VB in....Now TC

[DCouch]

Alright…. some of us are mechanically challenged but I am glad I put my Bill K VB in myself. It was much easier than putting in that Grover horn. A bit messy, but with the DTT instruction, simple stuff. Now I actually know what you guys are talking about…. . yeah I had no idea what a kick down lever was……. now I do. Biggest bumble was buying the VB last year and emailed DTT and asked if they had any new tips…. they said yeah send it back and will give you a new one, because it sat to long. DOH…. Now that’s customer service, they had a new one out right away. Next week the TC goes in…I plan to put the tran on a rented trans jack and just slide it back and slip it in. Someone told me I could do it like that. Any tips from you guys who know what you’re doing?

If I get the TC right In a couple of weeks I’ll be attempting the fuel system from Advance Diesel Technology (another great company)…so soon, hopefully, I will actually know what you guys are talking about instead of just nodding my head and sipping my beer.

Thanks to wwcd2.com for the good group prices so I can squeeze a little more on my credit card. What my wife doesn’t know, wont’ hurt me….

 

[Ramboy]

You're gonna love your DTT TC

 

[Mopar-muscle]

oh . you'd like to think it was that easy ...

D , take it from someone that spent 10 hours on his back with 2 floor jacks and a couple of helpers on the jacks ... i thought i could do the same thing just switching to a different TC after seeing someone else say they did it like that ...



this is not a job to do on your back ... you need a tool to spread the frame to pull the crossmember , someone said they left in the 2 top rear bolts and spun it rearward , can't see that happening with how the frame is made . you will need to support the front of the engine some how from tipping back up once the trans is off , if not you'll NEVER get it back on , the underside of my cab , i have a QC , is all dented and scratched from an hour or so of trying to get it back on , if you don't support the front of the engine you MUST remove the Tcase .



i know what i'm talking about , the only way to do this is on a lift , and with an extra pair of hands putting in and out the trans , plus the TC weighs close to 50 pounds , that was fun installing laying on my side ... take it to a DTT shop , you will get evberything you need , its worth the money , and i'm not saying this because i'm a DTT installer .

 

[work2muchplay2little]

DCouch, I may be the guy that John mentions regarding taking out all but the top-rear crossmember bolts and then swiveling the crossmember down and back. Here's the write-up of how I did it. As John says, doing this on your back, on your driveway, with no help is no picnic. Took me about 12 hours start to finish. In retrospect, if I wasn't so stubborn and wanted the "satisfaction" of doing it myself, I would probably have it done by a pro, but then again... . However you get the thing in there, you're gonna love it!! Here ya go...



There's more than one way to skin a cat, so here's my take on minimizing the TC trauma. I did this job alone, so I needed a way to manipulate the transmission safely without the need for another set of hands. So I unbolted all linkages/bell housing/drive shafts/transmission cooling lines from the transmission, took out 3 of the 4 x-member bolts from each side (leaving the top rear-most bolts in on each side) and took the jack from under the seat, cut a 2x4 to length to just fit the jack and 2x4 between the frame rails and spread them just enough to rotate the x-member backwards about 2 inches. With the transmission supported in the front with my floor jack and in the rear by the x-member, I slid the transmission/transfer case rearward about 6 inches which allowed just enough room to slide the old TC out and the new TC in. Be forewarned that the TC you take out is about 70 pounds or so and WILL LEAK fluid down your arms as you remove it. (If you do it this way make sure it is cool!) Be sure to start all six bolts through the flywheel into the TC before snugging them down as there is some play and the last one may not fit if the rest are already tight!

Anyways, this is how I approached it doing the job in my driveway. BTW, I put down a 10 ft by 20 ft thick plastic sheet under my truck to catch the oil and is a heck of a lot easier to slide around on your back than the concrete Enjoy, you will gain a healthy respect for the size/weight/strength of your truck's components and the end result is just magic.

 

[Tom W]

DCouch: Have you talked to the guys at Diesel Dynamics? They have experience with DTT products.

 

[DCouch]

OK... ... now I'm getting lost. So far one person says not to do it. 1 persons says you could go for it and spread the frame with the factory jack... 1 persons say easy, no need to spread the frame at all, just roll it back?

My main concern would be the engine lifting, has anyone else experienced that? 50lbs is not a problem nor the mess but smashing my cab is!

I would prefer to do it myself but then again I don't want to unleash armageddon.

If I cow down and have a pro do it what kind of rates are you guys seeing for TC installs?

Thanks for all the input

fun, fun, fun... ...

 

[work2muchplay2little]

Well, I can only relay what I've read and experienced. Regarding the engine, mine tipped back about an inch when transmission removed, it was supported by the engine mounts, fan did not hit radiator or other problems. Most people have had to use some kind of spreader to move/remove the crossmember as the frame squeezes it fairly tightly. I've read of a few whose crossmembers basically slid out but they seem to be the exception. Unless I had a transmission jack with appropriate straps/chains to prevent the transmission from falling off or help, I would do it the same way - leave crossmember in and rotate it back. To reattach the transmission, I used the truck's jack and a piece of wood and lifted the engine the inch it had settled after removing the transmission and was able to slide the transmission forward over the alignment dowels. I guess what it boils down to is your comfort/confidence level in tackling the job and patience/desire to overcome the (inevitable) problems that come along. In my case, I was highly motivated once the thing was disassembled, as these are my only wheels . Best to ya!!

