I am the new owner of another IDI

[homelessduck]

I'm going to drop the trans and pull it apart. I might attempt to rebuild it myself. I've had an e4 apart, it wasn't too scary. I don't know yet though. .. I'll start by pulling it apart and see if it's something I feel comfortable with. I don't really have the cash to pay for a rebuild. I still have to have my e4 rebuilt ..
It gets priority.

What kind of diagnostic work can be done with the trans out and at a trans shop? Other than tearing it apart and looking for something broken.


Even though the other gears work and don't slip they still engage really soft. When I select each gear I have to really try to feel it engage. I just don't see how reverse and OD would burn up, I would think they would get used the least and if anything 1st or 2nd would be the ones to go ..

 

[Black dawg]

This has to be the most action a gm diesel has ever gotten on this website....and it is in a ford forum.

 

[homelessduck]

I'm surprised no one has told me to **** with my cheby questions ;p

I looked at some rebuild kits but I'm really not sure what I should do. I have a feeling I'm going to completely disassemble the trans, find no obvious issues and be left wondering ***. The rebuild kits don't include solenoid packs or any electronics so if that's my issue it would be a total waste.

The TC and pump can be bench tested right?

Calvin : I know you said if it was the pump it would affect all gears, but wouldn't a weak pump be more noticeable in reverse due to it requiring more pressure? All gears engage the same, I can feel it but it's very weak. It will reverse on it's own at an idle on flat ground, it just slips at the slightest incline. There is no delay either, it engages right away. Sorry, just rambling and brainstorming.

 

[towcat]

This has to be the most action a gm diesel has ever gotten on this website....and it is in a ford forum.

believe me......i have strongly thought on moving it down to the GM6.2/6.5 section.
the moment someone complains, I will.

 

[towcat]

I'm surprised no one has told me to **** with my cheby questions ;p

I looked at some rebuild kits but I'm really not sure what I should do. I have a feeling I'm going to completely disassemble the trans, find no obvious issues and be left wondering ***. The rebuild kits don't include solenoid packs or any electronics so if that's my issue it would be a total waste.

The TC and pump can be bench tested right?

Calvin : I know you said if it was the pump it would affect all gears, but wouldn't a weak pump be more noticeable in reverse due to it requiring more pressure? All gears engage the same, I can feel it but it's very weak. It will reverse on it's own at an idle on flat ground, it just slips at the slightest incline. There is no delay either, it engages right away. Sorry, just rambling and brainstorming.

do bear in mind a diagnostic via the internet is only as good as the symptoms being posted. hell, it's already a bear doing it in real-time with the vehicle in front of you. there's much that can be unreported or overlooked and the diagnostic outcome can be greatly affected.
My physical experience with transmissions ended with THM400's and C6's years ago. I haven't worked the back shop in years. these days, I run the front office, dispatch drivers, sell work to customers, and assign work to mechanics. Still, 25 years of see/touch/feel hard diagnostic experience is still used daily. only difference is now I have some kids running into the office thinking they're master techs because they have a diagnostic computer in their hands. They still have yet to master the touch and feel part and that takes time. My partner otoh, has kept up with the schooling for the latest transmission diagnostic and overhaul. He doesn't like the front office but loves the challenge of the physical work. As a result, we work well together and he is not the only business I am involved with, but he does keep me entertained. I will have him look over these posts tomorrow and get his .02. in the meantime, al I can do is wait.
There is one thing that hasn't been brought up. You may be right about the pump being NFG. It is very possible that it may have gotten jammed and distorted if the torque convertor slipped out of the tangs during the motor swap. Noone would knowingly put in a good motor into a vehicle with a bad trans. I am also of the opinion that the trans was also abused while the fluid level was low. Someone walked away from this project in frustration. There's no telling how they took their anger out on the truck before sending it away.

 

[homelessduck]

That's what I was thinking about the pump, considering the guy that installed the engine didn't care about it as it wasn't his project, it would be easy to be careless and bang into the pump.
It did sit for 10 years, maybe a seal just dried out and is leaking causing low pressure.

I called the PO back to try to gather more information about the trans. He said he never drove it. He bought it from a guy with the engine blown. He was told. The transmission was just rebuilt 10k ago and was a few thousand to have done. The guy was very religious so he thought he could trust him. He sounded genuinely upset to hear about the trans problems. He is an older guy and I'm sure he is telling me the truth. He sounds very genuine. He bought it, trailered it home, parked it, then payed someone to install his good engine from his motorhome that was falling apart. The mechanic couldn't get it to stay running so he trailered it home and it sat in his yard until I bought it.

So either the owner before him lied, or the mechanic that installed the engine screwed something up during install. It would have had to be the owner before him that screwed it up because it would only run for a few minutes when I got it. I guess the mechanic could have had lots of short joy rides . You never know. I'm going to drop the trans today.

 

[homelessduck]

Thank you Calvin, I really appreciate it.

Also .. I apologize for posting some much GM stuff in the wrong forum. I really didn't think it would get this in-depth. It was just suppose to be a check out my new idi thread. I appreciate everyone helping me with this, despite it being in the wrong forum.

Thanks guys.

 

[homelessduck]

Here are some pics of the t-case Calvin :
http://s20.postimage.org/r1ijme0il/130305_0001.jpg
http://s20.postimage.org/dymx34aal/130305_0002.jpg

I'm leaning towards the issue being the over drive roller sprag. It is applied in OD and reverse, and issues with it will cause slipping in OD and reverse. GM apparently updated this part due to issues with it.
I checked the tps setting today, which I should have done in the beginning. It's 1.1v at idle, clean sweep to 4.8v at wot. I also checked for codes again , nothing stored.