I was sitting at a red light, turned green, pushed the go pedal and BANG clang clang clang...then the truck rolled to a stop.

A few moments later I had to engage the parking brake as the truck started to roll backwards.

Not sure about the damage yet, but judging from the pieces of metal on the ground and about 5 gallons of tranny fluid, I'd say she's done.

So, now I need to figure out what to do with a dead A518.

If I'm going to put a new one in she's definitely going to need a tighter converter and such, although i never plan on throwing down big numbers I'd like something that won't friggin explode with no warning.

Any thoughts/ideas/insight?



damon

 

NV4500? Getrag? cool 8 0r 10 speed?

 

I would love to change it to a stick, but not sure if I have the time to find the parts or to do the conversion.

 

Question:

Is there a big difference between a 2wd a518 and a 4wd a518? Assuming it was the tranny and not the transfer case that popped, could I buy a 2wd 518 and stick all my 2wd parts on it, or is that not an easy swap?

 

Another question: If I found a getrag for my truck, out of a 4x4, what all would I need, as far as accessories, to bolt the thing in in place of the auto?

Thanks,

damon

 

Its an esey swap just unbolt the tail shaft hsg and it comes right off. next you would need to check to see if you had the right shim in it then its bolt back on ken

 

Ken,

Was that in reply to the 2wd to 4wd auto tranny swap?

Thanks!

 

yes that is about the auto swap.ether way the only difference is the tail shaft and the housing all other parts in the 4wd and the 2wd are the same. so you could just take your 4wd tail hsg. assy. off your 4wd trans and put it on your 2wd 518 ken

 

The transmission shops around here only do aftermarket rebuilds and beef them up big time. Full billet construction, which I learned means tougher than a coffin nail, shift kits, etc....they can also run different amounts of boost out of them and build it custom to what you wanna do...i.e., tow, smoke, race, etc...starting at $2200...AAMCO is the only one that offers financing. 6 months no interest if you qaulify...its cheaper then a 5spd swap...unless of course you do it yourself. Sorry about your truck. Best of luck.

 

I'm just going to throw out a suggestion. Before you start making a shopping list, (unless you just want to) pull the inspection cover and check the flex plate. It could very easily be the problem.

 

LOL, I think this sentence kind of precludes an easy fix................"Not sure about the damage yet, but judging from the pieces of metal on the ground and about 5 gallons of tranny fluid, I'd say she's done."

 

Actually, I threw some cardboard down and crawled underneath the truck at lunch.

Under the drivers side, everything looked fine, except it was wet.

I, of course, hit my head on a brace or something...scab.

Then I crawled under the pass. side.

This is when the damage became apparent.

The back of the transfer case is sitting on the skid plate. Everything on the front section of the tranny looks great.

The rear housing (center part going from the main tranny to the transfer case) is totally broken...jagged break from front to back on that piece. The transfer case *looked* fine...

There are a few parts, and what looks like the cap from a u-joint, sitting on the skid plate under the transfer case.

Not sure what to make of it. The truck was running for a few moments after the thing happened, and it was just dumping fluid out, so I don't know if the whole thing is shot, or if i can fix the back, or what to think...

 

wow that sucks man, If your not plannin on puttin down big numbers, I would jsut get it rebuilt with a few upgrades, and especially a tighter converter.

Was your transmission on its way out? was it slippin and stuff and actin funny or did it just take a dump all of a sudden?

I'm just waitin for my tranny to do that one of these days...

 

Was running/driving just fine, actually.

I've gotta wonder if a brace was missing or something though...i don't know...seems weird that the transfer case basically fell off after the back part of the tranny cracked.

 

The transfer case just hangs off of the OD section of the transmission. It sounds like you broke the OD housing (sometimes listed as a transfer case adapter). This is also the part that changes it from a 2wd trans to a 4wd trans.