valvebody and torque converter install
#1
11-05-2009, 07:06 PM
valvebody and torque converter install
Torque Converter and Valve Body Install!
This is my experience installing a VB and TC on my truck.
Hopefully, it will give you some insight into what this modification requires.
The first thing I do anytime I'm wrenching on the truck, especially when disconnecting harnesses is involved, is disconnect the batteries (Usually the negative terminal).
Next, I blocked the rear wheels, to prevent the truck from moving when the drivelines were disconnected.
The front driveline at the front Axle pinion requires a T40 bit to remove. I removed it at the front differential first.
This allowed me to swing the driveline down, and access the driveline bolts at the Transfer case, which are 5/8". Spin the driveline until the bolt at the top can be accessed with a socket, repeat for the remaining 3.
This is a shot of the “Elusive” front driveline grease Zerk. The Zerk is for the CV, not the U-joint.
The only way it gets grease is if you put it there.
.
Grease it using a needle fitting on your grease gun.
The rear driveline is disconnected at the rear differential, by removing 4 -15mm bolts, then pulling the slip shaft out of the rear of the transfer case.
Note the large size of output shaft on the transfer case.
Next, I began removing all the connectors to the transmission and transfer case.
This is the 8 pin connector going into the VB... Note I have spliced a wire into it for a TC lockup switch...
The connector that gave me the most trouble was the VDO shift position sensor on the Driver's side of the transmission.
There are 2- 1/2" bolts that need to be removed to gain access to the connector release mechanism.
The little red tab is the release mechanism
Next, I removed the breather tube for the transfer case.
Next I removed the shifter linkage, first, by prying upward on the shifter pivot, then by removing the bracket on the transmission. The top nut is 18mm, the bottom bolt is 3/8"
With the harness out of the way, I began removing the transfer case nuts. 14mm is a tight fit, 9/16" is a correct fit. I found it necessary to use both wrenches to loosen and remove the bottom nut by the transmission mount, there just isn't enough room to get at it, and it was the most difficult to remove.
After removing the nuts, I separated and removed the transfer case from the truck. It weighs about 110 pounds, so get help if you need it!
There are several brackets attached to the transmission Bell housing, and I decided to remove the bolts that hold the brackets on first. Bell housing bolts are 9/16" I did not remove all bolts at this time, just the ones with brackets associated with them, including the transmission dipstick bracket.
I now removed the bottom inspection cover for the Bell housing, 8mm bolts, and loosened the passenger side access plate, 10mm bolts. This will be used for access to the torque converter bolts.
Next, I removed the Transmission cooler lines at the transmission. These are 3/4", and required a 15/16" wrench to hold the Brass adapters while loosening. I placed a pan underneath to catch any fluid.
I disconnected the Starter Solenoid connector, for access to the solenoid terminal. With the battery still disconnected, I connected my "Homemade" remote starter switch. One lead to the +Batt terminal of the Starter, and the other to the now exposed Starter Solenoid terminal. Access to connect this is thru the driver's side front wheel well. I then reconnected one negative lead on one battery.
Using the remote starter switch, I "Bumped" the engine around until a Torque converter/Pressure Plate bolt became visible thru the access port.
If you go a little too far, or the engine compressions back a little, you can use a large screwdriver against the teeth of the Pressure Plate and the bottom bell housing inspection port to carefully rotate the engine in the desired direction.
Remove the Torque converter bolts they are 5/8" take care not to drop them inside the bell housing! I used a ratchet, socket and extension to loosen until I could rotate the extension by hand, I then removed the ratchet, and loosened the bolt the rest of the way, tipping the socket end up and the extension end down to ensure I captured the bolt for removal. There are 6 of these bolts. When you think you have all of them removed, you should be able to spin the Torque converter by hand without the Pressure Plate moving.
NOTE: I would NOT recommend moving the Pressure Plate at this point. It is already in position for the 1st bolt during re- assembly. There are several holes on the Pressure Plate, and confusion as to which ones to use may complicate re-installation.
At this point, I decided to drop the transmission pan ˝” bolts, and install the Valve body.
When removing the pan, leave the 4 corner bolts in after removing all the others. Then Loosen 2 corners, to get the pan to “Tip”. This will make saving the ATF+4 a little easier by actually giving a stream of fluid, which you can catch in a pan.
Even with less than 10K miles, the magnet on the pan (Black fuzzy donut in lower Right corner) had some metallic material on it.
Valve body with filter still in place
The instructions that come with the valve body are pretty good. Basically, you remove the transmission shift position sensor, shifter shaft linkage 10mm, the filter 2- T25 bolts, valve body, 10 10mm bolts,
To remove the VB, push down lightly on the 8 pin connector (It has the 2 blue O-rings in the pictures.) The springs and plungers shown to the right in the picture will probably fall out, they are shown here as they should be reinstalled. The VB comes down slightly, and then the long rod with piston has to be slid out (Parking?) If it doesn't remove easily, unclip it at the Valve Body.
Here’s a picture of the transmission with the VB removed.
Swap over the electronics to the new valve body T25 bolts.
