern").
Sheet metal screws and a good tug I can deal with so
long as I don't have to pull the TCase. I just have to pray the shaft isn't rusty or
scored which caused this thing to leak in the first place by nicking the seal or
something. From what I could tell the seal does look brand new it just leaks like he%%, so
I may end up finding something I don't want to. Something must have caused it to go bad.
I'll definitely remember to grease that Yoke - thanks. I did email Krage about the first
problem I spotted which was a broken Synchronizer Plate (the broken shard was lying in the
bottom of the T90 just waiting to create trouble) and got no response. I was hoping they'd
be able to send me a replacement quickly by just dropping a new one in an envelope and
mailing it off. After all, it is just a 50 cent item but got no reply back whatsoever.
Fortunately I was able to salvage one still in good condition from my old T90 and use
that.
The boot they forgot to add did get replaced, but they
balked at the shipping, so like the dufus I am I went ahead and let them off the hook and
bought more stuff so they could just drop it in the same box (I needed new windshield
seals anyway). I still didn't get it until it was way too late much longer than another
week so I drove around Utah with a hole in my floor.
The leak I haven't addressed yet. I tend to just walk
away from situations like this bit**ing and grumbling then take my business elsewhere
rather than become a constant naggy customer who calls over and over again about one
transaction. I could keep on complaining to them, but it probably would only make both me
and John Krage unhappy and I'm not in the mood to wait another three weeks for them to
send me a new seal anyway. I'll probably just go down to Napa and get one there and with a
little luck it'll be sealed up tight this weekend. I'd sure like to stop leaving behind
basketball size puddles of 90W every time I park the Willys for more than a couple hours.
Now the next task is to
see if I can get that 250 ft-lb Yoke bolt loose - argh. Oh well, the joy of Willy has it's
price, at least we're on the road again. regards and happy trails to all :) Phil
Christensen
Date: Fri Sep 7, 2001 3:26 pm
Subject: RE: [WT] (was) T90 Woes...Brake problems...(now)on the
road :) Hmm, when John sent me the wrong clutch bellcrank he sent me a new one express and
told me to send him the old one whenever I felt like it and he credited the postage to my
next purchase. I called him on the phone and he was very nice and helpful. I hope you get
it resolved! Regards, Josiah
Subject: Re: [WT] (was) T90 Woes...Brake problems...(now)on the
road :)
Phil, if you do happen to find a
rusty or scored shaft , there is a repair sleeve called a "Speedy Sleeve" which
is a thin sleeve designed to fit over the existing shaft that will accommodate the new
seal. It's a good and easy fix if a shaft is scored where the seal rides. It's not readily
available at auto parts stores but any good industrial bearing supply store will know what
you are talking about and can tell you how to prep the shaft for them. Just take the old
seal or get a good shaft dia. measurement for them to match. I used one on both my pinion
shafts. I brightened the shaft with emery cloth, installed the speedy sleeve, replaced the
seal and refilled with a 50-50 mix of regular and synthetic gear lube and have not had a
single leak (knock wood). It's a cheap and easy try before going into the differential,
transmission or transfer case. Sam Akins
Subject: Re: [WT] (was) T90 Woes...Brake
problems...(now)on the road :)
Phil, I've been giving this one some thought while I
let others weigh in with their opinions and ideas.
Let's take this thing one step at a time.
1. I've never had a single lipped seal work properly
on the outputs of the T-case. Some folks have had success but after about 5 leaking cases
I gave up on them. That is why I now install double-lipped seals in mine (National Federal
Mogul oil seal Part # 473229). These should be available though a local bearing company.
2. Even if you use the double seal you should check
the outside diameter of the yokes to see if there are any nicks, grooves, cuts, rust, or
pits that would damage the seal. If there are, they will need to be carefully removed and
the shaft polished until it shines like a mirror. You can install a Speedi Sleeve but I
have found them to be pricey, and the way I see it, if the shaft is bad, Krage owes you a
new yoke.
