I'm working on my vibration problem, and now i'm going through the transmission...and sure enough, there it is! All of my new thrust washers have been torn apart in only a relatively few amount of miles. What causes this? At the time of re-assembly the last time, i did not put a thicker thrust washer on the front pump, and i did not mic it to see if it was in spec (i know, i should have, but i'm new to rebuilding these things). I also noticed that the bushing that the torque converter rides on in the front pump was torn up, that was one of the few i did not replace last time. I am assuming that the planetary gears were wobbling and that is why i have such badly worn thrust washers (and it was wobbling because it was not appropriately shimmed). Is there anything else i should check? Will replacing the thrust washers and shimming the assembly properly fix it, or?? I'm really trying to avoid taking it to someone to have it rebuilt, because frankly i'm dirt poor, but i can pull money out of the college fund if i HAVE to... Thanks!
Transmission Problems Well, I guess I can give you a few ideas without being able to look at the situation. When you replaced the selective washer on the pump, did you replace both the plastic one and the brass type on the end of the stator support? These need to be in pairs within .003 of each others thickness. If you chgd. just the brass type on the snout then you may have lost all the clearance in the rest of the assy. which would result in all the thrust washers being damaged. Was the end play verified with a dial indicator placed on the input shaft after assy. with different selective washers? I like to keep mine at around .025-.030. If all the previous was done correctly there is a chance that some trash got in the fluid and tore up the washers. Once one starts to disintegrate the shavings will get into the other parts and it's not long before things go bad all the way around, bushings, bearings etc. I wish I could examine it myself and maybe give a more accurate diagnosis but you will probably be able to do that pretty close too. Are you running an extra cooler? If all the lines etc. were not flushed out at the first rebuild, some trash may have gotten into the new trans through them. Not knowing your driving habits, the heat factor is another item to look at, heat and dirt will do a ton of damage. The transmission is just a big hydraulic pump with regulated passages for clutches and gears to engage the output shaft. I think you probably have a manual to go by so just start over and follow it with a clean enviroment to work in if possable. I have faith in your ability to get it right. Visit a local shop and look for an exsperienced mech, tell him your are trying to learn how to rebuild a c4 yourself and could he give some tips. Most will help out. Did you use a block shim between the bell and the engine, this will cause some pump problems if not installed in most cases. Hope this helps a little, maybe someone else can shed more light on the subject. Good luck as always.
Thanks for the response old guy! Well, this is the first transmission that i have put some serious time and effort into rebuilding. I'm fairly sure i did everything right, but what i didn't do was put in a thicker thrust washer or the plastic thrust washer at the front. I just put in a new, stock sized one. I know, i know....stupid mistake, but i'm paying for it now! I must have just missed that section in the book... I'll take some pictures of the thrust washers and post them on here in a sec...
Transmission Just a short comment on your last post, don't be so critical of yourself my friend, it was not a stupid mistake. It was a learning mistake. That sounds better to me, now when it comes to my age, then we shall call it a stupid mistake.
Hmm, i see now where my problem was. When i bought the thrust washers last time, they come in a set with four each of the #1 and #2 washers. Looking on the back they have numbers, and i just matched up the numbers last time. After mic'ing them, i realized that they aren't necessarily a matching pair just because the numbers matched. This time i mic'ed them and matched them within .003" like you said. I put a dial indicator on the input shaft as you said and my play was .013, which is right where i wanted it (book says .008-.042").
