So, my noble 95 ZJ 5.2L is at about 228k on the odometer.About four years ago, I lost the overdrive. I had intentions of getting itfixed, but I was overseas for about half of that time and when I was home; theJeep just kept chugging along.

Now that I have had some time home, I have been bringingher back up to par. In the last couple months I have:

Completely rebuilt the rear axle after the inner pinionbearing turned into a handful of shrapnel.

Installed a whole new brake system up front after havinga caliper lock up on a trip to the mountains.

Filled in the dreaded brake pad grooves on the steeringknuckles with the welder.

Replaced my rear main seal (for the first time in 6 yearsI have ZERO oil drips.)

Replaced the muffler and tailpipe that have been rattlingloose for way too long.

Chased some electrical bugs and did some soldering so Inow have intermittent wipers again.

Then I did a fluid and filter change on the tranny andfound more shrapnel – a handful of friction material with some pieces almostthe size of a stick of gum in the pan. I also have a leak between the trannyand t-case that has been steadily growing and is quite serious now.

One tranny guy said the chips I found are most certainlyfrom the torque converter because nothing that big would come out of theinternal tranny clutch packs. Total estimate was about $3k.

Between the fact that I am committed to keeping my baby,but also not willing/able to drop that kind of cash, have looked at theoptions.

I’d like to avoid an unknown junkyard tranny because I amanticipating keeping my ZJ for the long haul. I’d like to do it right once andprobably not have to think about the tranny for a long, long time again.

I am looking at doing a complete rebuild myself. Lookingat several rebuild kits with the full array of frictions and steels plus allthe seals, bushings, o-rings and band. I am planning on installing a Transgo TFOD-HD2 shift kit while I am in there and replacingthe torque converter.

I do not really have any experiencewith the guts of the transmission, but I am fairly smart, meticulous, have apretty decent shop setup, FSM and a knack for learning on the fly and makingthings work. I figure worst-case scenario if I somehow completely F it up, Ican go the junkyard route and save up to have someone else do the rebuild withthe supplies I get.

Are there any people here whohave done this or any transmission gurus who can tell me what else I shouldconsider replacing on a 518/46RH while I am in there?

Sensors?

Connectors?

And any advice on a torqueconverter? I am seeing multiple spline counts what is the spline count on a ZJ?Low-stall 1800-2000RPM sound about right?
Any other general advice? Amy I crazy for trying this myself?
Thank you for any info!
Jon

 

I took one apart that was totally shot ( just to see how bad it would be ) and if you have a long table just lay the pieces out as you take it apart ..( small parts like to go visiting and are never seen again LOL)


That said I think I will leave it to the pro's so I ended up finding some one to rebuild mine ( 1800 bucks ) so shop around even if you check sure rounding area's

BUT if you buy a manual and have patient and want to have the knowledge of transmission then go for it .

I have. No patience lol

 

You may have just sold me. I have been thinking of getting a couple 4' x 8' sheets of hardboard. One for clean, old components laid out as they come out of the case and the other to lay new components out in the same order. I think that will be the way to go, plus if I need to, I can even make notes right by the parts with a sharpie.

I am committed at this point. All the goodies have been bought, along with a parts washer. I'll be taking pics as I go so if this goes well, I will share once I am done.

 

I wish ya the best and will be watching for updates

 

After watching my brother rebuild a GM THM 350 and then having him watch me do the same thing, I jumped into a THM 700R4 by myself. This is a 3 speed with O/D and lockup just like the jeeps. I bought a Haynes Tech Manual for it and didn't have too many problems, none that I couldn't handle. The big thing is making sure the clutch packs have the proper compressed spacing to allow them to release fully without dragging or engaging harshly. Also inspect the sprag clutches for one way locking and signs of wear. The BIG thing is make sure you don't install the sprags BACKWARDS. The clutch packs have flat and wave washers in them. make sure they are assembled in exactly the order in which they came out. You may have to get creative making tools to hold the clutch packs together while you install or remove the snap rings. Be very careful with the piston seals because they damage easily. Match the new ones to the old ones. You'll probably have some left over when you're finished, don't stress about it.

That's about all I've got. It took me 3 weeks, working at my job 50 hours a week and coming home to work on my transmission. I had to put up with my wife nagging me about using her van to get to work.

Also, I doubt that piece came from the torque converter, there isn't any way for a piece that large to pass thru the cooler and back into the tranny. I would suspect a piece of band friction material.

When we rebuilt the 350's for drag racing, all we did was reverse the springs in the accumulators. Those things would knock mud out from under the fenders when they shifted.

 

After taking the torque converter off today, I am thinking you are right, even if it didn't have to pass the cooler. I guess I will find out when I open it up. On the upside, there were no new hunks in the pan in the past few weeks I have been driving it.

I set up my GoPro in the garage just for fun and got a couple of cool timelapse videos of dropping the T-case yesterday and the Tranny today.

 

One thing I can't say too many times. When you go to install it, put the torque converter on the TRANNY before you attach it to the motor. The input shaft can be easily damaged by trying to impale the converter while it's on the motor. Also, make sure it's engaged with the pump before you tighten up the bellhousing bolts. There should be clearance between the flex plate and the converter after the engine is bolted up so the converter will spin. THIS IS IMPORTANT, otherwise you could damage the pump.

 

Thanks for the info Dave. Good stuff that I will keep in mind as I progress.

I also just noticed that you are in Manlius. Last year I was stationed up in Syracuse and lived in Camillus! Apparently they are still talking about me driving my ZJ out on Onieda lake to fish last winter.

The last of my parts came in last night so I will be cracking the case tonight and getting the rebuild portion of the job started.

 

I'll tell you something Raz. I'm a blue water sailor and love being at sea. Onieda Lake scares me because it's big, shallow and unpredictable when the weather gets nasty. You can never be sure of how solid the ice is because of it's varying depths and rock shoals. The center of the lake is 60' deep in the channel but can be only 5' deep near the south shore. In the summer, storms can come up rapidly and the wave action is amazing and deadly to the uninitiated. The lake is 8 miles wide and 35 miles long with the State Barge Canal cut thru the center. Just south of the cut, the water is only 6' deep with grass that is loaded with walleyed pike, but the channel hardly ever freezes over solidly. I can understand why the locals thought you were crazy to take your jeep out on the ice.

Having said all that, I was out on the ice once with my buddy in a TJ, but when the ice started groaning and cracking, we turned around and went back. Every year, we seem to lose snowmobiles and people out there.

 

Whatcha riding on the blue water?

I grew up on a lake in Wisconsin not too different than Onieda, just shallower. 215 square miles and 21 feet max depth. Pressure ridges swallow cars and a father and son in a Jeep just died there recently. Still, driving on the lake is just what we do whole roads plowed all over the lake, but we get a lot more ice than CNY usually does, last year was very good ice in NY.

What got me out there the first time was that I dragged my big shack out about two thirds of a mile by hand, took 20 minutes going out. When was coming in after dark, the slush was freezing to the sled. An hour of dragging and busting off ice, completely spent and I was still only halfway back to the ramp. I drilled a test hole and had 16" so decided screw it. ZJ went right up and over the plow berm at the top of the ramp. After that success, I just took it out on my same tracks fishing about three times.

Anyway, got the whole unit cleaned up last night and got a few pieces off as well as getting the OD unit separated. We'll see where today gets me.

 

I'm going to send you a PM to keep this off-topic discussion off the thread.

 

Fair enough Dave, on topic is a good thing.

So here is where I am at now:

Got everything cleaned up and the main case completely broken down. Haven't broken down any of the inner assemblies or the OD unit yet, but I am going to take these in bite-sized chunks.