Fasterthanyou925
Registered User
How do you keep the slave compressed?
Pulling ZF-5 for freeze plug replacement
- Thread starter Fasterthanyou925
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Fasterthanyou925
Registered User
Also, since I'm just doing freeze plugs can I slide the trans/x-member back together and just leave it in without dropping both?
You will never get it to slide out of the way far enough to do what you want on long bolts. For instance, clutch is say 5 inches thick, trans can move back about 3, unless the cab is off. Way more work to screw with than dropping it clear out of the way.
my advice is to remove the transfer completely. its really simple to pull it off.
6 bolts and the linkage.
makes it alot easier.
i always use a new gasket, but if yours is not torn, you can reuse it.
when i installed mine, i actually had the bench seat out, and used a cherry picker through the cab to raise and lower it.
tranny jacks can be a pita.
also, out of all these threads on pulling and installing a ZF5, or any other manual for that matter,
i dont see anyone offering this advice.
i dont know if they dont know or dont care,
but when re-installing i use 6" bolts threaded into the adapter plate with the head cut off to help in aligning the transmission...
made my life alot easier!
good luck on this endevor.
and use silicon when installing the plug!
LCAM-01XA
Full Access Member
He wants to use the bolts as guide pins after he's done with the clutch - somewhat easier that way cause you can see the bellhousing lining up with the bolts, whereas once the nose of the input shaft disappears behind the pressure plate fingers it's harder to determine if it's properly lined up with the bushing/bearing in the flywheel.
And I promptly forgot to measure the length of the bolts needed, hopefully tomorrow I'll actually remember to do so.
Don't really need a new gasket for a ZF5, or even one at all. The output shaft has a seal deep inside the housing, there is no transmission fluid reaching the transfer case, it's a completely dry area there. Or at least it should be, if it's not then one of the seals (transmission output shaft or transfer case input shaft) is leaking and should therefore be replaced. Use some RTV instead of a gasket, works fine. If it were a 4-speed transmission, then yes, a gasket (or again some RTV, personally I prefer gasket + RTV) is required between the tail housing and the t-case as it is a "wet" area with fluid entering thru the output shaft bearing.
Never found transmission jacks to be a PITA, if it's a good one it works. You should try installing a Road-Ranger transmission without a jack appropriate for its size and weight, now THAT is a PITA
Cherry picker thru the floor cab, yeah sure, how do you get the transmission under the truck in the first place? I load her up on the jack outside the truck, strap her down, use jack to tilt her so she slides under the frame rails easiers, once under the cab straighten her up again, lift her up, adjust angle to match engine (tip: having the nose of the truck lower than the rear end makes the engine nearly horizontal), then slide her in forward. Not rocket science, and I can adjust and guide her any way I want without having to balance her on a strap hanging thru the cab...The guide bolts have been discussed already, in this very thread even, the member from Germany was asking how long they need to be. Guess you just answered his question tho, if 6" long is what you use and it works well.
Some one else might have a easier way but I don't cage it, I just stick the rod into the throw out fork and compress by hand to install.
I also don't run a gasket between the t-case and trans but it doesn't matter being that you don't have a t-case.
LCAM-01XA
Full Access Member
Missed that part - well on ours we put in a new slave when we put in the fist bolt-action trans in, and we kept the plastic retailer it came with - the "ears" of that look a bit goofy just spread out and hanging in mid-air doing nothing, but when it's time to pull the slave for whatever reason you can just compress it by hand then hook said ears up to its bracket right back how it was when you got it new. Alternatively I've seen it mentioned to use a big worm-drive hose clamp, like for house air duct or something, but idk how well that works...
i put mine on a wheel dolly and moved it into place, then used a cargo strap to the cherry picker.
never had the luxury of a nice trans jack, as a hobbyist, i rarely need one and as someone with a small work shop it would take up more room and be in the way most of the time.
