Banshee365

1: Trans Parts Unlimited in Ellenwood, GA.

2.) Yes, a telescoping gage. Bore dial indicators and more preferable tools are a bit pricey for the amount I would use them. I used the technique you described rather than letting the probes smash into the bushing. If I were doing this more I would invest in a better measuring tool for this.

3.) If the other cases don't look better I'll probably just pick the best one and go with that. The bushing would be difficult to replace because it's essentially driven into a blind hole. The very rear of the case, behind the bushing, is a bit smaller ID than the bushing. It would need to be pulled with a blind hole slide hammer or puller or something. Pressing a new one in would be cake. Trans shops I've called were all about replacing the pump bushing that Toyota says isn't replaceable but they all said the case bushing isn't a catalog part at least, not even in the aftermarket.

4.) Some ***clown used red RTV to install the pan before I got the car. The proper amount of FIPG is one thing but this crap was really goobered on there.

5.) Hahahaha! True. I've got those DVOM's all over the place for things like simple battery voltage checks because you get them free with a coupon. Hard price to beat. Accurate they are NOT! I'm a tool junkie and aficionado and I'll try certain things from harbor freight but not chrome tools like ratchets, sockets, extensions, and u-joints. But I've tried their torque wrenches against my pro brands and they're damn accurate, but you have to calibrate them fairly often. I've compared their micrometers and dial indicators against Mitutoyo and Starrett and generally are within a few tenths. I can spend much more time spouting everything not to buy there but there are a few hidden gems. What has your experieince been with HF? I get on the Snap-On truck at aircraft maintenance facilities and always end up walking off with some of their overpriced chrome gold. I think SK is a much better bargain but there are some things that no one does better than the mighty Snap-On.

6.) Ain't that the truth. They have another slapped together half overhauled unit sitting on the shelf ready for the next warranty claim.

python

iTrader: (4)

unbelievable write up/post!

Banshee365

This morning I finished the valve body, replaced the seals in the overdrive brake piston/center support and started on the direct clutch drum (3rd gear.) I've got another casualty. I'm starting to wonder if these parts are worth rebuilding rather than just using one of the other units. The direct clutch, or 3rd gear, drum's bushing is 2-3 thousandths out of limits. There is some visual wear. At this point I'm just going to tear the other two down so I have 3 sets of parts to pick the best of. If I can use factory installed OE bushings that are in limits I would much rather do that than drive aftermarket bushings in all over the place.

Bonded gasket for the lower valve body cover that houses 2 strainers and connects two the two shift solenoids.
Gasket boiled and scraped off with two news gaskets on each side.
Separator plate, new gaskets, and the two strainers installed. The cover goes over this and the solenoids plug into that. I didn't take a photo of that for some reason, but I can.
Overdrive piston disassembled, cleaned, and ready for the new o-rings. You use 2 of these 4. They are 4 different sizes for different types of units.
New seals, piston, return spring, and snap ring installed. This snap ring is installed by hand and it's a PITA.
2 scarf cut sealing rings that seal in the direct clutch drum allowing pressure to transfer into the overdrive support pushing the piston to close the overdrive clutch pack. These rings ride in the bore of the last photo in this set. It's not a simple matter to supply pressure to rotating components inside of rotating components sometimes surrounded by rotating components.
My redneck doohickey return spring depresser tool deal'e'o. It works.

This bushing is a couple thousandths out of limits. You can see some slight scoring but you can't really feel it. I'll try one from one of the others units.

nthach

I'm surprised you're not using a TransTec kit - seeing how it's a brand of NOK-Freudenberg and that NOK made the OEM seals for our cars(and virtually all the automakers). When I did a power steering pump reseal, I used the OEM Toyota kit - and it did come with an NOK seal and a tip sheet.

I'll take your word on Precision kits though. I saw the race sticker on the Raybestos friction - high energy friction to hold up to power better?

dicer

Some of the stuff at HF is better than it used to be. Even the electric drill motor seems to hold up better than my old BD one I got years ago. Your wrench bridge similar to how I have done it. I've used blocks and a vise too. Also drill press can be used for some things like that using a block to keep it in pressed condition. Or a nice HF press.

Question are the piston seals lip type seals or square?