3. Before installing the new seals I would slip the
yokes on and run the t-case to see if you have any wobble on the shaft of the yoke. If it
was incorrectly machined it could be out of round. If it is out of round it will need to
be replaced.
4. Make sure to seal the outside edge of the seal
when you install it. I have seen some that didn't leak on the shaft but leaked from the
outside edge of the seal.
Let me know how things
work out with Krage. I've been sending folks to them and if they don't provide quality
parts and service I need to know. Rick Stivers
Thanks Rick and Sam,
You guys are really giving me some great tips and I'm
madly scribbling these notes down so I'll remember them all when I crawl back underneath.
Rick you have a point, with everything all installed,
I can't tell if the seal is leaking from the shaft or perhaps the outside. I'm going to
look real close at my drips before yanking it out to make sure I understand the source.
Since this was one of the few parts I didn't rip apart
and put back together (I basically just slapped her in) I wasn't entirely clear on how the
seal/shaft/yoke arrangement is put together. Now that I look closely at the exploded
diagram I see the seal actually rides on the yoke and not the shaft as I previously
thought. Obviously I would have quickly realized this once I got everything apart, but
it's nice to know what I'm looking for.
You also have a point about using double-lipped seals.
If there is one that fits it does sound like a better insurance policy to me. I did find a
local bearing store that has a couple of the ones you mentioned. For $7 each it's worth
it.
>jmarks...also was the right diameter shaft used
for your case?>
I would have no way of knowing until I look at it, but
I would hope so since the whole thing was bought as a single unit. Are you talking about
the output shaft diameter or the yoke sealing surface diameter? Both?
The real PITA part is
draining all that nice virgin oil for the bjillionth time. Including my previous attempts
at trying to recover the old water-contaminated T90/D18 this will make the fourth time
I've drained and filled these cases. I should buy stock in Valvoline. I'm sure glad I
haven't been using synthetic (wallet-wise). I'll let everyone know how this chapter comes
out. Thanks again. Phil Christensen
Phil, One last thing,
before installing the seal, trial fit it on the yoke to make sure it fits snug. If it fits
too loose it will still leak. Rick Stivers
Date: Sat Sep 8, 2001 9:19 am
Subject: Re: [WT] (was) T90 Woes...Brake
problems...(now)on the road :)
Phil, One more thing,
Make sure to seal the inside of the yoke. I use RTV for that job. If you don't seal the
yoke inside, the oil will leak past the splines and out around the washer and nut. I think
I cover most of this in the rebuild guide. Have a great week end. Rick Stivers
Rick, thanks for getting back to me. It looks
like the front brass blocking ring is not or is tight on the main drive gear. I called
John Krage and he told me it is always tight when installed but the last thing you do
before you put on the shifter is to make sure that these brass rings are free.??? How do
you free them with out breaking them?? Reading the emails you sent me it looks like maybe
I just need to install it and it will free up? What do you think? Nothing looks broken.
Thanks Jim Crandall
Jim,
Here are the e-mails that were sent in over the last month. All of the problems are with
Phil's T-90 and Model 18. Some of the problems were caused by him, but most of them were
not. Remember that a freshly rebuilt T-90 will be almost impossible to turn by hand. That
is because the front felt seal is crushed against the main gear. This will loosen up after
the first few hundred miles. Rick Stivers
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001
1:01:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Jim, Let's take this
one step at a time.
that you are in neutral
wrap a rag around the main gear shaft and clamp a pair of vice grips over the rag. With the vice grips you should be able to rotate
the gear.
In neutral, only the
main gear and cluster gear should rotate. In
a really tight case the main shaft may turn also but you should be able the hold it in
place with your
hand while you rotate
the gear. If it rotates and you don't hear
any grinding then it is probably ok. If not
you will need to remove the mainshaft and inspect the
blocking rings to make
sure they are lined up properly. To do that
follow these steps from the rebuild guide:
“2m. Slide the
clutch sleeve forward on the mainshaft. You will want it to slide as far forward as it
will go without popping off the synchronizer springs.
adapter from being
removed. If this is the case on your T-90 you will need to remove the locking plate as
described in step 2o - 2q prior to removing the mainshaft.
