How Badly Did I damage Trans.?

[TalonJohn94]

Ok, so I had John Shepherd do his bearing upgrade to my center diff. Fine, everything works great . I did the dis/re assembly of this part of the trans. by following the VFAQ "replacing center diff." I followed every step carefully. The only thing I did wrong is apparently either use the wrong type of RTV sealant on the cover(s) or not let the RTV dry long enough. Today I went and took my car to the freeway for the 1st time to feel if the driveshaft was balanced, alignment was good, etc,. I went about 10-15 minutes until I got on an offramp to go eat lunch somewhere. I decided I better pull into a gas station to check oil, etc. When I look under the car, there was SynchroMesh all over the bottom of the trans. and dripping down. I could tell it was coming from where the outermost cover adheres to. I didn't have time/money for a flatbed, so I decided to take a backroad route that is basically a straight line to my garage. 15 min. later I turn off the car and roll into the driveway and pull into the garage. Pulled the wheel off [splashguard(s) were still off] and inspected the exterior of the trans. Like I said SynchroMesh everywhere; brakes, suspension.. I took out the drain plug and nothing. DAMNIT. I took out the (8?) bolts and pryed the cover off. About a half quart spilled out into my pan. I left it there to drip out, shut the garage and left so I could get to class on time. Never ate lunch and now I don't know how much damage I did. On the way back it shifted fine and I don't think made any strange noise.


How bad do you think I messed up my trans? What can I look for?

What type of degreaser works the best?

 

[Defiant]

As long as there was still _some_ lube left, you _might_ have gotten away with it. But for god's sake, always call a tow in the future.

For taking off that fresh grease, you'll probably want good ol' Gunk.

 

[TalonJohn94]

Thanks, and yeah I should've, but I don't know how I would have been able to pay for it.

I really hope I don't have to do another tranny swap to this car...

 

[4WARND]

Make sure the surfaces of the trans and cover are clean ! I use a razorblade to scrape the old RTV off, and the spray gasket remover works well too. Then apply a thin coat of Ultra Gray RTV, I typically wait 24 hours before adding fluid.

 

[TalonJohn94]

Ok, thanks. I'll try that. All I have is regular "black rtv." Its got to be the wait time because the "back" cover was fine (I think) and that one I waited over a day.

 

[TalonJohn94]

Ok, apparently it wasn't the RTV that failed on me. The reverse gear but had backed itself out and actually popped a hole in the outer tranny cover. I have an extra cover, but I don't know how much I should torque it down this time. Should I use an impact gun? Loc-tite?

How tight do those two (36mm) nuts have to be??

 

[TalonJohn94]

I don't mean to push but I really need to know before the weekend.

??

 

[4WARND]

Did you " stake " the nuts ? My guess is no, that is why they backed out.

 

[TalonJohn94]

"Stake?"

What is that?



Please Explain

 

[TalonJohn94]

Does anyone know what it mean to "STAKE" the nuts?

 

[TalonJohn94]

Ok, so I disassembled the trans, cleaned everything up, used two new spare covers, STAKED (w/a punch/screwdriver/hammer) the nuts, applies sealant, waited over 36 hours, filled up trans, started car and let it warm up and put it in reverse, let out the clutch and.....

It tried to stall again. This time I didn't want to drop the clutch and poke a hole in another cover.

What Am I Doing Wrong?



PLEASE HELP SOON!