Flexplate question

[jbuck]

1986 Ford F-250 6.9 2wd c-6. NAPA has a listing for ring gear for flexplate so i am assuming that this is a two piece unit that can be repaired. Is the ring gear welded onor what? Ford does not make unit any longer. Need help.

 

[icanfixall]

Welcome to the forum. The ring gear is for the heavy cast iron flexplate type auto trans setup. There is also a lite flexplate type setup too. The lite stamped steel flexplate has a welded on ring gear where the heavy wheel does not. Why do you feel the need for a gear. You can use either lite or heavy flexplates on any idi engine but.. If your converting to lite from heavy you will need a crank spacer. Sorry but ford no longer makes them but Brians Truck Shop (BTS) in Leadhill Arkansas does. He als sells the better flexplates that wont crack. They are the stamped steel with the welded ring gear. All flexplate options use the same bolts and the torque is 47 lbs. You must use a thread sealant on the bolts too or the oil from the crankcase will leak out past the bolts.

 

[lindstromjd]

His other post said the P.O. installed the wrong starter on the truck and chewed up the flex plate so it needs replaced. I assume he was checking on ring gears as a fix for it instead of a replacement.

 

[jbuck]

Just bought the truck, previous owner replaced the starter with wrong unit and it ate the teeth up on flexplate. I have not removed it yet and did not look to see which unit i have. Is the heavy unit welded in or bolted in and would that be something a machine shop could do?

 

[ford390gashog]

You can do the ring gear swap yourself. If you have it out set the whole thing on top of a bucket and proceed to take a torch to the ring gear and heat the entire ring up the best you can. You will know its ready as most of the time it just falls right off. The ring gear is cheap I got one from rock auto and it was 19.00 plus shipping. You just reverse the procedure when you install and make sure to take note of the beveled edge when installing the new unit.

 

[towcat]

You can do the ring gear swap yourself. If you have it out set the whole thing on top of a bucket and proceed to take a torch to the ring gear and heat the entire ring up the best you can. You will know its ready as most of the time it just falls right off. The ring gear is cheap I got one from rock auto and it was 19.00 plus shipping. You just reverse the procedure when you install and make sure to take note of the beveled edge when installing the new unit.

+1
further clarification.
the heavy cast iron piece you can see when you pull the trans dustcover is the "flywheel". that is the monster the ring gear is mounted onto.
the stamped sheetmetal plate that connects the crank onto the torque convertor is the flexplate. it is harder to see that one when just casually inspecting the flywheel.

 

[jbuck]

OK that make sense. When the guy (PO) put the wrong starter on he damaged the ring gear. So my flexplate should be ok i just need to order the ring gear. Correct.

Thanks

 

[icanfixall]

The above is true in many ways. The ring gear is just held on the heavy cast iron wheels with friction and being a few thousands undersize. Heating it up will make it drop orr or drill a couple of holes in the between the gear teeth. Then hit it with a hammer and chiesel. Do it this way if you don't have any way to heat it up to remove it.. Now make sure you see the bevel cut on the teeth. That side must face the starter. To heat up the new gear put it in the kitchen oven.. But please don't do this when the wifey is around... she wont understand.... They never do. Have the plate on a stand of some type and ready to get the hot gear placed on it... Do not heat the gear more than 250 to 275 degrees. Its not needed to make it grow enough to fit easily. Figure about 30 minutes in the oven. Remove with hot gloves or pot holders and place it on the wheel. It will fit nicely. As it cools it shrinks to make a tight fit. Have a hammer and punch ready just in case it mounts the wheel badly but... If its at least 250 degrees it will fall onto the machined area of the wheel easy.. Remember the torque and the thread sealant too. Sorry but the trans needs to be removed to do this job. Make sure you take pics just in case you forget how the three pieces of the fleaplate fit the crank. Do not forget the special stamped torque spreading washer thats just under the crank bolts. Ask any questions before making any mistakes. Someone is always here to offer help.

 

[jbuck]

Thank you gentleman that makes me feel better.

 

[jbuck]

You know since my wife drives the Dodge i just realized i may have offended some nice female forum member. Not intended, thanks again to all.