This may prove to be
difficult due to the limited space for accessing the reverse idler gear shaft with the
mainshaft installed. In this case brute force applied to the
locking plate may be
required.)
Most likely when you do
this the pilot bearings will fall out of the maingear.
If you stand the tranny on its nose first you might not have this happen. If
they do fall out
you can use a 3/4"
piece of dowel rod in the middle to reinstall them. The
three notches in the blocking rings should mate to the three synchronizer blocking rings.
Make sure that both
blocking rings are mated to the plate and reinstall the mainshaft. Now check for a free spinning shaft.
Next you will want to
shift the tranny through all 4 gears.
1st will come with the
clutch sleeve in the center position and the 1st/Reverse gear slid to the forward
position.
2nd is with the clutch
sleeve slid to the rear and the 1st/Reverse gear slid to the middle position.
3rd is with the clutch
sleeve slid to the forward position and the 1st/Reverse gear slid to the middle position.
Reverse is with the
clutch sleeve in the middle position and 1st/Reverse gear slid to the rear position.
Remember that having
the tranny in two gears at the same time will cause it to lock up solid, so you must have
them in the right positions.
I wouldn't worry too
much about the tranny until you've checked the above.
For the T-90 to be stable it must be bolted to the t-case. Until it is, it is too easy for the
rear bearing to slid
back and bind everything up.
Rick, thanks for all the
help. If I slid the clutch sleeve to the middle and the sliding gear in the middle , 1 do
you mean in the middle of the 2 bottom gears or do you mean meshing with the bottom middle
gear? If you meant between the 2 bottom gears the whole shaft will rotate. But the main
shaft will not rotate freely from the cluster , even with vise grips.? The brass blocking
ring (front seems to be so tight to the main gear that the clutch sleeve can't slide all
the way forward because they are not in alignment with each other. Sorry for all the
questions. Jim
Rick, just realized
something else. The new case is different than my old one. There are no mount holes for my
clutch and brake peddle shaft. I may be able to make a bracket for the shaft though and
still use the new one. My old case is all cleaned so I would just have to remove all from
the new one and install in the old. The new case has no provision for the main shaft oil
collector nor any holes for the screws. I'm printing out your guide in case I decide to
swap parts. This all depends on what you say about the brass ring being so tight on the
mainshaft. JIM
Thanks Rick, I've decided
to swap the cases. It does look easy. I bought the dowel and conduit tonight. I'll keep
you updated. Thanks for the help. Jim
Rick, I swapped all the
guts from the new T-90 into my old case. I followed your instructions and had no problems.
The blocking ring was jammed on the main shaft. I popped it off and greased it up and
worked it in by hand. It now shifts into all gears now. Now if my transfer case would show
up. Krage is VERY slow on delivery. Thanks again and I will keep in touch. Jim
Jim, I'm glad
everything went well. Did you carefully inspect all of the parts? What did you think of
the quality besides the jammed blocking ring? Rick
Hey Rick,
Good news and bad
news. The good news is I finally got the transfercase yesterday. The bad news is that it
was broken when I opened the box. The part where the two shifters hook on was completely
broken off. The box looks like it took a hit or two. Very poor packing. Also the inside is
covered with surface rust like it has been setting out in a damp area for some time. All
the working parts looked ok but disappointing all the same. I called Karge and he said he
would send me the parts to fix it ASAP. We'll see what ASAP means. I may as well take
apart my old case and clean it up and use it like I did with the trans. The only good
thing is I am learning to rebuild these things and to beware of low prices. Thanks JC
Rick, feel free to use my name and email address. If someone wants to talk about it I am
willing to do so. It has been 4 days and no replacement parts. He said he would express
them. I might clean up my old case and use it like I had to do with the transmission. Jim crandall@Radix.Net
By all means, you certainly have my permission. After
reading through that page, I'm really struck and want to commend you on a great
idea. It seems Jim and I are both sharing similar fates, but I agree that we are
both going to come out the other side much more knowledgeable about our drivetrain,
even if we hadn't planned on it.
