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ICTrains
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Joined: June 05, 2011
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Location: South Alabama
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 Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 8:55 am Post subject: Transmission...to rebuild or not to rebuild? |
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My car has been sitting in my possession for 13 years, and before that for probably 8-10 years with the previous owner. I currently have the body off and will be pulling everything off to restore the pan. New pans, brakes, rebuild front beam, POR 15 and paint.
I have two engines; I plan to get one running when the car is done and rebuild the other and swap them out later, but I'm not sure about the transmission. Should I be ok just changing the oil? Or should I do a rebuild on that as well? Would sitting that long have any detrimental effects?
I've never done any of this before, but the rest of it doesn't seem too daunting; but the engine and tranny rebuild are what concerns me. I'd really like to do all of the work myself, to save cost and just for the experience of doing it all myself.
Any advice is welcome.
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JohnD
'73 Thing
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rsorak
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Location: Memphis
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 9:09 am Post subject: |
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Sitting does NOT hurt transmissions and they are very expensive to rebuild. I would wait until you can drive them to judge their condition.
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ICTrains
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 9:19 am Post subject: |
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Thank you. I would assume that changing the transmission fluid would be a wise thing to do. Or should I leave it alone as well?
Thanks,
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JohnD
'73 Thing
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Semper_Dad
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 9:59 am Post subject: |
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| ICTrains wrote: | Thank you. I would assume that changing the transmission fluid would be a wise thing to do. Or should I leave it alone as well?
Thanks, |
Changing the oil won't hurt a thing and it's a pretty easy thing to do out of the car or with the body off. Might give you an idea of transmission's condition (little chunks of metal in oil or lack there of)
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rsorak
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 10:10 am Post subject: |
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Best to change the oil while it's warm. So unless it looks like mud, leave it alone till you drive it and get it nice and warm. Then the thick gear oil will flow out better. The new oil goes in easier if you warm it (microwave or put in some hot water) before hand too.
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ICTrains
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 10:50 am Post subject: |
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Thanks again guys.
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JohnD
'73 Thing
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Ian Epperson
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Joined: January 12, 2005
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 11:00 am Post subject: |
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| rsorak wrote: | | Best to change the oil while it's warm. So unless it looks like mud, leave it alone till you drive it and get it nice and warm. Then the thick gear oil will flow out better. The new oil goes in easier if you warm it (microwave or put in some hot water) before hand too. |
Yes, but I think it'd be more important for an unknown transmission to change it anyway - at the very least check to make sure their's enough fluid in there.
Anyway, the transmission fluid takes quite a bit of time to get warm - a run around the block isn't going to do it. I've always changed mine cold.
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Semper_Dad
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 11:04 am Post subject: |
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OP lives in the LA area (Lower Alabama  )
Stick it out on the sidewalk sometime in August. I'll warm up
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"Patina" my ass, that's rust
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ICTrains
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 12:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Semper_Dad wrote: | OP lives in the LA area (Lower Alabama )
Stick it out on the sidewalk sometime in August. I'll warm up |
August? Heck, I could probably do it today. 
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JohnD
'73 Thing
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saddlesore1
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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| rsorak wrote: | | Sitting does NOT hurt transmissions and they are very expensive to rebuild. I would wait until you can drive them to judge their condition. |
Expensive is a relative term. Not that I am rich (I am far from it) but compared to other items that will fit in your hand they are cheep. They are more of a pain in the ass to replace. It is at the far most point of the car behind everything else. Great thing is Type 1 trannies are a dime a dozen. You can get them on all most every street corner. My philosophy: Change the oil drive it till it squeals. Throw some bearing lube in it to thicken the oil up and shuts the squealing up. Then when it finally grenades. Spend the 300 bucks and replace.
Just my 2 cents. |
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GI Joe
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mcmscott
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Location: sanger ca
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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| If you are restoring it then restore it, pull it down, build it and be done with it. If you are doing a patch(hack) job then run it. Makes no sense to say you have a full restoration and a junkyard gear box |
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Wildthings
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 9:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Run the box and see what it sounds like. I would be worried that you might have had some water mixed in with the gear oil, pretty common in humid parts of the country, and that the oil drained off the gears and bearings while the water condensed onto them and you ended up with some rust. Gears can handle a bit of rust, no problem, but not so bearings. If it stays quiet and doesn't leak, I would leave it alone. |
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kubelmann
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 6:46 am Post subject: |
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| If it was already out of the car and I was doing a body-off resto, I would ship it to Rancho for a rebuild. Why do a hack job and shove the unknown box back in "as-is" if the budget allows for doing a good job. I love the feel of a fresh VW transmission. |
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mcmscott
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 8:12 am Post subject: |
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I am certain there are places alot closer than rancho that do good work,
Where in Al are you? |
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ICTrains
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Location: South Alabama
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 9:00 am Post subject: |
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Close to Mobile. I'll have to ask around, but I'm sure that there is someone local that could do a rebuild.
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JohnD
'73 Thing
'10 Jetta
My Rebuild Project
Thing Rebuild Threads
"If you take something apart and put it back together enough times, eventually you'll have two." |
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greg mgm
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Location: Pine Cove/ IdyllwildCA
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 11:07 am Post subject: |
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| Do the rebuild. It's a bit more expense, but since you're re doing everything else, and the body is off, now is the time. Just my 2 1/3 cents. |
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Mal evolent
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Location: Socorro, Nuevo Mexico
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 9:04 am Post subject: |
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remove the Thing CV flanges before you send a Thing tranny out. it will come back with Type 1 flanges and the Thing flanges will be mysteriously lost
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Ian Epperson
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 9:15 am Post subject: |
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| Mal evolent wrote: | | remove the Thing CV flanges before you send a Thing tranny out. it will come back with Type 1 flanges and the Thing flanges will be mysteriously lost |
X2.
I've had 3 trans rebuilds, pulled the flanges each time, and each time it came back with a set of flanges on it. The first two times, I pulled off the bug flanges and gave them away. The last time, I was in the middle of pulling off the flanges when I realized with a shock that they were the proper size for a Thing!
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