Has anyone ever rebuilt their own transmission?

[ltk]

I have an older 93 Sport Nautique and hope to rebuild the transmission asap. I'm mechanically inclined but have never worked on a marine transmission before. I'm assuming there is a rebuild and gasket kit I need to get my hands on from some where and just unbolt it from the bell housing. The exhaust is in the way too so I'm assuming that will need to be partially removed.

Seems the tranny is in two parts. The front is connected to the torque converter and the rear portion to the front, then to the shaft. Any help would be highly appreciated.

Thanks

[Excel94]

RE: Has anyone ever rebuilt their own transmission?

Yes, it can be done. I rebuilt one a few years ago in my 87 Martinique. The good news is it worked fine when I was done!!

There is a manual for the Borg Warner transmissions that give you step by step details. I think the parts where about $150 or less. I had to buy one big socket and had to find a press to seat one part. Might as well put a new damper plate in while you are at it and then an engine re-alignment.

Other than that I seem to remember taking a punch and putting a small mark on the faces of the pump so that I re-assembled them in the correct position when I put it back together.

There is also a guy on here and CCF that is a pro at this. Eric Levine is his name. He can do these things blindfolded and can answer any question you may have.

[ltk]

RE: Has anyone ever rebuilt their own transmission?

awesome, thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Looks like it may be a tad more complicated than I hoped for. I don't know how to do an engine alignment either. I may end up bringing it to the shop after all.

[Fly100]

RE: Has anyone ever rebuilt their own transmission?

W did one a few years ago.We never stopped the fault after several attempts.We had it stripped 4 times or more.However it was a pretty easy job and we are pretty sure the fault was with the incorrect fluid.
We did however end up buying a 2nd hand box to solve the prob.I must say again we are sure it was the fluid.

FLY

[8122pbrainard]

RE: Has anyone ever rebuilt their own transmission?

Itk,
Some have been successful with their own rebuilds while others haven't I feel it depends really on how mechanically inclined the person is but even more to what extent the damage is. There are some tricks to the rebuild that the manuals don't tell you about. The manuals also don't really go into what to look for regarding wear spots or min. tolerances. Yes, Eric who posts on CCfan is a very good choice for someone to send the trans to. I wouldn't mess with mine and I've rebuilt engines!! Eric also puts in parts that aren't available in the kits.

Take a look at the manual so you can get a basic idea of what you will be getting into as well as getting a idea of how they work. A marine trans does NOT have a torque converter in it - you're in trouble already!!!! It's simply a hydraulic pump doing the work of engaging forward or reverse clutch packs that used to be done with a manual shift lever.

[ltk]

RE: Has anyone ever rebuilt their own transmission?

Haha, yeah... I called a marine shop this afternoon and went over a few things with him. After speaking to him for 10 minutes it became pretty obvious I'd be in over my head if I tackled the job alone. He mentioned a few other parts that usually go out too or at least show wear that are worth replacing while it's broken down. He said the labor would roughly be 500-600 bucks plus another couple hundred in parts depending what it needed. It's only temperamental when it's cold and first cranked up, so I'm not sure it's worth the hassle. Once a little fluid is thrown around the transmission case it slides into gear quite smoothly. Prior to that it has a hard time engaging and usually stalls the engine. If I let the engine warm up that doesn't make a difference either. I basically have to place it in gear, and give it about 2 inches of throttle past the idle to get it going without stalling the engine. Once it has some fluid thrown around it runs like it's brand new. Guess that isn't too bad considering it's 16 years old and never rebuilt. I think if I can get this little plastic tube I accidentally dropped in there removed, I'll be good to go. My last resort is getting my hands on a shop vac as someone recommended on a different thread I posted, so hopefully suck it back into view. If that doesn't work, I don't know what else to try.