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epowell
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Location: Czech (mostly) Vancouver (sometimes)
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 Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 8:47 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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| dobryan wrote: |
| Front wheel bearings are easy to replace while on the raod. I carry two spares and grease. Keep your existing ones maintained until they show wear is what I would do. |
I replaced all my front bearings a couple of years ago 
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epowell
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Location: Czech (mostly) Vancouver (sometimes)
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| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 8:52 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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REMOVING THE INPUT SHAFT....
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Yes, it's a good exercise. There is a circlip you need to move out of the groove on the base of the input shaft and then you can slip the splined sleeve up so that you can unscrew the input shaft from the part that stays behind.
Its a little tight and a little frustrating the first time you do it, especially trying to get it past the differential. It will come out though. |
I'm going to go attempt to do this now.... if anyone has any tips, I'd appreciate!
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?Waldo?
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| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:08 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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| You need to slide the splined collar so that it is beyond the mating surface of input shaft and main shaft. Assuming a standard diff is installed usually this can be accomplished by rotating the diff (ring gear) so that the collar will slide into one of the cutouts in the side of the diff. A dental mirror or similar might help. |
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epowell
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Joined: September 23, 2015
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Location: Czech (mostly) Vancouver (sometimes)
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| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:51 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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| ?Waldo? wrote: |
| You need to slide the splined collar so that it is beyond the mating surface of input shaft and main shaft. Assuming a standard diff is installed usually this can be accomplished by rotating the diff (ring gear) so that the collar will slide into one of the cutouts in the side of the diff. A dental mirror or similar might help. |
Great! >>> but first off I can't even get this circlip off - I guess I need the right kind of circlip pliers. . . off to the store /// unless there is another way?
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?Waldo?
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| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:00 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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You could try fighting with a pair of needle nose pliers and then go get a pair of circlip pliers.  |
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epowell
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| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:24 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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| ?Waldo? wrote: |
| You could try fighting with a pair of needle nose pliers and then go get a pair of circlip pliers. |
I'm slowly starting to learn not to waste so much time when you get that "feeling" > "just go and buy the proper tool and stop wasting time"!
I modified a pair of scissors and fought with it for a while >>> waste of time!
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Abscate
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| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:29 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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Channelock (tm) - an American Brand, proudly made in Erie PA.
Best pliers- snap ring - clamps - dikes made
(you guys have good stuff in EU too, but its American to claim the best of everything, especially boasting)
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epowell
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Location: Czech (mostly) Vancouver (sometimes)
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| Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 4:02 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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...went to buy snap ring pliers, and wow - expensive... even the cheapest was costly - it's a "4 in 1" combo unit which I am skeptical of.... ....I'll try it out now, and if it doesn't perform I'll return it and search for a dedicated unit for a better price.
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epowell
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| Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 4:47 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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It was not easy... the mechanism on the pliers to secure the different swap-able tips is rather bulky so therefore you can't really go at the circlip from totally perpendicular... it was very cramped and dark...
The circlip was lying down so flat the plier heads would not really penetrate fully thru those tiny holes, so I stuck a thin hacksaw blade carefully wedged against the house inner wall and UNDER the circlip to prop it UP 1mm.
Then a couple of tries and the thing came out. Maybe this type of task will become easier with practice! I guess tranny rebuilding involves a ton of this kind of fiddling...
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epowell
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| Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2019 12:20 pm Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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Went for a long drive today to the mountains > everything working perfectly all the way there and back! Perfect shifting!
So I think I can conclude that this piggy passed the test...
...now on to install the next piggy
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epowell
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| Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 5:26 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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| ?Waldo? wrote: |
| You need to slide the splined collar so that it is beyond the mating surface of input shaft and main shaft. Assuming a standard diff is installed usually this can be accomplished by rotating the diff (ring gear) so that the collar will slide into one of the cutouts in the side of the diff. A dental mirror or similar might help. |
These instructions really helped... you just line up a cutout "hole" in the DIFF, then grab the collar and kinda wiggle/shake it and it slides up. Keep wiggling and pulling and it come up enough to unscrew the input shaft, and pull the whole thing out.