6" is just whats readily available. it dont really matter as long as you can get it close and get it to slide home.
i guess i missed the post where it had been discussed.
oops.
madpogue
Full Access Member
^^^^ This. The "official" way that clip works is that you leave it clipped on, then the first time you use the clutch, it breaks the ears off. But as said, it's better to flip the ears off the bracket first. When you want to remove the slave later, you can hook 'em back onto the bracket without having to comress it while the slave is in place.
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Fasterthanyou925
Registered User
OK so with my wife as my assistant we've gotten this far in about 35 mins (she's a pretty good wrench from being around me so long, and drop dead gorgeous to boot
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Fasterthanyou925
Registered User
Any tips for doing this WITHOUT a trans jack? I couldn't find a floor style locally (I live in the boondocks) and don't have a lift
You have got to have at least a floor jack, unless you are strong enough to man handle the transfer case and then the tranny yourself. Get the transfer case ready to come off, then get your wife to operate the floor jack while you sort of balance it on the jack and persuade it off. Just keep it from falling off the jack while she lowers it down. Do the tranny the same way.
LCAM-01XA
Full Access Member
Lol, yeah, he's 2wd, no t-case for him, makes things easier actually.
One can use a normal floor jack (like, for lifting a vehicle). The larger the circle pad the better. Do NOT try to just balance the transmission onto it, STRAP her down to it in any ways you can think of. 2 ratchet straps in X-pattern should do it, tighten them as much as you can. Run some straps from frame rail to frame rail under the transmission too, then once the trans is slid out from the clutch wiggle it around a bit to see how tipsy she feels - the straps under the frames are to stabilize it and hopefully prevent it from hitting the ground should it attempt to slide off the jack. Get the rear of the truck higher than the front, you need enough height difference to make the engine sit level - than makes it easier to slide the trans first out and then back in as you don't have to adjust for normal driveline angle you'd be dealing with if truck was on a lift. And since you're only doing the clutch stuff (and plugs behind it), there's actually no need to lower the jack once the trans is loose - just slide it back as far as you need, and again put some frame rail straps under it in case the jack decides to lower on you. If you don't trust the straps use 2x4 board instead, really pretty much anything you need to do to ensure the stupid thing stays up high where it needs to be and doesn't come crashing down. With two people it's easier to handle it - she can move the jack while you can bearhug the transmission to stabilize it while on the move. Good luck!
One can use a normal floor jack (like, for lifting a vehicle). The larger the circle pad the better. Do NOT try to just balance the transmission onto it, STRAP her down to it in any ways you can think of. 2 ratchet straps in X-pattern should do it, tighten them as much as you can. Run some straps from frame rail to frame rail under the transmission too, then once the trans is slid out from the clutch wiggle it around a bit to see how tipsy she feels - the straps under the frames are to stabilize it and hopefully prevent it from hitting the ground should it attempt to slide off the jack. Get the rear of the truck higher than the front, you need enough height difference to make the engine sit level - than makes it easier to slide the trans first out and then back in as you don't have to adjust for normal driveline angle you'd be dealing with if truck was on a lift. And since you're only doing the clutch stuff (and plugs behind it), there's actually no need to lower the jack once the trans is loose - just slide it back as far as you need, and again put some frame rail straps under it in case the jack decides to lower on you. If you don't trust the straps use 2x4 board instead, really pretty much anything you need to do to ensure the stupid thing stays up high where it needs to be and doesn't come crashing down. With two people it's easier to handle it - she can move the jack while you can bearhug the transmission to stabilize it while on the move. Good luck!
Fasterthanyou925
Registered User
This is basically what I did. I took 2 jacks one at the bell housing lip one near the tail shaft on 2x4's with 2 sets of straps running from the from rails then I bolted shifter back in and had my wife guide the side to side motion then backed it off, unbolted the shifter then let it down, jacked one side of the truck up then slid the trans out onto a trans dolly
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I wish my truck sat this high up front!
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