Reinstall the new valve body and pan. Due to needing both hands during this juggling operation, I didn’t take any pictures of the steps, but it is pretty straightforward. The important things to remember when it is going together, is to make sure the shifter shaft goes into the transmission housing seal without deforming it.
Next, I supported the rear of the engine at the oil pan with a block of wood, and a Jack, I put a little tension on the jack, to hold the engine.
Remove the 4 bolts holding the transmission mount to the transmission.
I used a transmission jack under the transmission pan to support the transmission, place the jack under slight tension.
Remove the 4 bolts that hold the transmission cross member to the frame, and remove the cross member.
Remove the remaining Bell housing bolts.
My torque converter separated easily from the Pressure Plate, if yours does not, Use a large screwdriver inserted between the torque converter and Pressure Plate and pry the transmission rearward gently.
Once the torque converter is free of the Pressure Plate, guide the transmission back and lower it down, carefully.
Here is the stock Pressure Plate
To remove the Torque converter, simply grab it with both hands and pull it off of the Transmission. It is heavy, so be prepared.
Transmission without torque converter. I'd also like to point out now would be a GREAT time to upgrade the input shaft.
During the disassembly, I captured as much of the ATF+4 fluid I could, as it only has >10K miles on it, I poured it into a Clean bucket, straining it with an old T-shirt.
Pre filling the torque converter with ATF+4, Go slow and avoid spillage.
Moving the transmission with a full torque converter attached is a little beyond my capabilities, so it is advisable to place the transmission close to the truck before installing the Torque converter.
To Install the Torque converter, place it over the Input shaft and rotate and wiggle until it seats all the way back in the Transmission housing. 2 distinct shaft couplings can be felt. When it is properly seated, you will not be able to put your hand in between the housing and converter.
The transmission is now ready to go back up. Once in place, with the TC snout seated in the back of the Crankshaft, and the Bell housing flush with the back of the Engine, install a couple bolts to hold it in place, and then install all the bolts with the brackets attached.
Re-install the Transmission cross member, and start the 4 transmission mount bolts into the transmission. Once all are installed, go back and tighten them.
Before starting on connectors, lines, and linkages, I’d recommend getting the torque converter bolted to the Pressure Plate.
Note: You will first install all 6 bolts without tightening, then go back around and tighten them. This will prevent misalignment, and actually speed the installation process.
After I was finished, I closed and tightened the access port bolts and also the inspection cover bolts. I also removed my remote start and reconnected the solenoid connector.
At this point, I reinstalled all connectors, lines and linkages.
hope this helps
This is my experience installing a VB and TC on my truck.
Hopefully, it will give you some insight into what this modification requires.
The first thing I do anytime I'm wrenching on the truck, especially when disconnecting harnesses is involved, is disconnect the batteries (Usually the negative terminal).
Next, I blocked the rear wheels, to prevent the truck from moving when the drivelines were disconnected.
The front driveline at the front Axle pinion requires a T40 bit to remove. I removed it at the front differential first.
This allowed me to swing the driveline down, and access the driveline bolts at the Transfer case, which are 5/8". Spin the driveline until the bolt at the top can be accessed with a socket, repeat for the remaining 3.
This is a shot of the “Elusive” front driveline grease Zerk. The Zerk is for the CV, not the U-joint.
The only way it gets grease is if you put it there.
.
Grease it using a needle fitting on your grease gun.
The rear driveline is disconnected at the rear differential, by removing 4 -15mm bolts, then pulling the slip shaft out of the rear of the transfer case.
Note the large size of output shaft on the transfer case.
Next, I began removing all the connectors to the transmission and transfer case.
This is the 8 pin connector going into the VB... Note I have spliced a wire into it for a TC lockup switch...
The connector that gave me the most trouble was the VDO shift position sensor on the Driver's side of the transmission.
There are 2- 1/2" bolts that need to be removed to gain access to the connector release mechanism.
The little red tab is the release mechanism
Next, I removed the breather tube for the transfer case.
Next I removed the shifter linkage, first, by prying upward on the shifter pivot, then by removing the bracket on the transmission. The top nut is 18mm, the bottom bolt is 3/8"
With the harness out of the way, I began removing the transfer case nuts. 14mm is a tight fit, 9/16" is a correct fit. I found it necessary to use both wrenches to loosen and remove the bottom nut by the transmission mount, there just isn't enough room to get at it, and it was the most difficult to remove.
After removing the nuts, I separated and removed the transfer case from the truck. It weighs about 110 pounds, so get help if you need it!
There are several brackets attached to the transmission Bell housing, and I decided to remove the bolts that hold the brackets on first. Bell housing bolts are 9/16" I did not remove all bolts at this time, just the ones with brackets associated with them, including the transmission dipstick bracket.
I now removed the bottom inspection cover for the Bell housing, 8mm bolts, and loosened the passenger side access plate, 10mm bolts. This will be used for access to the torque converter bolts.
Next, I removed the Transmission cooler lines at the transmission. These are 3/4", and required a 15/16" wrench to hold the Brass adapters while loosening. I placed a pan underneath to catch any fluid.