 

[Joe G.]

DCouch,



I would not fool around trying to deal with a transmission and transfer case sitting up in the air on a jack. Just too expensive and dangerous.

The easiest way is to take the transfer case off the transmission first. So you have to drain the fluid and remove both drive shafts, tubes, wires, cooling lines, dip stick tube, and the cross member. DON't forget the dip stick tube. Big hassle if you do. Air tools are a BIG help. The transfer case is really awkward so be extra careful with it because it will try it's best to slide off the transmission jack in spite of chains and straps. I've never had to jack up the engine. It seems to be balanced ok so the tilt is not too bad. Mine just leaned toward the firewall a little. Maybe a 24V has a different balance. Before you remove the bolts that hold the transmission to the engine you need to remove the bolts that hold the TC to the flywheel. You reach these from the front of the fly wheel by removing a cover over a hole that is attached with two screws. You take these out one at a time thru the hole. NEVER allow the weight of the TC to be supported by the flywheel alone! Pull the transmission and lower it. I rolled mine out from under the truck. Change the TC where you have plenty of room to work so it's in there correctly for sure. Before you pull the old TC, measure how far it sticks out of the transmission so you can tell if the new one is all the way in. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A SERVICE MANUAL YOU NEED ONE ASAP!!!

 

[GGreen]

I did mine totaly alone. took 4 hours to get it on the floor. and 12 to get it back in. For the $600 some trans shops charge this is mabe the best way to go



I had to do my install Twice see https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21833



If you do it alone Northern Tools sells a Trans jack for $64 plus shiping total around $98 . its not on the web site. only in the large book and auto tools book PN 14451-c159. this is a scissors type that you use a ratchet in to work it . thay have better ones that are more pricy. .



Just take your time and do it right the first time . Call Bill K . He will talk you thru the total process...



I used i floor jack with a 2X12 mounted on it with a single bolt

on the first install. .

the trans jack made the job much better. .



Call Bill K. Doing this once is a chore But 2 times. .

 

[DCouch]

In the shop manuel it states that you need to remove the starter and exhaust components..... did any of you have to do that? It also states to put a jack stand at the rear of the engine... ... did you guys do that? Do you need to remove transfer case if your just sliding the transmission back?

Thanks for all your help... ...

 

[Mopar-muscle]

kurt , i knew you spread the frame , i spread mine also but it just didn't seem to me to be enough to do it like that , you also need more than 6 inches to get the TC in and out but whats a couple inches between friends . when you remove the front line off the trans the tc will drain down enough to keep the mess to a minimum .



call DD , i can't quote what they charge , but its well worth the money and piece of mind you will get , did you set your TV cable properly after the VB install ?

 

[Joe G.]

By the time you get it so you can slide it back you might as well drop it. I think it's just too dangerous to work on just slid back. And too easy to mess up something expensive. The transfer case is no problem to remove. There are only six nuts. It's kind of awkward so you have to be carefull, but it's no big deal. I forgot in my post above that you have to remove the transfer case linkage. I didn't jack my engine up. The motor mounts are pretty stiff and the engine is pretty well balanced. Mine sagged just a little toward the firewall but didn't even touch it. One other thing to watch out for is the carrier bearing assembly in the middle of the rear drive shaft. This thing can knock you pretty good if you are not carefull. Another tip. The cooler lines would drip for six weeks if you let them, never stop. So get a plastic bag or pill bottle to rubber band over the ends.



Oops, almost forgot. The exhaust and starter can stay on for the diesel. You may have read that they have to come off in the gasser part.

 

[Archive]

Let the Pros do it........

I swapped mine out in the driveway... ... . alone. I hadn't realized quite so fully that I'm not 18 years old anymore untill I went to hoist the converter back into place. Don't try this trick alone (if you can help it) and I agree whole heartily with letting the Pro's do it. It's not a quick afternoon shade tree operation.

 

[DCouch]

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf....

..... goin for it!

 

[zman]

I did my TC by myself. What a pain in the a$$!! I pulled the crossmember out, unhooked the drive shafts and other stuff and slid the transmission and transfer case back as one unit using a big transmission jack that I rented. The jack handled everything just fine - except that one of the wheels was bad and it made it nearly impossible to move with a load on it. It took me about 10 hours to do the TC R&R. I got help from the neighbor when it came time to lift the new TC into place. Those things are HEAVY. Like TopFuel said, it reminded me that I'm not 18 any more.



Good Luck!



Steve

 

[DCouch]

yeah baby!!!

All done... . what a monster ... I can not believe the difference the TC makes. Its like having a new rocket truck. The job is long and rough but very rewarding. I'm glad I did it and I hope I never have to do it again.

I didn't spread the frame, you would be suprised how well a jar of vaseline, your tire iron, and a rubber mallet can slowly move that thing in an out. Anyway if your thinking about doing this, and you can, you need a transmission jack (rented), A friend (when you move the TC), patience, and be able to lay on your back in transmission fluid for two days... ... . make sure you call Bill for tips.



Thanks for all your input

 

[Joe G.]

ATTABOY!

Good deal! You will love the way it drives just driving it around. What an improvement over stock.



I think one of these transmissions would drip for six weeks if you let it.

 

[Bill Kondolay]

Good Job Doug,





Bill