superdodge

Hi, I'm wondering what sort of time I should allow for changing the torque converter and flex plate in my '93.

I have 2 trans jacks, an assortment of long extensions, the new t/q, new flexplate, new rear seal, new front trans seal.

never worked on a diesel before except for the lift pump which I did today.

I see the starter is actually bolted to the block, can I leave it in place?

also, is it necessary to remove the exhaust system?

My shop manual is on the way, but wont be here for a week or so.

the truck doesnt fit fully inside the shop and there is no concrete outside so I'll have to roll the truck back out of the shop for the night if I cant get the job done in one day.

I plan to use a 3/4 ton chain comealong from frame rail to frame rail with wood blocking under the oil pan to support the rear of the engine.

any other problems to watch out for?

pls adv,
tks,
rjm

bigredbrick

I've heard about guys doing it in 3-4 hours - that means it would take me 3-4 days! I'm going to be replacing the rear main this weekend. Unfortunately, I can't get the truck into the garage and I have a gravel driveway, so I'm going to get a sheet of 3/4 ply to work on so I can roll the jack. It shouldn't be any different than pulling the transfer case and trans on a gasser. To support the engine I was thinking of using a board (4x4) between the fenders with some chain to the lift plate.
Hopefully, someone who's dunnit will chime in!

superdodge

Well... it took me 8 hours to get it out in one piece.

I'm hoping I didnt bend the input shaft... time will tell I guess.

next time will be much easier for sure.

it got cold the day after I got it out so the project has kind of stalled. its supposed to warm up soon though so shouldnt be too long.

I used a 3/4 ton chain come along and a couple of short 2X4's to support the engine. it actually works pretty good as it gives you a good positive adjustment of the engine attitude that is necessary to allow for trans housing clearance between the top of the tranny and the firewall/floorpan seam.


I dont know about the idea of doing it on a sheet of plywood... its a tough go in one piece, even with two tranny jacks and a concrete floor.

tks,
rjm

superdodge

its hard to see the front come along but its set up similarl to the one in the rear with a couple of 6 inch long 2X4's, one on each side of the oil drain plug to help with leverage and to protect the oil pan.

tks,
rjm

bigredbrick

It was raining Sat. so I didn't get to mine. I'm going to separate the trans and t-case - might be easier to handle. I have a regular floor jack and one of those trans holder attachments like in your picture that I just noticed!

Dean Snow

Good luck with it. Let us know how it goes. Are you adding a performance torque converter? If so which one did you choose?

bigredbrick

I wish I had the cash to replace the converter and flexplate! So I'll get to do it again sometime!

Field_boss_cb

I changed one on a 2-wheel-drive, been couple years ago. I don't think I supported the engine. Jacked-up the transmission, removed the cross-member
and let them down till they stopped. Then removed the bolts holding the transmission to the engine. The bolts for the flywheel to TC were the only difficult thing of the whole job. They are mean!

superdodge

Okay, the job's pretty well finished.

I know this is old ground for a lot of people, but it was the first time for me. There were a number of mistakes I made that cost me a lot of grief.



this worked well and allowed me to move the truck once the guts had been removed.



the BD torque converter uses oem housing.

[IMG][IMG]

One of the biggest problems I had was trying to get the assembly out of the truck in the first place. I had a real fight to get clear of the torque converter because of interference with the cab. next time I'm going to take the whole works in one piece, Including the torque converter. as you can see in the picture, the assembly balances well with the t/q in place, in fact, in this picture it was just slightly light at the t/q end, but I had no stability problems. I could have probably put a couple more litres of fluid in the t/q and had it balance perfectly. also, with this arrangement you get a couple of extra inches of clearance because of the jack sitting under the o/d rather than the oil pan. it worked really good. it took about 4 hours total to put it back in, but most of that was the small stuff.

[IMG][/IMG]

the t/q bolts supplied from BD didnt look as good as the originals, which I cleaned up and reused.

[IMG][/IMG]

it looks like it was about time to open the old girl up.

I guess I'll have to wait for the pictures to be authorized and upload one more, then I can link within the site.

The shifts do feel firmer, but the real improvement is the way it seems a lot more solid at rpm. Time will tell what sort of mileage improvements and trans temp benefits I get, but it definitely feels a lot better than it did.

I was surprised how easy it was to spin the flex plate for bolting up the t/q.

all thats left is to drill and tap the inspection cover holes for 1/4 bolts and that should be the end of it... for now

tks,
rjm

Tuckerdee

I've had my transmission out twice in the past year. You get faster each time!

I've got a pit in my garage so it's definitely easier. Takes me about 2 hours to get it out and on the bench.

I've also found that engine support isn't really required. The engine is pretty well balanced on the mounts with a slight bias to the rear. I just disconnect the exhaust at the turbo then let the head rest against the firewall. Works just fine.