Installed new (rebuilt) tranny... WOW

Okay guys and ladies,

If you have never changed a tranny on a jeep cj, then consider yourself lucky. The tranny was the easy part. That dang transfer case was a mother-in-law...... hahahhahaha

To say it was awkward is the understatement of the year. But with lots of struggling, muscling, cussing, and help from the wife (she pushed it in when it was aligned) my son and I finally had the transfer case bolted on.

The jeep now glides over the road, tiptoes over the rocks, and hammers through the dirt.

I am now onto the project of rebuilding the old tranny..... God help me....

But first it will be to put new rotors and pads.

Ain't owning a Jeep CJ-5 fun.... a jeep owner's work is never done. Fix it once, fix it twice, go four wheeling, then fix it thrice.... LOL

God bless and keep the jeeps dirty

Paul-Jr and Paul-3
Father and Son

 

Good story....I will be putting my transfer case in this weekend.....Looking forward to getting the Jeep back on the road, however not looking forward to installing that transfer case.

always good to hear families working together on a Jeep.

 

You have to like it when the whole family is in on the fixing. Good luck and have fun.

 

The jeep had a t-177 put in a rebuilt t-176. So the transmission that I will be rebuilding is the t-177.... smile

I have no idea how the t-177 got in the CJ-5..... so this will be my spare.

To those putting the transfer case back in, here is a idea from my son that works.

Use a bottle jack to lift the drivers side of the jeep up. This will title the jeep so that you can line up the transfer case easier. Notice I said easier, NOT easy... ahhahahahaha.

Also, you can use a pair of old jeans to drag the transfer case to where you need it... he called them DRAGON JEANS.... SMILE.... get it draggin' --- dragon.... hahahhahahaha.

If you use a floor jack, I recommend getting the transmission adaptor from autozone. Well worth the money.

DO NOT try to put the transmission and the transfer case together.... I could not find a way to move them on the jack and line the transmission to the bellhousing.

Also, don't forget stought bungie cords to strap everything in place on the jack.

Good luck.

Paul G. and Paul 3
Father and Son

 

I have to ask since I may do the same thing this summer.

Whats so hard about a jeep transfer case?

I thought it looked easy since they are so small, what am I going to get into.

I have done transfer cases on dodges and Chevy's several times, The worst being the big cast iron full gear driven case in a seventy something dodge snow commander. That beast weighed more than an engine and did not have one flat surface to rest a jack under. It took me two days to do alone in the driveway with floor jacks.

Just so I can plan ahead for it, any other tips or common problems are there in Jeeps?
Thanks?

 

Good job Paul(2) getting it going again. What happened to the problem with shifting the Tcase?

And Mike:
"Whats so hard about a jeep transfer case?"

I think it's a matter of perspective, but he's got a Dana 300 probably the heaviest CJ Tcase. Still lighter probably than what you put in the Dodge.

I think Jeeps are relatively easy to work on, are in fairly good supply, have classic lines, and are fun to drive, all of which maintains their popularity. That they need regular maintenance and oft get abused makes them suitable for folks like us instead of the Caddilac/Lexus drivers.

 

What is so hard, was for me I am a lawyer, not a mechanic. The transfer case is small and heavy. Very awkward to handle. Trying to line up the bolts with the transfer case at such an angle is or was for me the most difficult part.

Now that I have done it and know what to expect, I reckon it will be easier next time.

As for the shifting, I cleaned out the transfer case, replace the lube oil, clean the shifter bolts and rods and now she shifts like new.

Thanks for everyone's help and advice.

Paul Jr and Paul 3
Father and Son

 

trust me, its like you said about the workin on it you WILL be under there again at some time and it does get eaiser to take that stuff in or out. a couple of weekends ago i pulled my t-case, compleatly gutted it and put in a new detent spring, reassembled it and had it back in and driving in about four hours.

 

what year jeep did you put that t-176 in?

 

Put the t-176 in a 1982 CJ-5. The CJ had a t-177 when I got it. Now I am going to rebuild or repair or fix the t-177 and keep it for a spare.

God bless you all, may His peace and grace lead you to lots of mud, rocks and four wheelin' fun.

Paul-Jr and Paul-3
Father and Son

 

Just to clarify.. I happened to re-read my post "whats so hard about a jeep transfer case" Written text sometimes looses important details of a conversation. I really was just asking the question, what to expect any strange details , springs that pop out, things that only line up if held at a certain way durring the correct phase of the moon, any wierd stuff that I should know before starting, any special tools required that sort of thing.

Depending on how you read it I was not trying to be smart about it, just wanted to know what to expect. If it was taken as any type of insult I appologize. That was not the intent.

Btw not a mechanic either. I am a biomedical electronics, computer hardware, and mechanical engineer who likes rebuilding old cars. Basically I play with machines and technology.

Thanks for the info.

 

Everything is pretty straight forward.

Here is a hint. Use small zip lock bags to keep each set of bolts that you take off and mark them as such. Lots of the bolts look alike but GUESS WHAT they are not... hahahhahahaha

There are little things you have to unplug like the speed odometer cable, the FWD indicator swith and the vent tube for the TC.

When you remove your drive shafts do not, repeat DO NOT let the u-joint caps come off.. WHAT A NIGHTMARE. There are lots of little long bearing things that have to be cleaned and put back in with lots of grease.....SMILE.... will have to probably change these darn things out sooner than I expected.... HAHHAHAHAHHHAHA.

The whole project is not as hard as I made it sound. Just time consuming for someone who has never done it before. Lots of trial and errors. Mostly errors.

Hope this helps.
Paul-Jr and Paul-3
Father and Son

 

I still do that. You sit there and look at something and come to find out it really is'nt all that bad....