Urgent Clutch Swap Gone Wrong

[david85]

Didn't realize the ZF could be so much trouble. Why the heck does it even have gear clatter in the first place? The T19 doesn't have a DMF and its fine

Even a diesel 1987 ranger has only a hint of gear clatter and 4 bangers tend to vibrate a lot more than V8s and I know it doesn't have a DMF. I don't get it.

I am happy with my E4OD. Its been some trouble mainly because of my own screw ups. But how can I argue with a picture like this? (a little blury, but you get the idea)

 

[7.3IDIDSL]

Didn't realize the ZF could be so much trouble. Why the heck does it even have gear clatter in the first place? The T19 doesn't have a DMF and its fine

Even a diesel 1987 ranger has only a hint of gear clatter and 4 bangers tend to vibrate a lot more than V8s and I know it doesn't have a DMF. I don't get it.

I am happy with my E4OD. Its been some trouble mainly because of my own screw ups. But how can I argue with a picture like this? (a little blury, but you get the idea)

I didnt know a ZF could be so much trouble either. Before switching to the 15w50 the gear noise was unbearable. There was no way i would have driven the truck like that. I dont care if the gear rattle isnt harming anything....its just that the noise was so loud you couldnt hear anything over it. While sitting with the truck idling i wanted to always push the clutch in to stop the noise.

Now that ive switched to the 15w50 and everything seems to be fine now except for a bit of noise its getting better.

But before switching the fluid i was really beating myself up for putting the SMF in there. I was actually debating swapping it back out for a DMF.

 

[Cheaper Jeeper]

Well, I finally got around to changing my fluid today. Switched to 5W30 synthetic (cheapo SuperTech from WalMart) and used 2 gallons like before.

Took it for a test drive and the grinding is much better in all gears EXCEPT the downshift from 3rd to 2nd. I'm gonna drive it like this for a while and see how it goes.

Eventually I might try draining it down one quart at a time and see if it gets any better at some level. For now, I'll just keep driving it as if my 2nd gear were a non-syncro first gear

 

[7.3IDIDSL]

Well, I finally got around to changing my fluid today. Switched to 5W30 synthetic (cheapo SuperTech from WalMart) and used 2 gallons like before.

Took it for a test drive and the grinding is much better in all gears EXCEPT the downshift from 3rd to 2nd. I'm gonna drive it like this for a while and see how it goes.

Eventually I might try draining it down one quart at a time and see if it gets any better at some level. For now, I'll just keep driving it as if my 2nd gear were a non-syncro first gear

Whats the noise like with the 5w30?

I have hardly driven my truck since the clutch swap just because of the noise and grinding gears. Right now ive still got the 15w50 in there and its filled maybe a qt. over the stock amount. If i try to drive it in the morning i cant even shift the thing. Luckily i live in the center of a neighbourhood with lots of short roads and stop signs so i just drive around in 1st and by time i get out to the main roads i can atleast shift it but it still grinds a little. And as far as noise it still is noisy at idle. One of these days im going to bump my idle up a bit and see if it helps. And i want to try a different weight of oil in there but being a college student with no money i cant afford it right now.

Lately ive been thinking about how my tranny has 330,000 kms on it and im kinda wondering if it would be worth it to rebuild the thing.

 

[Cheaper Jeeper]

Sounds about the same with the 5W30 as it did with the 15W50 - just shifts a little better..

 

[Cheaper Jeeper]

Hey all, just a quick update on my switch from 15W50 to 5W30. I drove it to Ocean Shores (~130 miles) the other day and suddenly realized I was able to downshift from 3rd to 2nd at up to 20-25 mph with no grind! I don't know if that was just because it was really warmed up after 2 hours driving or if it is finally just loosening up with the thinner oil, but I'll find out for sure when I drive home tomorrow....

 

[RLDSL]

Hey all, just a quick update on my switch from 15W50 to 5W30. I drove it to Ocean Shores (~130 miles) the other day and suddenly realized I was able to downshift from 3rd to 2nd at up to 20-25 mph with no grind! I don't know if that was just because it was really warmed up after 2 hours driving or if it is finally just loosening up with the thinner oil, but I'll find out for sure when I drive home tomorrow....

That 5w-30 synthetic probably cleaned something out, possibly a gummy synchro, temperature shouldn't effect it much.

 

[Cheaper Jeeper]

That 5w-30 synthetic probably cleaned something out, possibly a gummy synchro, temperature shouldn't effect it much.

Dunnno - I was running 15W50 synthetic before for a few thousand miles and it would grind anytime I tried to downshift above 5-10 mph.

We'll see for sure when I pull out of here tomorrow...

 

[RLDSL]

Dunnno - I was running 15W50 synthetic before for a few thousand miles and it would grind anytime I tried to downshift above 5-10 mph.

We'll see for sure when I pull out of here tomorrow...

yeah, but the 15w-50 is some mighty thick stuff and that drags the shafts and gears along with it. The lighter oil isn't going to have as much friction drag in itand will allow the parts to float freely much better.

 

[typ4]

15 50 is way to thick for a zf. tried it didnt work. i run syn atf and a little lucas power steering conditioner.

 

[Cheaper Jeeper]

Well, good news and bad news. The good news is that it wasn't a fluke. I was able to downshift 3rd to 2nd at up to 25MPH on the way home today - but only after driving about 30 miles for it to get warmed up real good.

I'm thinking I'm going to try some 0W30 synthetic if I can find it and that may take care of the problem once and for all...

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

No problems shifting with streight 30 wt. A little sluggish on cold days in the first few miles, but not enough to be a concern. Another idea I have which I don't think anyone has tried yet, is to wrap the transmission in a transmission blanket. The kind they sell for racing. Maybe some padding around it will quiet it up some. It's aluminum, so moisture isn't a concern.

Just wondering Mel: is the rollover noise you are describing from a genuine SMF conversion or the Lucky Mod?

I think the trans blanket is a good idea, I have one in my drag car and it's pretty thick and I bet it would dampen noise pretty well.

 

[trj]

Just found this thread on oil for the Lucky Mod or SMF and you guys are working on just my question. I've read the whole thing and thanks for the info.

Jeeper: Have you tried the 0-30 wt oil yet? If so, how did it work out?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[k_williams1982]

What is the difference between the SMF and the DMF? I plan on putting a ZF5 in mine (although I would like to find out how to mount a ZF6 in it) and just curious. Every ZF5 I've found says it has the DMF. Just wondering why people are changing to the SMF.

 

[Cheaper Jeeper]

Just found this thread on oil for the Lucky Mod or SMF and you guys are working on just my question. I've read the whole thing and thanks for the info.

Jeeper: Have you tried the 0-30 wt oil yet? If so, how did it work out?

Thanks,
Tom

Haven't found a cheap source of 0W30 yet, so no, I haven't changed it over. It only takes driving it a little while to warm it up enough to be able to downshift without a grind, so I'm not in a rush to change it again. Its kind of a pain in the backside to change since I have to remove the shifter to overfill it through the shift tower.

What is the difference between the SMF and the DMF? I plan on putting a ZF5 in mine (although I would like to find out how to mount a ZF6 in it) and just curious. Every ZF5 I've found says it has the DMF. Just wondering why people are changing to the SMF.

The difference is about $1000 - if your DMF ever needs to be replaced or rebuilt - vs. buying the Autozone parts. If you have to buy a SMF (because you don't already have one) then the difference shrinks to only $700....

The DMFs seem to disintegrate somewhere in the 100k-150k range. Fixing or replacing one is VERY spendy...