Banshee365

The piston seals are rubber o-rings. I'll take a photo of one for the next addition to the thread. I'm installing the low/reverse clutch pack in the back of the trans now. As with my previous A340E build I need a thicker pressure plate for the forward clutch. I'm going to somewhat assemble all of the clutch packs to see where the clearances are and put an order in. There are 3 of the pressure plates I need for the forward clutch left in the US. Maybe they will make more, maybe they won't.

Banshee365

This bag includes the plastic washers/spacers that need to be replaced in the overhaul. The originals get brown and very brittle.
Here is the direct clutch, or 3rd gear, sitting in the overdrive piston. The 4 holes between the bolts are for pressure control to different pistons to engage certain clutches. You need to have it like this to pop the piston out with air pressure in the direct clutch port. To the left is the actual piston and return spring.
Direct clutch clutches soaking for at least 15 min in new Type IV ATF.
Let them drip for a couple of minutes but don't let them drip dry.
With the clutch pack and snap ring installed it's time to check the clearance on the clutch. This is crucial although most shops use a rule of thumb and sometimes even eyeball it.
The spec is .015-.027". The dial indicator plunger is placed on the pressure plate. Inject 30 psi of air into the control port with an air nozzle.
Here you see the clutch engaged with a clearance of about 0.24". This drum is good to go.
I can't pass the threaded rod through this forward drum to depress the piston return spring to remove the snap ring so I have to use a couple sockets as spacers, the PVC coupler and two bar clamps to depress the spring. Works fine, just don't get your eyeballs really close to it all.
Shot inside the PVC coupler with the return spring depressed.
The forward drum is cleaned with new o-rings on the piston and the steels and frictions are ready to drop in.

Banshee365

Here are the forward friction plates dripping before install.
This is looking into the case from the front. The 1st/rev piston is installed with new o-rings. This is probably the biggest PITA of the whole overhaul when not having the proper press. I pet it's a PITA with the press too. The return spring has to be compressed then you're down into your elbows trying to get the snap ring back in the groove. You have to walk away from it a few times.
This is your output shaft. The very front engages into the front planetary which splines in with the forward clutch and the rear has the driveshaft flange bolted on to it. You can see that it rides in a few bushings along the way and has fluid channels through it.
This is the rear planetary and one-way clutch. The sprag element is a dog-bone type. It rotates freely one way and locks tight the other. You must install this correctly as it can be installed either way. I don't want to know what would happen if it were installed backwards but it wouldn't be good.
This is the actual sprag element. You can see the dog-bone shaped pieces that give it it's name.
Here is the sprag and planetary cleaned, lubed, and reassembled ready for install.
The planetary, sprag, and ring gear are best installed on the output shaft at this point before moving forward.
This is 1st/rev gear. The steels spline into the case and the frictions spline on to the planetary. The large notches at the very back are what your parking pawl engages on when you select park on your shifter. The thick plate to the left of the pack set's the clearance you'll see in a later image. This is available in different sizes from Toyota. If there are any available in the size you need left, expect to pay $60+ for it. The clearance needs to be correct.
This is the second gear piston disassembled and cleaned with the new o-rings ready to go on.
Second gear piston reassembled with new seals.
The entire 1st/rev gear with planetary on the output shaft is installed into the case from the front with the front of the case facing to the sky. The output shaft can continue to come out the back and be removed. It just aids in lining it all up using the shaft. The 2nd gear piston is dropped in and clearance on 1st/rev is checked with a feeler gauge. We're good to go with this pack.

Banshee365

I've run into a few hickups today but the end result is that I'm still moving forward towards the finish line. I had 2 out of spec clearances in the unit so far. The forward and OD direct clutch. The forward was too fat and the OD direct was too little. The new steels and frictions are a thousandth or two thinner per plate. It adds up over the whole pack of 6 discs and 6 plates. A new thicker pressure plate is available from Toyota/Lexus for $44 or so. The OD direct was a bit too small on the clearance. Again, the dealer sells another pressure plate for $60 or so for this drum. Also, the kit had .071" thick 2nd gear steels where the unit needs .098" steels. After getting the run around from the shop I purchased the kit today from I had to come up with a solution myself.

