Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Will the levers be in each others' way?

[rMetzger]

My early '98 is getting a G-56. Does anyone happen to know if I'm likely to have lever interference with the transfer-case lever, when I need reverse, or even, conceivably 1st or2nd?



If so, what to do?

 

[MStearns]

Yes, during my G56 swap I found I could not be in Reverse and 4WD at the same time... probably something you would need. Some of this may have been a result of the mount I built for the 4WD lever but some of it is just the wider pattern on the G56. I ended up cutting the 4WD lever at the base about half way through, bent it outward approx an inch and welded it. Works great!

 

[rMetzger]

Thanks, Mark. Might be a moot point, though. Looks like a different project chewed up the$$$ that the G-56ing would have needed. Seems I'm destined to let some circuitry and hydraulic pressure tell me what gear to be in

 

[rMetzger]

Got the G-56!!! The shop couldn't mate it up to my old T-case anyway, due to the bigger output shaft, so swapped the bigger t-case, too. To make that all work, adjusting happened and fitment happened and the only mod has been a little bit of torch bending of the gearshift lever.

When I got my "cup smoothie" from Geno's, I had to make about another 1" of bend, for knob-bang prevention in 6th.

Happy, happy, joy joy!

 

[MStearns]

That is odd that your transfer case didn't bolt up. Mine bolted right up on my 96... It should be the same transfer case... . Wait, you were swapping out an automatic, that must be the difference.

 

[rMetzger]

Yup. Output shaft from transmission had a size difference; G56 bigger diameter, so needed a big t-case, but here's an ***-kicker for ya; the case from the '06 chassis-cab had a smaller rear output than my OEM case.



Solution: split both tcases, and hybridize the halves so that all the "big" parts actually mate up. Fortunate, anyway, because I was probably within a few hard pulls of throwing a chain thru the casing.



If it makes a difference, the donor truck was an '06 4x4 chassis cab that got rolled @ about 65000 miles.



Required considerable drive shaft length adjusting, fore and aft, but not enough to eliminate the carrier bearing.



Rear axle was hammered, as well, so needed to be sourced and replaced. Inspected a bunch of used Dana 70s and nearly all had the same issue: spun bearings.



This afternoon, I lost throttle travel, right in front of Port Lavaca Dodge, so I'm @ the holiday inn posting this from my little phone.



Working out the bugs.

 

[Matt42]

Yup. Output shaft from transmission had a size difference; -snip-



This afternoon, I lost throttle travel, right in front of Port Lavaca Dodge, so I'm @ the holiday inn posting this from my little phone.



Working out the bugs.

Let us know if this turns out to be the ball sockets on the throttle linkage. If yours has that kind. That happened to me going up the Black Canyon Grade, towing. Fixed it on the roadside.

 

[rMetzger]

Upper ball and socket still nicely fitted. Is there also a set on the bottom rear of the IP? That's where the tech/mech was reaching, feeling and shining his flashlight.



I couldn't manipulate the upper portion more than about 1/4"



Sucks having a truck down :{

 

[rMetzger]

Rack hung up. Getting IP replaced. Moving Friday, and it was reliable back and forth to work until my last day, which was Thursday.

Decided to take a shakedown run up the highway to see what Ike had done to Galveston, and what repairs had been made. Made it to Port Lavaca, when that happened.

Better here than Ozona, Ft Stockton, Albuquerque, Denver, Cheyenne, or not quite SLC.

Lot of empty space out thataway

 

[rMetzger]

No convoy on this leg of migration. Son and I drove to SLC in his Cummins Ramcharger, and now I'm flying back to Texas to continue the adventure.


Even with our failure to load the trailer 60/40, which limited us to 55-60mph, way out of his truck's efficiency zone, it got 13-15mph.

 

[rMetzger]

Retrieved truck from Port L. Forgot what a DOG a 180HP pump makes for! Brought it to my custom guy so he can finish getting the speedometer working, verify torque on all the bolt ups, install my new injectors and at least slide that damn plate!

 

[rMetzger]

Well, it's been a really long time since all this started. Here's the update:

Turns out that Port Lavaca Dodge installed an O'Reilly's reman that they'd had on inventory for about a year. Ran like crap. Fueling was uneven from one cylinder to the next. Was getting aluminum shavings. My custom guy discovered all this over a long period of time, which included a paper-chase on invoices, and a bit of heart-to-heart conscience tweaking between him and the local Corpus Christi O'Reilly's regional (or district?) manager.

Long and short, it was a few additional weeks of trucklessness before all this was resolved, O'Reilly's warranteed the pump, Mike did the install, timing, new injectors, and it runs and drives really well.

But the speedometer still has never been addressed, and I still get the ABS/Brake light illuminating on the dashboard... . And the cruise, to which I was never emotionally attached, doesn't work.

Speedo/Odo read about 62% of real speed/distance. I've seen ads on the 'net for little electronic devices that claim to correct the input signal, and supposedly even extinguish codes. Anybody know if that would be a good $180 to spend, or would I just be ******* into very expensive wind?

 

[cerberusiam]

Off hand, either the ABS sensor is bad or the ABS module. The speedometer and odometer are measured of the ABS sensor in the rear diff. Since you have an ABS light and the the speedo problem something is wrong in that circuit.



Have tried getting codes?

 

[rMetzger]

Another update!!! The replacement axle crapped out on me. Got another, and lo and behold, the speedometer works, now! Only things left on "to-do" list are: get the reverse lights working, replace exhaust manifold (slightly warped/leaking @ cylinder head), new step-rails (15-year-old Westins rusting through), and MAYBE sell the 19. 5" Ricksons in favor of "original" size wheels and enjoy a bigger variety of tires.

 

[dieseljeep]

If you want regular size wheels I'd love a set of 19. 5s

 

[Cosmo]

What a bunch of drama... makes me think twice about screwing around with my truck.

 

[rMetzger]

What a bunch of drama... makes me think twice about screwing around with my truck.

Life would have been so much simpler if I'd have just gotten a manual way-back-when. Got an automatic so that the wife could help drive on long trips. In 200,000 miles, that amounted to less than 1%. Wasn't good math. And, by the time all this driving had been done, there was an emotional attachment, in the form of memories where the truck played a role in some event. "Tiny" morphed into more than just a piece of equipment.

 

[rMetzger]

Update... . everything has been peachy, and finally bit the bullet on a 3-piece exhaust manifold. Should be arriving from eBay in the next few days. Maybe won't take me a damn year to get it installed

 

[rMetzger]

Exhaust manifolds swapped! The TAP! TAP! TAP! sound of the leak is gone, presumably forever. Can't actually tell if spool-up is faster or if there's any other kind of efficiency difference. Seems like it ought to be, just because those 90* corners are gone, which ought to decrease turbulence. Maybe just a few percent, but, couldn't tell. Sounds better though, and maybe the exhaust brake will work a little better with less leakage.