I disconnected the Starter Solenoid connector, for access to the solenoid terminal. With the battery still disconnected, I connected my "Homemade" remote starter switch. One lead to the +Batt terminal of the Starter, and the other to the now exposed Starter Solenoid terminal. Access to connect this is thru the driver's side front wheel well. I then reconnected one negative lead on one battery.
Using the remote starter switch, I "Bumped" the engine around until a Torque converter/Pressure Plate bolt became visible thru the access port.
If you go a little too far, or the engine compressions back a little, you can use a large screwdriver against the teeth of the Pressure Plate and the bottom bell housing inspection port to carefully rotate the engine in the desired direction.
Remove the Torque converter bolts they are 5/8" take care not to drop them inside the bell housing! I used a ratchet, socket and extension to loosen until I could rotate the extension by hand, I then removed the ratchet, and loosened the bolt the rest of the way, tipping the socket end up and the extension end down to ensure I captured the bolt for removal. There are 6 of these bolts. When you think you have all of them removed, you should be able to spin the Torque converter by hand without the Pressure Plate moving.
NOTE: I would NOT recommend moving the Pressure Plate at this point. It is already in position for the 1st bolt during re- assembly. There are several holes on the Pressure Plate, and confusion as to which ones to use may complicate re-installation.
At this point, I decided to drop the transmission pan ˝” bolts, and install the Valve body.
When removing the pan, leave the 4 corner bolts in after removing all the others. Then Loosen 2 corners, to get the pan to “Tip”. This will make saving the ATF+4 a little easier by actually giving a stream of fluid, which you can catch in a pan.
Even with less than 10K miles, the magnet on the pan (Black fuzzy donut in lower Right corner) had some metallic material on it.
Valve body with filter still in place
The instructions that come with the valve body are pretty good. Basically, you remove the transmission shift position sensor, shifter shaft linkage 10mm, the filter 2- T25 bolts, valve body, 10 10mm bolts,
To remove the VB, push down lightly on the 8 pin connector (It has the 2 blue O-rings in the pictures.) The springs and plungers shown to the right in the picture will probably fall out, they are shown here as they should be reinstalled. The VB comes down slightly, and then the long rod with piston has to be slid out (Parking?) If it doesn't remove easily, unclip it at the Valve Body.
Here’s a picture of the transmission with the VB removed.
Swap over the electronics to the new valve body T25 bolts.
Reinstall the new valve body and pan. Due to needing both hands during this juggling operation, I didn’t take any pictures of the steps, but it is pretty straightforward. The important things to remember when it is going together, is to make sure the shifter shaft goes into the transmission housing seal without deforming it.
Next, I supported the rear of the engine at the oil pan with a block of wood, and a Jack, I put a little tension on the jack, to hold the engine.
Remove the 4 bolts holding the transmission mount to the transmission.
I used a transmission jack under the transmission pan to support the transmission, place the jack under slight tension.
Remove the 4 bolts that hold the transmission cross member to the frame, and remove the cross member.
Remove the remaining Bell housing bolts.
My torque converter separated easily from the Pressure Plate, if yours does not, Use a large screwdriver inserted between the torque converter and Pressure Plate and pry the transmission rearward gently.
Once the torque converter is free of the Pressure Plate, guide the transmission back and lower it down, carefully.
Here is the stock Pressure Plate
To remove the Torque converter, simply grab it with both hands and pull it off of the Transmission. It is heavy, so be prepared.
Transmission without torque converter. I'd also like to point out now would be a GREAT time to upgrade the input shaft.
During the disassembly, I captured as much of the ATF+4 fluid I could, as it only has >10K miles on it, I poured it into a Clean bucket, straining it with an old T-shirt.
Pre filling the torque converter with ATF+4, Go slow and avoid spillage.
Moving the transmission with a full torque converter attached is a little beyond my capabilities, so it is advisable to place the transmission close to the truck before installing the Torque converter.
To Install the Torque converter, place it over the Input shaft and rotate and wiggle until it seats all the way back in the Transmission housing. 2 distinct shaft couplings can be felt. When it is properly seated, you will not be able to put your hand in between the housing and converter.
The transmission is now ready to go back up. Once in place, with the TC snout seated in the back of the Crankshaft, and the Bell housing flush with the back of the Engine, install a couple bolts to hold it in place, and then install all the bolts with the brackets attached.
Re-install the Transmission cross member, and start the 4 transmission mount bolts into the transmission. Once all are installed, go back and tighten them.
Before starting on connectors, lines, and linkages, I’d recommend getting the torque converter bolted to the Pressure Plate.
Note: You will first install all 6 bolts without tightening, then go back around and tighten them. This will prevent misalignment, and actually speed the installation process.
After I was finished, I closed and tightened the access port bolts and also the inspection cover bolts. I also removed my remote start and reconnected the solenoid connector.
At this point, I reinstalled all connectors, lines and linkages.
hope this helps
The following users liked this post:
Whit (11-08-2009)
#6
11-08-2009, 07:54 AM
Diesel Bomber
