How can I tell if one gearbox is rebuilt & another is tired?

private9 · 04-04-2007, 09:13 PM

Hi All,

Bit of a strange question I know, but basically I have 2 cars at the moment. The 1st is an AU series 3 Falcon with around 170000 kays on the clock. I bought the car with 150k and I don't believe the tranny had ever been serviced as the oil was like vegemite. I have now had it serviced, and while the tranny is quick to respond, kicks down quickly, switches from drive to reverse and vice versa quickly, on down shift it is getting a bit clunky. Upshifts also seem to be taking a little longer than they used to.

I can't help but wonder how much longer the tranny is going to last? I have only recently fitted a cooler, so it basically hasn't had one it's whole life.

The rest of the car is in VGC and we will be keeping it for a long time.

Now for car number 2.

It's an EL Falcon, and the previous owner advises the gearbox had just been rebuilt & strengthened less than 5000 kays ago. It feels very tight, and the shifts are firmer than normal but not harsh. It does have a high stall as well, but I have no proof that the gearbox has been rebuilt. I will be getting rid of this car shortly, so if the trans is good, I would like to keep it.

What I would like to do is have the tranny from the EL swapped into the AU and vice versa. A few workshops have quoted me $500 in total to do both swaps which I think is more than fair.

My issue though, is I don't want to do this if my AU tranny has alot more life in it. The other issue is I have no real proof that the EL trans has actually been rebuilt, so I am a bit reluctant to have it swapped, when it could actually be just as old as my AU tranny.

Soooo..... can anyone give me any tips on how to tell if the AU tranny is going to die soon, and how to tell if the EL tranny has definitely been rebuilt?

Thanks,

Justin.

Au2falcons · 04-04-2007, 09:28 PM

Simple sign....but not a concrete answer would be to check the cleanliness of the gearbox. If the box has been rebuilt it sould be pretty clean on the outside..........should be no signs of oil seepage.

Check the condition of the fluid also. I don't think there would be another way that's doesn't invlove dismantling the gearbox. Possible a trans specialist could tell when the pan is dropped.

private9 · 04-04-2007, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Au2falcons

Simple sign....but not a concrete answer would be to check the cleanliness of the gearbox. If the box has been rebuilt it sould be pretty clean on the outside..........should be no signs of oil seepage.

Check the condition of the fluid also. I don't think there would be another way that's doesn't invlove dismantling the gearbox. Possible a trans specialist could tell when the pan is dropped.

Re the trans in the EL, the box itself is very clean, does look like it has been removed. The fluid is bright red and appears to be near new. There is oil seepage, but only because they put the bloody gasket on the wrong way.

accurate1 · 04-04-2007, 11:05 PM

There is oil seepage, but only because they put the bloody gasket on the wrong way.[/QUOTE]

How can you put a gasket on the wrong way, most transmission gaskets only fit one way.

GK · 05-04-2007, 01:36 AM

With regards to the AU box. Put the car up on ramps. Disconnect the electrical connections to the box, clean, blow out and spray with RP7. Reconnect and see if that helps with the downshifts.

I have an S2 SR with 95K on the clock. It's had dodgy downshifts for a year. It's early days, but the above method, as advised here a few weeks ago by JC, has so far worked a treat.

If that doesn't help, you may need the S5 solenoid changed as it's the one that controls the downshifts.

Hope that helps. All the best with it.

GK

private9 · 05-04-2007, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by accurate1

There is oil seepage, but only because they put the bloody gasket on the wrong way.

How can you put a gasket on the wrong way, most transmission gaskets only fit one way.[/QUOTE]

This is correct, however the gasket has literally been slapped on, and is clearly upside down or on the wrong way. There are extra sections actually poking out here and there.

private9 · 05-04-2007, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GK

With regards to the AU box. Put the car up on ramps. Disconnect the electrical connections to the box, clean, blow out and spray with RP7. Reconnect and see if that helps with the downshifts.

I have an S2 SR with 95K on the clock. It's had dodgy downshifts for a year. It's early days, but the above method, as advised here a few weeks ago by JC, has so far worked a treat.

If that doesn't help, you may need the S5 solenoid changed as it's the one that controls the downshifts.

Hope that helps. All the best with it.

GK

Thanks GK, that's great advice! I'll give that one a try once my back's better. My mechanic had mentioned a solenoid a few months back, but I think I'll try the connections first!

GK · 05-04-2007, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by private9

Thanks GK, that's great advice! I'll give that one a try once my back's better. My mechanic had mentioned a solenoid a few months back, but I think I'll try the connections first!

It can't hurt and may just save you a bucketload of cashola! LOL!

KUP (keep us posted!)

GK

private9 · 05-04-2007, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GK

It can't hurt and may just save you a bucketload of cashola! LOL!

KUP (keep us posted!)

GK

True, true! But then I have no way of justifying swapping the hi stall converter into the AU to the Minister of Finance!!

Hunter · 05-04-2007, 11:44 AM

If the gasket has been put back on incorrectly then I'd wager it probably hasn't been 'rebuilt' and if it has, whoever rebuilt it is a spanner... It is not hard to change the gasket on the E-series BTR and if they managed to bugger that up then who knows what condition the box is in...

I might also add that over-tightening the pan bolts can cause the gasket to squish too much and break... why does everyone assume every bolt needs to be done up tighter than the proverbial?????

GK · 05-04-2007, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by private9

True, true! But then I have no way of justifying swapping the hi stall converter into the AU to the Minister of Finance!!

I understand completely! LOL!

GK

private9 · 05-04-2007, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hunter

If the gasket has been put back on incorrectly then I'd wager it probably hasn't been 'rebuilt' and if it has, whoever rebuilt it is a spanner... It is not hard to change the gasket on the E-series BTR and if they managed to bugger that up then who knows what condition the box is in...

I might also add that over-tightening the pan bolts can cause the gasket to squish too much and break... why does everyone assume every bolt needs to be done up tighter than the proverbial?????

I have a feeling that the previous owner was a bit of a "tinkerer" and may have had something to do with this.... There were many, many things in the car that were out of whack and took my mechanic a fair while to work through.

private9 · 05-04-2007, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GK

I understand completely! LOL!

GK

Glad you do mate! I managed to get the extractor swap past though so that's a start!