Regarding the forward drum clearance, I've got it sorted to my satisfaction now. The kit had some other forward clutch steels that wouldn't normally be used. They were .008-.010" thicker than steels that match the thickness of the originals. I added one at the very bottom up against the piston and another near the top of the pack. This tightened up the clearance to spec without changing the pressure plate. The two slightly thicker steels will not affect the drum with them being a little heavier than the others. They may dissipate heat a little different but in a properly working unit the heat should be fairly low all the time, especially in this application.

On the OD direct drum I ended up testing a few other sets from other units with their original components still installed. It seems Toyota/Lexus doesn't follow their own spec on this one. The book says .057-.067", which is a pretty fat clearance for a little 2 disc pack. But, that's what it said. When I checked a drum with the new steel and frictions I got around .045". Seem's a bit tighter than the book wants. I then checked two other drums with their factory components. All measured in the .045" range. With that info I am rolling with new steels and frictions at .045".

I had this exact problem with the 2nd gear steels on the first kit. I asked to address it before shipping the second but I still got steels that were .071" rather than the .098" that I needed. It sounds like the parts supplier would have to order the steels and then ship them to me. I don't want to wait that long. I could buy them for $4 each if I can find them locally. I would probably have to drive a bit. Another option was to just reuse an entire used pack from one of the units that had 2nd in good shape. The one that came out of the car I've been driving was totally smoked. I mic'ed all of the parts and found the frictions to be within .001" of each other. I just needed the .098" steels. I cleaned up a set of the 4 .098" steels from one of the other units that still had the printing on the frictions. There is a little polishing on the finish but I've decided to use those with the new frictions. There isn't any blueing or burn spots so they should be good. In a performance application I probably would just find the new steels locally and go with that because of the proper finish to the steel but in this application this really shouldn't be an issue. These clutch packs are generally extremely durable until the unit starts losing pressure from hardened seals.


1st/reverse clutch pack with the rear planetary sprag installed in the case.
Then the 2nd gear piston, a snap ring, and piston sleeve are installed.
This is the second gear drum gasket. It seals between the 2nd gear piston and valve body. If you forget this little guy you'll be waiting a while for 2nd gear on your first drive...
New 2nd gear steel on the left with a used one on the right. No blueing or burn spots, just a little polishing on the surface.
2nd gear clutch pack installed with the intermediate sprag and snap ring on top. This sprag really isn't able to be disassembled properly so you just clean it the best you can.
Any 1911 can's see something familiar looking at you here?

Here you can see the 2nd gear clutch pack visible in the window. This is also where you check your clutch clearance with feeler gauges. There's quite a large window of the spec for 2nd gear. This one is pretty fat, right on the top end of the spec. There is no way to adjust it without thicker steels or frictions.

Banshee365

The sun gear goes in next. But first you need to replace the sealing rings. They are metal and hook together. This image shows the top ring hooked and the bottom ring unhooked after installation.
After the sun gear is installed the front planetary goes in. Then the snap ring is installed on the tip of the output shaft to finally lock it into the unit. It stay's in from here on out.
Next the 2nd coast brake band needs to be installed. this stop the direct clutch from turning only when the gear selector is in 2nd and you are coasting. This band stops the direct drum from freewheeling allowing the wheels to drive the engine.Needless to say these bands just don't wear. I've never seen a bad one. If you do, someone needs a driving lesson or three.
Here is the 2nd coast brake band installed with a bearing race adhered to the front planetary with trans assembly grease.
Next the forward drum and direct drum is installed *** an assembly. The front planetary ring gear hangs off the back of the forward drum so I don't know how you could installed it with the trans in the vertical position. It's much easier on it's side.
Now things are getting pretty wobbly in there. This tightens all that up. The overdrive support.
This thing not only acts as a center support but it also collects and diverts pressure via those 4 holes at the bottom to several different pistons as well as housing the overdrive piston itself. You just drop it back in after changing those 2 scarf cut sealing rings. I torque the bolts after the trans is completely assembled, just don't forget.
The rest of the build goes pretty fast from here. I've got to soak the overdrive frictions and it's getting late so I'll do that tomorrow. This is the OD planetary and sprag. Shown is the sprag disassembled and clean. It's installed into the OD direct clutch before installation into the unit.

dicer

Wow that's nice if o rings, lip seals are horrible to deal with. So in the 2nd photo up from here, down in the hole near the planet gear at about the 10 oclock position, that thrust area? Why does it look so smashed or what ever ??? I really can't tell what it is we are looking at there? I see why that transmission lasts so long it is very well made with few exceptions.

wow you posted something before I sent this so its all a post up.

