1990 Ford Super Duty with ZF5 manual transmission SMOKING from shift boot!

[whtbaron]

I know the feeling. Transmission on my 08 Rav 4 started acting up a week ago. It's high mileage and hasn't cost me any big bills yet, so I think it's going down the road as a mechanic's special. The wife's 012 is due to be replaced anyway so we'll replace it and I'll get another hand me down for a parts chaser. Right now $40k Cdn. will buy a new Rav or a 2016 Tacoma so I guess the wife wins...

[Lis2323]

I know the feeling. Transmission on my 08 Rav 4 started acting up a week ago. It's high mileage and hasn't cost me any big bills yet, so I think it's going down the road as a mechanic's special. The wife's 012 is due to be replaced anyway so we'll replace it and I'll get another hand me down for a parts chaser. Right now $40k Cdn. will buy a new Rav or a 2016 Tacoma so I guess the wife wins...

You must like those Rav 4’s.

Back in 1995 they weren’t available in Canada yet. My girlfriend (at the time) was the financial manager for the local Lexus dealership and was convinced that was going to be her next new vehicle. (based on “new” cool factor and employee discount)

While on a Valentines Day trip to San Francisco we must have spent half a day trying to find a dealer that had one so she could do a test drive.

All’s well that ends well though. She ended up with a Mazda Miata and getting married a couple years later.*

*not to me thank goodness. What a nutcase she was.






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[whtbaron]

We've had an 03, 08, 012 and sometime in the next 4 to 6 mths we'll take delivery of a 22.... all 4 cyl's .... the 03 was a manual and developed transmission issues after 300,000 km as well... other than that, we really haven't had much trouble with them...

[forhire]

I installed the new main seal along with the original DMF and a new pressure plate and clutch disc. Everything was progressing just fine until I attempted to split the transfer case from the transmission. I removed the six bolts and started the separation but no amount of wiggling, prying, and etc will get the two to seperate. I suspect the splined shafts are rusted together. Am I missing something? I really need the shop space and I was really hoping to move this truck outside today. I never expected I couldn't get the two halves to seperate.

[52 Ford]

Dang, this thread is still going? I gave the be-all end-all answer. Smoke coming from shift boot = work out shift boot seal. Cereally.

BTW, Forhire, that's a massive lookin' centrifugal supercharger.

[52 Ford]

Being serious - Do you have a gear puller to try on it? If not, I bet you could make something fairly easily.

[John T]

Am I missing something?

I don't think so .
after you remove the bolts, It should separate from the adapter plate/trans.

having the whole thing out of the truck doesn't make things easier though....

maybe you can figure out how to hold the trans solid..... and then try wiggling and pulling on the TC

It should come apart......

EDIT:
There might be dowel pins in there.... if so, those would probably hang you up.... rather than rusty splines...

[cornchip]

how could the splines rust together. everything is sealed. dowel pins is the only thing i can think of. thats assuming it even uses dowel pins.

[forhire]

There might be dowel pins in there.... if so, those would probably hang you up.... rather than rusty splines...

The dowel pin appears to move so it's not binding me up. I did buy it in Coos Bay, OR... and I suspect it's been driven in the ocean based on the bolt corrosion. The splines sit in a "dry' space between the transmission and transfercase. When I pulled the brake assembly on the old transmission a lot of red rust came out of the splines but it came off easily due to being driven. I'm thinking I may be able to spin the transmission back and forth and get it loose.

[John T]

Maybe you can open it up enough to spray some penetrating oil in there.

I swear by this stuff but it's not cheap.




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[Millwrightdude]

Kroil is good stuff, I use it a lot.

[forhire]

Maybe you can open it up enough to spray some penetrating oil in there.

I swear by this stuff but it's not cheap.

Kroil is good stuff, I use it a lot.

+1 for Kroil. I'm fortunate my local Napa carries it. I had given it a thought last night. I had just enough space to barely fit the nozzle. The trick would be getting enough in the right place to work. Of course my can was almost empty.

Looking at the case this afternoon I decided to drill out a bolt hole so I could flood the cavity. My original thought was to mix ATF and acetone but then it dawned on me to fill it will Evapo-Rust and leach out the rust. Of course my gallon jug of Evapo-Rust was at the other shop. I bought something called Blaster Rust Rescue from the local hardware store. According to the SDS it's chelating agent like Evapo-Rust. I'll let it soak and see if it comes apart.

Hopefully the rust remover isn't just a jug of water. I suppose I could taste it.

[cornchip]

Sort of off topic................ There's also a lot of controversy surrounding gear oil containing EP additives, and the bad effect these additives have on yellow metals.

Yeah...........it's not a great product for older transmissions that have bronze synchros and such...........but the time it takes to actually ruin these parts is substantial....very substantial, compared to running those gearboxes without oil

I think you can still find non EP gear oil, but it's fairly hard. I run a modern EP oil in my tractors, and have had absolutely no problems with damage to the bronze parts. Or if there is damage, it's microscopic, and will probably not cause a problem in my lifetime.

funny you should bring that up. 50yr ago there may have been something in the gear oil that damaged the trans but theres no truth to it in the last 25yr. toyota used gl5 in all their manual trans for decades. dodge used gl5 in some of theirs.
i think what was happening is some people were buying gear oil predosed with friction modifiers for limited slip differentials and it was the friction modifiers causing the synchros to not work right and ruined them and of course nobody realised that and just assumed the "gear oil" was to blame.
ive had regular undosed 80w90 in my tacoma trans for near 15yr. if it was going to ruin anything it would of happened long ago.
this guy even went so far as to do oil analysis on gear oil from a manual trans. no high levels of any metal https://www.toyotanation.com/threads...#post-14385745

[danielplace]

The ZF5-42 is a great trans!
Luckily I've never had to take one apart but I would be really surprised if the factory used gaskets.
It would be hard to hold reliable end clearances and bearing preloads with gaskets!

It may be where the preload that is causing the issue is coming from though if it was gasketed and someone used silicone instead of gasket.

All kinds of things running critical dimensions still use gaskets. Not saying this unit doesn't utilize sealer but if it isn't special trans fluid proof it is likely it will fail as standard automotive silicone is no good for that use. I mean if this is a manual that uses ATF fluid in it like so many do.

[rexcormack]

It may be where the preload that is causing the issue is coming from though if it was gasketed and someone used silicone instead of gasket.

All kinds of things running critical dimensions still use gaskets. Not saying this unit doesn't utilize sealer but if it isn't special trans fluid proof it is likely it will fail as standard automotive silicone is no good for that use. I mean if this is a manual that uses ATF fluid in it like so many do.

The factory used something like Loctite 518 for the case joints.
The only gaskets are on the shift tower and pto covers.
DO NOT use rtv silicone! It WILL leak!