I guess that during installation of the input shaft you don't need to worry too much about how 'tight' you screw the shaft on..... I guess just as tight as possible by hand and that's it.
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crazyvwvanman
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| Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 6:26 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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NO NO NO. As it says in the Bentley, it should be slightly loose. RTFM!!!!!
Mark
| epowell wrote: |
I guess that during installation of the input shaft you don't need to worry too much about how 'tight' you screw the shaft on..... I guess just as tight as possible by hand and that's it.
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epowell
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| Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 6:36 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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| crazyvwvanman wrote: |
NO NO NO. As it says in the Bentley, it should be slightly loose. RTFM!!!!!
Mark
| epowell wrote: |
I guess that during installation of the input shaft you don't need to worry too much about how 'tight' you screw the shaft on..... I guess just as tight as possible by hand and that's it.
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Aha!!! Thanks Mark!
Yes it was just totally loose when I removed it...
...you are right I need to get in the habit of reading the manual
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epowell
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| Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 2:14 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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Here are a couple of fotos I'm posting here for my own reference.
Today I begin swapping in the next spare tranny...
...later in the job I will regrease the rear wheel bearings > so I need to consider how and when I will remove that axle nut. Looking again at these fotos I see that I do not need to remove or loosen that 46mm nut right now, because I will use a rod to lock the wheel from turning (on the 'fresh side'). On the side I have not yet removed I will just cut off that nut.
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T3messie
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| Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 3:05 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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Usually the axle nut gets loose by having the wheel on and on the ground and pushing the bar towards the ground. Maybe let someone kick on the brake.
Do not do it like shown in the first picture. It will damage the threads on the studs or bend them. |
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epowell
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| Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 3:13 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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| T3messie wrote: |
Usually the axle nut gets loose by having the wheel on and on the ground and pushing the bar towards the ground. Maybe let someone kick on the brake.
Do not do it like shown in the first picture. It will damage the threads on the studs or bend them. |
Yeah you are right...
I should remove (loosen) that nut now while the wheels are still on the ground. Maybe with the van in gear and the e-brake on will be enough to block the wheel?
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epowell
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| Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 4:12 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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Before loosening those BIG NUTS, I decided to jack up each wheel separately to give the wheels a wiggle to ascertain the health of the rear wheel bearings.
2 years ago I removed ONE of those big nuts (to replace the backing plate) and the other side I have never opened. So I started with the "fresh nut" side, and I think the wiggle was perfect > very slight but definitely there... the wheel spins well and no noise. So I think this side is probably healthy.
The "old nut side" was a slightly different story. The wiggle is definitely more but still not extreme. The wheel spins but not as smoothly, and there might be a very slight noise during part of the wheel rotation.
This is my first time doing this so I don't know what are the parameters of "bearing health". I also don't know if there is anyway to 'adjust' the amount of wiggle. [I have adjustable nuts on the fronts so I can adjust the wiggle there].
I will open up the hubs and re-grease but wonder if that looser side might be a candidate for new rear bearings?
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dobryan
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epowell
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Location: Czech (mostly) Vancouver (sometimes)
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| Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 4:48 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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| dobryan wrote: |
| The rear wheel bearings do not have a 'tightness' adjustment like the front tapered wheel bearings do. |
OK, so I guess my analysis simply indicates that one side has more bearing ware.
I just now actually managed to get both of those axle nuts off without any cutting. Just standing and bouncing on that long breaker bar.
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?Waldo?
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| Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 7:24 am Post subject: Re: Swapping gearboxes: how to? ['81 DIESEL] |
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| When loosening the axle nuts I use a ~5' long piece of heavy pipe over my 3/4" drive breaker bar. I orient the bar so that I am lifting the bar, not pushing down. Pushing down and jumping on it is fairly uncontrolled and has a high likelihood of resulting in pain. When lifting up, the push of my legs can exert more force than my weight and can do so in a totally controlled manner. If the socket happened to slip off (which has actually never happened to me with the axle nuts) then the worst result would be a rounded nut. If it slips off when jumping on it, I can imagine a lot worse (e.g. busted shin, knocked out teeth, etc..). Just something to consider for next time. |
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