tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233146192012-01-30T15:26:11.049-07:00This is all about what goes on in my garage. Some would call it nerdy. Don't care. It's what I do for fun.Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.comBlogger271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-61435369337471751782010-04-21T11:22:00.004-06:002010-04-21T11:31:22.599-06:00

When my wife gets antsy I tell her to put on her patience pants. She says she doesn't own any, and for that matter has never heard of such a thing. Personally, I feel my closet is full of them. But who am I to judge fashion. Anyway...To all the dozens (well, maybe the 8 of you) that are interested in the final posts for the transmission rebuild, please be patient. I'm trying trying trying to

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-35210259822807948292010-01-14T16:12:00.008-07:002010-01-14T16:33:38.175-07:00

So I was at the Ford dealer today to pick up a couple of crush rings for a 7.3 Powerstroke I'm working on and I came across this:What ever kind of service would necessitate the removal of the cab? I'm not wanting to start the Ford/Dodge/Chevy war, but really? As far as I could tell the engine wasn't being replaced. The tech was working on something on the passenger's side. Looked like he had

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-33162406572073413552009-12-01T16:40:00.008-07:002009-12-05T10:29:52.007-07:00

This is a pretty easy step. Its straight forward and not too complicated.The first thing to do is press in a new bushing into the pump body. I used a wood block to push it in flush with the pump body. Easy does it...of course. There is a special tool for this, for getting the depth just right, but I just centered the bushing between the inner and outer edges of the bore. It worked just

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-89626921432154860632009-10-20T16:03:00.010-06:002009-12-01T16:39:15.288-07:00

Long time. I know. I now have a little daughter, aged 11 weeks. She's sleeping. And I finally have a little time to finish this write-up.I opted for a heavier duty front band. It has Kevlar lining and it's also wider by a good bit...more holding power coupled with the higher ratio servo lever I installed along with a better servo.Here they are side-by-side.You can see that the original front

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-67855548227182720312008-08-25T19:17:00.001-06:002008-10-05T11:21:20.065-06:00

Ok. It's been 2 months moving on to 3 months since I posted here. I did this transmission build months ago! It's time to get this write-up finished!First off. There's a fiber thrust washer that goes between the rear and forward clutches. The spec on this washer is .061-.063". I replaced mine since it came with the kit. The old one is the white one on the left. The new one was black.Now

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-90807790163373934752008-06-11T17:38:00.015-06:002008-08-25T18:08:59.843-06:00

I'll set the rear clutch aside, and start working on the front clutch. The front clutch engages when the main case is in direct (which translates to 3rd and 4th gears) and in reverse. This is what was toasted in my transmission prompting this rebuild. My symptoms were that the transmission wouldn't shift into 3rd and was slow to engage reverse. The problem was the seal on the clutch piston.

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-34268528604630906232008-05-14T19:24:00.012-06:002008-05-17T12:13:47.282-06:00

Ok, now I'm ready to get into the clutch portions of the main transmission. I'll start with the rear clutch. The rear clutch is engaged almost all the time. It's only disengaged when in reverse!Here's the original clutch pack. It had 4 frictions and three steels. There was some wear, but not horrible.I upgraded to a pack with 5 frictions and 4 steels. The fifth "steel" is a thinner reaction

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-6410052531943499942008-05-05T15:00:00.003-06:002008-05-05T15:10:43.670-06:00

So last summer I was on my bike on my long long commute (less then a mile) to work. Pedaling down the street I notice a car with a funny roof-top attachment. Then I see that the car says, quite inconspicuously I may say, "Google". It was in almost too-tiny-to-decipher letters on the door.No doubt it was a car-mounted camera gathering data for the "Street View" that you can get by looking up

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-44901986479778151482008-04-19T14:47:00.002-06:002008-05-17T12:15:42.563-06:00

Now I'm ready, and aching (!) to get to the gear train of the main case. Start with the two planetary assemblies at the rear of the transmission.First, get the driving shell and sun gear (you can see the sun gear at the left rear). I did install some new bushings into each side of the sun gear, but I don't have photos of that process. It was fairly painless. They went in easily with my press

