Meadowbrook transmission surprise

[Tired iron]

Pulled the guts out of the driveline yesterday: tranny, clutch and fluid drive. All need attention.

 

But, wow, such a surprise in the transmission. My first clue was that I could not get the shifter to engage any gear, nor could I get the input shaft to move at all.

 

So I scraped the inch thick of mud and grunge off the case and took the cover off and.....

Well, a picture beats a thousand swear words! Wow, I've never seen so much rust in a transmission case. There was not even a teaspoon of oil in there and about a quart of water. The car was parked for 25 years in a high snow region of the cascade mtns in Washington,  but still, I cant figure out how so much water got in the transmission case.

 

Oh well, full-on rebuild it shall get. The good news is that I just finished a rebuild on my international scout 3 speed and it is pretty much identical to this one, so I kinds know what's ahead of me.

[Bryan]

Condensation. I had the same issue with my engine that sat about 30 years. First time I changed oil about half water came out.   Look at some of the pictures of the rusty crankshaft and a few rods in my tear down posts.  My transmission is leaking at both ends so no surprise.

Edited February 4, 2022 by Bryan

[keithb7]

The first 3/4's of your message did not mention that the tranny had been sitting for 25 years. You had eluded to a surprise in your thread title.  Opening your thread, the first thing I saw was the photo.  I am thinking OMG, he's been driving it like that! Indeed I was surprised. I was in shock that your tranny was that low on oil. How could an owner not be checking it?  Lol.

 

Then later in your post I see the part about it sitting for 25 years. Yep, pretty normal for a component cavity to look like that after 25 years. Fall and spring are probably the worst conditions for condensation.  Cool nights. Maybe near freezing. Then the sun comes up and heats everything up pretty quickly. Droplets form inside the housing. Rinse and repeat for many days, spanning over 25 years.

 

I assume the oil in a sump, if there was any, leaked out? Where else could it go?

[Tired iron]

Sorry for the withheld info! Nope, not a drop of oil in there. I suppose it could have all leaked out. I'm thinking this gear box will have other surprises for me. I already see one chipped tooth on reverse.

I'll pull it all apart and take stock. For sure front and rear bearings seal, and a smalls kit. Hopefully not replacing any gears or lay shaft as that gets spendy quickly. I'll media blast the gears and got tank the case.

[MarcDeSoto]

Good that you have the guts to rebuild the trans.  I've never gone that far and am afraid to.  Congrats on your courage!

[Tired iron]

Thanks. A three-speed is really pretty simple. Study it, take a few pictures, get it apart, and then spend some time learning what everything does. That and a few tricks from forums such as this one and you'll get it back together! If you'd like to see videos of skilled mechanics doing a complete tear-down and reassemble. Search up T-90 transmission on YouTube. It is a three speed almost identical to this one (except for the synchros).

Edited February 5, 2022 by Tired iron

[keithb7]

The very first transmission I rebuilt was a 3 speed Mopar. 1938 year.  I did it 2 years ago. I had zero transmission experience. It was intimidating at first as I was building up the courage to take on this job. Not knowing what would happen next while taking it apart. Would a ball or a spring, some other special rare fastener break? Or go flying across the garage? None of that happened. It was a pretty simple, logical component. Easy to understand once to get in there and piece it apart. The best trick ever was the 3/4" diameter dowel that I used for the cluster gear installation. It held all the needle bearings in place and easily slid out as I pushed the countershaft in.  It was a very rewarding job. Gives you a great shot of confidence when it purrs like it should in the end.

Edited February 5, 2022 by keithb7

[DJ194950]

On 2/4/2022 at 8:30 AM, Tired iron said:

But, wow, such a surprise in the transmission. My first clue was that I could not get the shifter to engage any gear, nor could I get the input shaft to move at all.

 

So I scraped the inch thick of mud and grunge off the case and took the cover off and.....

I think I would post a parts  wanted hereon the forum and elsewhere  for a std 3 spd. trans. for parts at least because most ones use all the same gears as long as the gears syncho's are the types are the same. Early and later are different.

 

Use the best  parts as needed. Save you lots of money!! New parts are $$ and not real easy to find.

 

Bearings and such are usually readily avail. locally most often.

 

My 2-5 cents or is it 10 cents today?  ?

 

DJ

[OUTFXD]

That picture is what I imagine everytime I think about Jacquilines Transition. The weird second gear issue has my paranoia at an all time high!

 

on that front. Anyone have any input on pouring some ATF into the trans (Before Draining and replacing with fresh lube) and drive it around a bit to clean up the trans?

[Tired iron]

I've got the transmission completely apart, cleaned, and now assessing the serviceability of things.

 

Wow. I have never seen a tranny this bad. I was hoping that all the crusty was rust and crap that could be cleaned off. Instead, it's mostly pitting and corrosion.  Can't clean that off when it's taken metal off!  And first gear is totally shot with 5 teeth chipped almost completely off. Reverse isnt much better. Must have been an impatient previous driver/owner.

 

Here's one picture.  The clutch sleeve was so corroded on that I had to put it in the hydraulic press AND use the torch to get it to slide off.

 

Fortunately,  I've for a line on another transmission that a friend might be able to get for me in a few weeks. It's either that or spending 400 for a complete gear set on ebay.

[dpollo]

A good used transmission should not be hard to find.  I am on Vancouver Island and could help  but would recommend you ask Dodge B4ya. in WA.

[Tired iron]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I may have a lead in one very close to home.fingers crossed.