46RE DIY Rebuild
Legend
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 8,658
Likes: 7
From: Central Oklahoma
gobbel1,
Fantastic write-up and you did well with the pictures. Some are squished and I know what it's like when trying to get close-ups shots with clarity.
Do you advise a tear down first so that all parts in question can be inspected and marked for replacement? What replacement parts/method did you use on your transmission? I've been hemming and hawing at taking mine to a shop, but I think I could knock this out in a couple of weekends.
BTW - in that one shot, it was quite easy to see that the needle bearings were FUBAR!
Fantastic write-up and you did well with the pictures. Some are squished and I know what it's like when trying to get close-ups shots with clarity.
Do you advise a tear down first so that all parts in question can be inspected and marked for replacement? What replacement parts/method did you use on your transmission? I've been hemming and hawing at taking mine to a shop, but I think I could knock this out in a couple of weekends.
BTW - in that one shot, it was quite easy to see that the needle bearings were FUBAR!
Thread Starter
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Professional
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 242
Likes: 0
From: Lakeland TN
VW,
"Do you advise a tear down first so that all parts in question can be inspected and marked for replacement".
YES!!! Unless you have a trans parts place next door.
Tearing everything down first allowed me to take inventory of all the parts and make a list of what was bad or needing replacement and make just one run to the trans parts shop.
I would recommend a DIY rebuild on this tranny to anyone who is a DIY'er. MonteC encouraged me to tackle it and he was right. Its not hard, you just have to be patient, read alot, understand alot and be patient some more.
Looking back, I'm very glad I did it. Not only did I save over $1,000 but I gained a boatload of knowledge that I can use later in life when I build my hotrod (don't ask).
"Do you advise a tear down first so that all parts in question can be inspected and marked for replacement".
YES!!! Unless you have a trans parts place next door.
Tearing everything down first allowed me to take inventory of all the parts and make a list of what was bad or needing replacement and make just one run to the trans parts shop.
I would recommend a DIY rebuild on this tranny to anyone who is a DIY'er. MonteC encouraged me to tackle it and he was right. Its not hard, you just have to be patient, read alot, understand alot and be patient some more.
Looking back, I'm very glad I did it. Not only did I save over $1,000 but I gained a boatload of knowledge that I can use later in life when I build my hotrod (don't ask).
Legend
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 8,658
Likes: 7
From: Central Oklahoma
^^ Awesome. I understand about having patience. That, and I love digging into stuff and learning something new.
What products/parts did you buy? Did you upgrade to heavier clutches, the newer valve body, etc? That's the kind of extra information I'd like.
** Oh, and lastly, how much and which special tools did you have to buy? It's my understanding there are a couple for this transmission, and I don't mind spending a couple of hundred in tools that will save me more than $1,000 in the long run.
What products/parts did you buy? Did you upgrade to heavier clutches, the newer valve body, etc? That's the kind of extra information I'd like.
** Oh, and lastly, how much and which special tools did you have to buy? It's my understanding there are a couple for this transmission, and I don't mind spending a couple of hundred in tools that will save me more than $1,000 in the long run.
Last edited by Gary-L; May 13, 2009 at 02:22 PM.
Thread Starter
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Professional
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 242
Likes: 0
From: Lakeland TN
1. "What products/parts did you buy? " I bought new steels, frictions, bearings, transgo jr shift kit and TC from DAACO here in Memphis. DAACO is a huge supplier to tranny shops around the nation.
2. "Did you upgrade to heavier clutches, the newer valve body, etc?" No, I wanted to keep everything as stock as possible to eliminate any screw-ups. The stock tranny held up for 154k miles and I felt that was pretty good. I did put a transgo jr shift kit in it. The only difference I can tell is that it shifts from 1-2 fairly quickly.