You may want to make a short summary of the things to watch out for. Among my
problems I wrote about two other "watch our fors..." come to mind.
1) My transfer case has different speedometer gearing than my original. I never even
thought about this and it would have been easy to compare new and old before I
installed the new one. As it is, I guess I should be happy, for my CJ3B can now
actually go over 80 MPH without an overdrive, LOL. Something tells me the donor
vehicle did not have 5.38 gears.
2) One of my original leaks on the old unit was a worn front seal. I'm sad to know that my
brand new one will also not last very long and I'll be right back inside fixing this at
some point. You see the input shaft was in fact nice and new, but the surface finish was
straight off the lathe. I could plainly see the tooling marks leaving pretty significant
ridges along the entire length rather than a nice smooth polished surface for the rubber
seal to ride on. I'm sure that rough texture will quickly wear that rubber to a frazzle
and I'll start leaking again soon. I should have ripped that shaft out and taken it to a
machine shop and had it polished to a mirror sheen like I hear the guys a mile-hi do to
all their rebuilds, but I just didn't have the time. I plan to do so when I rebuild my
engine in a few months.
3) I can understand how the front seal can make the T90 stiff when new as your page
mentions, but in my case this was not the reason. My T90 was also completely impossible to
turn as soon as I bolted on the rear bearing, spacer and gear. I even removed the seal
completely and gave it a test and it still was impossibly stiff to turn and shifting into
2 or 3 was out of the question. I now write this off to those new ridges machined into the
inside surface of the brand new synchronizer rings. The tolerances were so tight those
rings just gripped onto the shaft completely despite all the assembly lube. After a few
drives they did work themselves in and it now shifts ok. It still doesn't quite feel right
as I can feel two distinct detents as I shift from neutral into second (and third). The
first I assume is the ring engaging the brass synchro and the second is engaging the
actual gear itself. The amount of shifter travel between detent #1 and the final resting
position of the shifter makes me feel like this T90 will ultimately have problems popping
out of gear. I also notice a huge difference in the amount of throw between 1-R and 2-3.
In reverse my shifter almost touches the CB mounted under my dash, but in second it
doesn't even come close. In first my shifter seems like it's not going to stop until I
touch the floorpan, while 3rd it barely moves a few inches. Whether this is normal, I
don't know. I never noticed this on my old T90.
If I had it all to do over again, I either would have gone to Mile-hi and paid the extra.
I'm very impressed with the care they take and extra little things I've read that they do
to get the job done right the first time. Or I would have completely forgot about bringing
Willy out for my Moab trip and just taken my time to rebuild it myself ordering all the
parts and taking the time to do it right. As it is, I'm treating my drivetrain as if it's
disposable and won't last long anyway, so I'm going to run her till she won't take anymore
and then redo the old ones the right way after I get my money out of the "new".
I do take the learning experience well. All along the way you and everyone else kept me as
informed and never once led me astray. I went in with my eyes open and have my own
priorities (cheaper/faster) to blame. I've always said it's cheaper to do a job the right
way with quality parts and patience the first time, but somehow I found a way to ignore my
own advice.
Those additional points are a bit wordy for a summary list, feel free to trim them down as
you see fit if you want to use them as well. Phil
pacvis@pacbell.net
One other point after reviewing your page once again. I'm
afraid the transfer cases JC and Jim got follow the exact same theme as my own. The rusty
and overall poor condition and extremely long delivery really makes me wonder about his
source. Somewhere in the deep humid south must be a warehouse of rotten transfer cases. At
least the T90 was obviously fresh, even if it did have a poor rebuild. I have nothing
whatsoever against John Krage. He strikes me as a pretty nice guy and means well, but he
should scrap that pile of transfer cases completely. They're nothing but headaches for
everyone involved. Phil