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-43436557180472792142008-04-18T16:30:00.012-06:002008-05-17T12:16:47.810-06:00

Now I'm ready to install the front piston and lever. The band gets installed with the front clutches.I decided to upgrade this piston to a "no leak" item. The new piston has double seals as well as a rubber seal and bushing on the rod guide. It's all billet material as well. The old one just had a bushing. On the left is the original part. On the right is the upgraded piston. You can see

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-67224621211250424652008-04-01T17:43:00.010-06:002008-05-17T12:17:19.371-06:00

Now I'm ready to install the drum that the rear band goes around and grabs, the rear band, and its associated linkage that's engaged by the rear servo piston.First, I'll start by taking a look at the rear band. The old one's on the left. The new one on the right. Not much difference really aside from number of grooves. This band is a rigid style.Here's the rear band and it's lower linkage.And

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-57830458850656012142008-03-28T17:36:00.012-06:002008-03-29T12:28:21.926-06:00

Now the first thing I'm going to actually do in the main case is to install the reverse/low servo piston. It's the servo at the rear of the case. I decided to upgrade this piston. The OEM piston is quite thin, and, apparently, can have a tendency to twist in its bore. The new piston is thicker with more contact surface in the case bore. The OEM piston is on the left. The upgraded piston is

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-66059091164434516922008-03-21T18:16:00.013-06:002008-03-25T21:00:58.861-06:00

Now that the overdrive unit is done, I can move on to the main case. Finally! (I've been at this rebuild for a month now. Time to get it back in the truck!)I start with the overdrive piston retainer. While conceptually part of the overdrive unit, the overdrive piston and retainer reside on the back of the main transmission case.I decided to upgrade the overdrive piston retainer is well. The

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-57561763762628235802008-03-20T17:29:00.011-06:002008-03-25T20:57:33.501-06:00

Now that I've got the overdrive unit assembled, I'm ready to take the final measurements in order to determine what size sims I'm suppose to use.I ended up buying two more tools for this. I could have "faked it" with one of the measurements, but I didn't have the right tools (specifically a lathe) to make the tool for the second measurement. So I popped for a 2-tool set from

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-61905568588970535022008-03-19T20:55:00.002-06:002008-03-19T21:00:25.385-06:00

I met with some difficulty with this step. It all turned out fine in the end, but, MAN, was I ever pullin' my hair out!As always, soak the friction components in some fresh ATF. At least 30 minutes is recommended.First off, I decided to upgrade this clutch pack. Everyone seems a little shy about pulling loads in O/D. So I figured it would be a good idea to have as much ooomph here as

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-65091793623849342262008-03-14T18:14:00.018-06:002008-03-14T22:19:20.578-06:00

Now that I've got the overdrive case ready, I can install the output shaft assembly into it. First I need to install the governor on the rear of the output shaft.Start by inserting the governor drive key into its slot in the output shaft. It's a half-moon shaped key. This is just rearward (or up) from the front output shaft bearing.Now slide the governor, seal-side facing rearward (or up in

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-27683520752244062892008-03-13T14:49:00.012-06:002008-03-13T16:44:35.743-06:00

Now that I've got the overdrive planetary and clutch train assembled I'm ready to turn my attention to the overdrive case. There's a few items that need installed in it as well.I cleaned the case with solvent just as I cleaned everything else. (Read my earlier post Cleaning Up for more info.)Press out the rear bushing that the drive shaft rides in. You can see that it was deteriorating pretty

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-85551617933373631552008-03-12T08:24:00.012-06:002008-03-12T09:22:51.870-06:00

Now that I've got the planetary gear assembled I'll move on to the overdrive direct clutch. The overdrive direct clutch is engaged in all gears (1, 2, 3, & R) except when the unit is actually in overdrive. This is the piece that has the "monster" spring in it. That spring supplies the holding force to keep the clutches from slipping.I decided to do a couple of upgrades on these parts. First, I