3. "Oh, and lastly, how much and which special tools did you have to buy?" I bought a scissor type tranny lift from Harbor freight for $80 (best $80 ever spent..it worked perfectly). I used a friends press for the OD unit. I bought a $5 1 1/4" socket for the crank pulley bolt (to rotate while we removed the flex plate bolts). I also bought about $10 worth of long extensions for my 3/8" ratchet.
Other than that, nothing special. Plenty of mineral spirits, translube and ATF+4 to soak the frictions in.
2. "Did you upgrade to heavier clutches, the newer valve body, etc?" No, I wanted to keep everything as stock as possible to eliminate any screw-ups. The stock tranny held up for 154k miles and I felt that was pretty good. I did put a transgo jr shift kit in it. The only difference I can tell is that it shifts from 1-2 fairly quickly.
3. "Oh, and lastly, how much and which special tools did you have to buy?" I bought a scissor type tranny lift from Harbor freight for $80 (best $80 ever spent..it worked perfectly). I used a friends press for the OD unit. I bought a $5 1 1/4" socket for the crank pulley bolt (to rotate while we removed the flex plate bolts). I also bought about $10 worth of long extensions for my 3/8" ratchet.
Other than that, nothing special. Plenty of mineral spirits, translube and ATF+4 to soak the frictions in.
Thread Starter
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Professional
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 242
Likes: 0
From: Lakeland TN
BTW...the A518 transmission video can be downloaded from
http://my.att.net/p/s/community.dll?...pid=404015&ck=
The file name is 'a518 transmission.avi' and it is 282mb in size. It is a must if you plan to rebuild your 46RE tranny yourself.
http://my.att.net/p/s/community.dll?...pid=404015&ck=
The file name is 'a518 transmission.avi' and it is 282mb in size. It is a must if you plan to rebuild your 46RE tranny yourself.
Legend
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 8,658
Likes: 7
From: Central Oklahoma
1. "What products/parts did you buy? " I bought new steels, frictions, bearings, transgo jr shift kit and TC from DAACO here in Memphis. DAACO is a huge supplier to tranny shops around the nation.
2. "Did you upgrade to heavier clutches, the newer valve body, etc?" No, I wanted to keep everything as stock as possible to eliminate any screw-ups. The stock tranny held up for 154k miles and I felt that was pretty good. I did put a transgo jr shift kit in it. The only difference I can tell is that it shifts from 1-2 fairly quickly.
3. "Oh, and lastly, how much and which special tools did you have to buy?" I bought a scissor type tranny lift from Harbor freight for $80 (best $80 ever spent..it worked perfectly). I used a friends press for the OD unit. I bought a $5 1 1/4" socket for the crank pulley bolt (to rotate while we removed the flex plate bolts). I also bought about $10 worth of long extensions for my 3/8" ratchet.
Other than that, nothing special. Plenty of mineral spirits, translube and ATF+4 to soak the frictions in.
2. "Did you upgrade to heavier clutches, the newer valve body, etc?" No, I wanted to keep everything as stock as possible to eliminate any screw-ups. The stock tranny held up for 154k miles and I felt that was pretty good. I did put a transgo jr shift kit in it. The only difference I can tell is that it shifts from 1-2 fairly quickly.
3. "Oh, and lastly, how much and which special tools did you have to buy?" I bought a scissor type tranny lift from Harbor freight for $80 (best $80 ever spent..it worked perfectly). I used a friends press for the OD unit. I bought a $5 1 1/4" socket for the crank pulley bolt (to rotate while we removed the flex plate bolts). I also bought about $10 worth of long extensions for my 3/8" ratchet.
Other than that, nothing special. Plenty of mineral spirits, translube and ATF+4 to soak the frictions in.
Outstanding. I like your homemade tool to remove the pump.
Administrator
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 87,366
Likes: 4,209
From: Clayton MI
Check page six of MonteC's transmission thread. (stickied at top of this forum) He has a list there. Keep in mind that list was for a truck that regularly towed a 7000 pound trailer, so, you won't need all of it.