curve balls and little victories

[eldubb440]

so we all know you cannot win a war, unless you win the battles first; so check this out..........

first off, I'm out of my lane....... inside my transmission, where I know enough to be dangerous

2001 Durango 45rfe, evidentially these are in just about everything Dodge/Jeep in some form or another

so I'll skip to the curve ball, how and why I'm there doesn't matter..........


so I put a new valve body in my trans........ should be pretty straight forward, right? lol

see this pin? it's a 1/4 inch dia. .......... but it's only half of that where it's pressed into another piece, and after 23 years and 226K miles; that little stem appears to have been fatigued and hanging by a thread........ and of course it broke off with minimal effort, a ticking time bomb which was about to leave me stranded anyway

it's pressed in to gear selector lever and engages into this slot and moves the solenoid pack in and out of gear........ the lever is part of the gear selector shaft

ok...... let me remove the lever/shaft, possibly fix it, or get a new one..... minor set back; WRONG!

it has to be removed from the inside, and would be easy; but it hits the rotating assembly

now what?

I make a new pin out of a 1/4 inch shoulder bolt; stuff all the holes with paper towels and bust out the die grinder.......

I cut a 1/4 inch slot at the proper depth into the shift lever and busted out the welder! Gitterdone!

it sure is good to be .........

 

[davek]

 

[Richard Cranium]

 

[moparsaver]

Some fine work there Eldubb

 

[eldubb440]

the pressure ratcheted up quickly...... I really don't drive a lot, so it's the only vehicle we use...... when the rotating assembly wouldn't allow me to remove the lever, I about **** my pants

 

[moparwacko]

Redneck!!


Well done!


You're probably going to reuse the fluid aren't you? A paint strainer will work. Don't treat that Durango too good. Fix it like you're 17 again and don't worry about it.

 

[chargervert]

Mr.Dubb works yet another miracle!

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Redneck!!


Well done!


You're probably going to reuse the fluid aren't you? A paint strainer will work. Don't treat that Durango too good. Fix it like you're 17 again and don't worry about it.

When I was 17 I could buy ATF in gallon cans for .69 cents... These days ATF is $8 a quart... Damn right I'm gonna reuse it...

 

[eldubb440]

I bought a gallon jug, and a quart of Lucas snake oil....... the trans is spotless inside, and I replaced the solenoid pack (and fluid) 30K miles ago....... so it didn't really concern me to reuse a couple of quarts....... and I used 2 paint strainers, not a joke!

 

[eldubb440]

not sure what the pros do, but I've used copper coat spray on both sides of the gasket whenever I have the pan down ....... it makes me look me like I have a clue...... nothing pushes out, you can put it in service immediately, and it stays bone dry...... I put that sh!t on everything

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

I’m a copper coat guy, my mentor was a copper coat guy. It has yet to fail me.

 

[GTXDAN]

I'm a copper coat guy too. My dad used it for years so it works for me.