Banshee365

The only lip seals in this unit are the pump seal, rear output flange seal and the 2 little lip seals on the ends of the selector shaft. Down in that hole looking through 2nd near the planets is a set of 2 races and a bearing that the sun gear shaft rides on. The bearings and races are covered in assembly grease. Some of the grease is smeared on that race so it looks distorted maybe.

dicer

So all piston seals are o rings? Piston lip seals in like a 700R4 make installing the pistons a mess, funny how square o rings work just fine in a C6 and in a few other transmissions. I just hate lip seals for clutch pistons. And yeah all shaft seals are always a lip seal and much easier to deal with than a stepped or blind positioning of an automatic transmission clutch piston seal.

Banshee365

Yep, every piston uses o-rings to seal. Very easy to install the pistons. The originals were still sealing fine but were getting a little hard.

Banshee365

The trans is pretty much done. I ran into tighter than spec clearances on the overdrive brake. I installed original steels and clutches and had pretty much the same clearance as the new stuff. So the new stuff went back in and I'll call it good. The plastic vent elbow that plugs into the case for pressure ventilation is not available from Toyota anymore. They alway's break when you remove them from being brittle. The best option is probably to use some 1/4" OD brake line with a flare on the end and insert it from the inside of the case after putting a thin film of RTV around the tube. The flare stops the tube from coming out and the RTV helps seal and hold it in. Then you can bend it however you need. I didn't have any brake line laying around so I RTV'ed the old plastic elbow in. The RTV will sort of glue it in there but it's still removable in the future. The pan is installed after replacing the shift solenoids o-rings, installing the throttle cable, and torquing down the strainer. I used an ATP strainer this time. It comes with some sort of gasket that is supposed to form to it's surface when it's heated up. It feels like a thick gasket making material. You can't use the fairly high torque spec on the pan bolts that the book says with a gasket on the pan. That spec is meant for sealing the pan with FIPG (RTV) and the pan and case will be metal to metal. If you use the book torque on the little bolts with a gasket between the pan and case you will dent in the pan around every bolt. I just put a 1/4" ratchet in my hand with the head in my palm so really choke up on it and give each of the 19 bolts a good twist with my wrist and call it good. This is something you sort of have to have a feel for. The tail housing is sealed with FIPG from the factory but the kit comes with a nice gasket. The output shaft nut is torqued to 90 ft/lb after the drive flange is installed on the output shaft. I haven't staked the nut yet so there is still that to do. There is a notch in the output shaft to stake the nut into. The bellhousing is held on with four 14mm head bolts and two 17mm head bolts. After that you just replace the o-rings on the cooler unions, reinstall the range sensor, and finally the two speed sensors on the output shaft and up front at the OD direct clutch drum.

I installed the brand new OEM wiring harness before the pan went on obviously. It sure is a pretty part and I couldn't believe it was less than $30. I still have to drain the coolant, swap the radiator and replace the connector housing on the internal trans wiring harness as I accidentally damaged it when removing the unit.

Here is the overdrive brake clutch pack installed held in place by, you guessed it, a snap ring.
Then you sent in the front planetary ring gear.
I put a small film of assembly grease on the rotors before assembling the pump. There is a dot on the inner and outer rotors and they both face down.
This is the stator bolted to the pump housing. I tapped in a new pump bushing as well as a new front seal. These bolts need to be torqued properly and not just impacted in.
Here is the parking pawl sprung out before installing the control rod.
Parking pawl control rod installed with the bracket that holds it down. The control rod is tapered at one point and when it's pushed over the parking pawl the pawl is forced to interfere with the rear planetary ring gear that is splined directly to the output shaft.
Here are the 4 accumulator pistons prior to cleaning and re-sealing. The springs are certain colors and lengths and the factory manual tells you exactly what goes where in case you mess them up.
This is about what the unit looks like prior to valve body installation. Don't forget the check-ball and the top right.
The manual valve has to be aligned with the control lever when dropping the valve body in. This is shown at the top right. Then 20 bolts of three different sizes are torque properly.