ZF5 Rebuild

[rjjp]

How hard is it to rebuild a ZF5, mainly just bearings and seals, possibly syncro's. Is this a job that I can do myself or am I best off to take it to a professional? I want to replace the bearings and such before installing it in place of an E4OD.

 

[Fordman75]

Haven't tried it myself yet. But I was told it requires some special tools. Don't know if that's true or if the guy was full of BS.

 

[itsacrazyasian]

it does.

I'm gonna pull my zf5 and hand it to my tranny guy. He told me he'd charge me 300 to go through it and i'd bring him a full rebuild kit with upgraded synchos.

But i filled mine full of redline MTF and it cleared much of the shifting problems up so much that i'm leaving it in there.

 

[7.3n/anut]

no special tools needed. i rebuilt mine myself. the biggest specialty tool is feeler guages and a dial indicator. the biggest pain i had was gittin all the gears off of the mainshaft and putting the syncros and blocker rings in. there is a very specific process though you dont follow it and you gotta start all over

PS your best bet is to find a working tranny (doesnt have to be a ZF5 and take it apart and put it back together to see if it still works) IF you want to try it yerself. if you are not familiar at all with transmissions then send it off

 

[gonecrazyi]

I watched my younger brother pull apart a 4x4 ranger tranny from his 85/90. What pain that looked like. One mistake and he had yo take it all back apart. You don't usuall see th mistakes till you are putting it back together lol.

 

[7.3n/anut]

indeed i think why all my gears were such a pain is the the bearings on 1st and reverse welded themselves to the mainshaft. i think the guy before me towed it with the driveshaft hooked up. if you would like to know the bull gear which is the drive gear for the tranny and splined tot he clutch disc. this turns the countershaft and splashes lube onto the mainshaft. therefore.....if the engine is not running and being towed with the drveshaft hooked up the mainshaft is spinning with no lube. a.k.a. abd idea lol.

but no really the biggest pain was putting the synchros in. oh yeah 2 sets peter panned across the shop. good thing i had spares hahaha.

 

[itsacrazyasian]

indeed i think why all my gears were such a pain is the the bearings on 1st and reverse welded themselves to the mainshaft. i think the guy before me towed it with the driveshaft hooked up. if you would like to know the bull gear which is the drive gear for the tranny and splined tot he clutch disc. this turns the countershaft and splashes lube onto the mainshaft. therefore.....if the engine is not running and being towed with the drveshaft hooked up the mainshaft is spinning with no lube. a.k.a. abd idea lol.

but no really the biggest pain was putting the synchros in. oh yeah 2 sets peter panned across the shop. good thing i had spares hahaha.

for 300 i think right there makes it worth it for me to pay my tranny guy!

I'll do motors (doing a caddy right now) but separating the zf internals seems to be the biggest pita.

 

[Diesel_brad]

My tranny guy charges 500 + parts to pull, rebuild and reinstall a ZF. Not worth my headache for 500. Averages about 700 total job

 

[MidnightBlade]

i am having a friend do mine (reverse took a crap). all i am doing is synchros, and possibly cheaping out and only doing reverse, then let all the others eat themselves so i can have a powershiftable ZF-5 with minimal damage to be done

 

[7.3n/anut]

for 300 i think right there makes it worth it for me to pay my tranny guy!

oh abolutely. i just wanted to do it myself hahaha. 800 bucks later it was done.

My over haul:

New 1st gear =96
used reverse = 75
steel syncro kit w blockers and detents = cant remember haha 240?
Mainshaft = 125 (18.5 ")
seals and bearings =110?
5th/rev shift collar = 110?
1st/2nd shift collar = 120?

that isnt accurate but all i know is is i had fun through all the crying my wallet did the total came to 791 after shipping. hahaha

 

[7.3n/anut]

oh if anyone needs driveline parts for anything i work with ManTrans down in florida. great place cheaper by 200 for all the parts above than anyone else

 

[itsacrazyasian]

oh if anyone needs driveline parts for anything i work with ManTrans down in florida. great place cheaper by 200 for all the parts above than anyone else

thats about what i paid for my rebuild kit from transtar.

btw i'm going through a a northstar motor out of a 2001 deville.... I don't mind doing that but when i talked to my tranny guy just the odd assortment of pullers and such that i don't have made me pass. watching him split the internals on a gas zf5 made me cringe.

edit: i paid 300 for my overall kit

 

[riotwarrior]

oh if anyone needs driveline parts for anything i work with ManTrans down in florida. great place cheaper by 200 for all the parts above than anyone else

Ok I'll bite...seals and bearings for a Ford married NP 205 t/case and same with oil pump and chain for a BW 1356

Lets say a nice stock of say 12 of the 6 bolt PTO cover on my NP 205

How about some prices on a package for a ZF5sp rebuild kit for a diesel. ????

 

[rjjp]

I personally never noticed any problems with the tranny when it was in our 88, but my father claims that it makes noises (he describes gear rollover type noises). I didn't drive the 88 much or fast as I was always off road with it. It only has 51,600 miles on it and has been rebuilt once (******* employee couldn't tell the difference between 3rd and reverse when getting a push start).

But one thing I have learned over the years is to heed my fathers warnings.

 

[hesutton]

oh if anyone needs driveline parts for anything i work with ManTrans down in florida. great place cheaper by 200 for all the parts above than anyone else

I've got an Eaton Fuller FS-6306A I'm going to open up and convert it from direct drive to overdrive. I'll need some gears, seal and bearing kit, and synchro's. Do they have good prices on Eaton Fuller parts?

Heath