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-31774532166103732642008-03-11T08:29:00.031-06:002008-03-11T10:36:14.232-06:00

Now that I've got the governor assembled I'll turn my attention to the output shaft and work from the rear of the unit towards the front.I start by putting some assembly lube on the pilot bushing (the small one) and the clutch hub bushing (the large one). I didn't install new bushings as my kit didn't come with these, and these looked just fine. These are in the forward end of the output

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-59904677967083650712008-03-05T18:27:00.010-07:002008-03-11T10:35:17.528-06:00

I've started with governor for no particular reason. It's the farthest-to-rear sub-assembly. So it seemed like the most logical place to begin.Here's the governor cleaned and disassembled.First I assembled the weights. These move the valve back and forth depending on output shaft speed and controls pressure to the valve body so that you get shifts at the right spot. The diesel version of the 46rh

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-28779337097286354282008-03-05T17:59:00.011-07:002008-03-11T10:35:55.001-06:00

The new parts have arrived! And it's a couple of big boxes-worth. I ordered the majority of the parts from Performance Automotive and Transmission Center in Bossier City, LA. They seemed to have everything I was looking for and a mostly-decent price.I ordered one special tool I couldn't locate anywhere else from Transmission Parts USA out of Fort Myers, FL.I ordered 20 quarts of universal ATF

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-90349116478451198292008-02-23T14:14:00.009-07:002008-03-11T10:36:28.572-06:00

This is going to be a short one.I had some advice from someone that basically went, "Go and buy and case of spray solvent, like brake cleaner. You'll use it." Well I didn't buy a case. But I bought six cans. I happened to use Brakleen brand. It turned out to be the cheapest. It's what I use all the time anyway, and it does a good job. It's a highly volitol solvent that washed away all the grime

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-45839226392464496122008-02-17T18:16:00.024-07:002008-03-11T10:37:03.757-06:00

Although I already tore down the transmission a few weeks ago, I thought I'd put a post in here about that. First things first...I ordered an FSM (Factory Service Manual) before I started on this. It was recommended to me as probably the best step-by-step for the 46rh tear down and rebuild. When it arrived, I WAS impressed. It's about 4" tall and some 1600 page. It covers the Cummins engine as

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-5810394980881515212008-02-16T10:45:00.012-07:002008-03-11T10:37:19.151-06:00

I've been doing some shopping for transmission parts. I think I've finally decided on the package of upgrades I can afford (I of course want MORE). But I've run into some confusion regarding the bands. There's 2 in my transmission (and most transmissions). You can choose between rigid and flexable, and there's different friction materials as well. You can get OE quality. I have no idea what

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-39616285661062001312008-02-08T11:50:00.003-07:002008-03-11T10:37:37.510-06:00

A year has gone by. So I suppose it's time for a new post on my "blog". Of course the quotes are supplied for the simple reason that a blog by the most meakest definition should contain an update once in a while. This one hasn't. But I aim to change that.For the latest Nerdy Thing I Do I'm going to chronical the rebuilding of the Chrysler "slushmatic" 46rh transmission from my 1992 Dodge D250

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-1142563637148704372007-01-07T13:15:00.003-07:002008-03-11T10:37:59.376-06:00

For the very first Nerdy Thing I Do (NTID), I'll introduce you to the quiet(er) muffler I fabbed up for my portable generator.I purchased the generator from my local Home Depot for use with my 5th wheel trailer. The soon-to-be-wife and I go camping a fair amount around Moab, UT, and it gets hot hot hot there in the spring and early fall. So having the A/C available while in the middle of the

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com75tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23314619.post-1141343316386134112006-03-02T16:33:00.002-07:002008-03-11T10:38:13.085-06:00

This is it. I've ascended into the rank of the Bloggers. Never thought I would.But then this morning I got to thinking about it. Well, really I started thinking about it a few months back. You see, my girlfriend/fiance'/soon-to-be-wife continually gives me a hard time about some of my hobbies. She calls me a nerd. I don't feel picked on. And she thinks it's funny.Most of the things I like doing

Joel Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144798556040870822noreply@blogger.com1