Hi All,

So, as some of you know I lost the transmission in my beloved Turtle Van during our west coast trip.
Being stranded in "Wamsutter, WY" (No, I didn't make that up!) is not what we had in mind for our trip.
I did the trans swap right there at the truck stop and finished our trip.





Months before, I found a $400 GCV on craigslist that I bought for parts.





Now for the BIG question...
How hard is it to rebuild an automatic transmission? (41TE- 3 speed w/OD)
I found the rebuild guide .pdf online after some searching.
Looks pretty straight forward, although some special tools are needed.
I have rebuilt engines in the past, I'm a mechanic by trade. (bowling machines)
I've just never tried to repair an automatic, they've always been magic and mystery.
The scariest part I guess is not knowing if it works until it's installed. (no other way to test it)
A rebuild kit is only $200 at AutoZone.


The history of this trans;
I bought the Turtle Van in 2005 with 120,K miles on it.
The previous owner said the trans had been rebuild at 70,K miles.
The van had 199,K miles when the trans went out on us.
The trans is NOT leaking any fluids, or showing any signs of external damage.
We were zipping down I-80 at 75mph without a care and, ZOOM!! The RPM cranks up to 5000 till the cruse kicked out and we coasted off to the side of the freeway.
No bad sounds, shakes, rattles, klunks or anything. Just no go!
I got out and checked for puddles and broken half-shafts. All good.
I got back in and found we still had 1st gear, as soon as it tried to shift to second it lost lockup.
So we limped about 7 or 8 miles on the shoulder to the exit. (that alone saved me a $300 tow bill)


I'm hoping MasterTech, Sappro and the other top techs here on DF can chime in.
Should I give it a shot?
Or am I better off taking it to a shop and paying to have it done?


Thanks Guys,
PinCup
(AKA, EZ1)

 

theres no magic to auto transmissions, the hardest part is keeping organised. lotsa little bits you dont want to loose. you'll need a large clear table to spread all your parts out on.
another good tip soak all the clutches in ATF prior to installation you dont want to assemble them dry

as for testing about all you can do is spin the input shaft by hand and feel for any tightness, or noise.
if you closely followed all the instructions and took proper measurements you'll be fine.

If you need good detailed instrutions let me know I can hook you up

I dont think you'll be hearing much from Sapporo these days lol

 

why sapporro banned or something.? the 6speed as easy rebuild as the 3 speed?

 

I imagine the 6 is just got some more parts in it and a quite a bit more electrics. But same ball o wax
havent had to rebuild a 6 spd yet as they are are a little to modern and I havent had someone whos has failed yet, but I woudn't shy away from it.

I believe Saps banned (pity)

 

Thanks hemi4spd,

Any help you can provide would be great. My mail is pincup8270@yahoo

I think I'm gonna go for it.
It dont work now, what am I gonna do... break it worse?

Didn't know about Sapporro.
I've been pretty busy with league season starting and all.
That's a shame, he seemed quite knowlegable.


PinCup

 

What would like to know about transmissions? I build them everyday for a dealer. The 3 speed trans is a 31TH,4 speed 40/41TE and the 6 speed 62TE. Which would not fit in the NS body, only in the RT Body. You guys can always send me a pm.

 

is that yahoo.com?

 

Good luck in your transmission rebuilding. I am a learning DIYer. while you do your transmission rebuild you can also create a video or some pictures that could be helpful for someone else. Good Luck again

 

I need to gather a few of the special tools before I begin.
But I will take pics and post them for all.


EZ1