Re: 4l80e tear down and rebuild
Do you really think that little tiny hole makes a difference when the line pressure behind it is 60-170 psi, or close to 300psi in Reverse? Of course not. And if a 2WD transmission that has to have that hole to lube the output splines has adequate line pressure with the hole, why wouldn't a 4WD trans also have the same adequate pressure with the same hole, although it doesn't 'need' the hole? There are no enhancements to the pump or lube circuit in the 2WD to support the hole.
And consider this: You could well make a mess of your transmission case trying to change that plug. That's a pretty fussy item. I wouldn't want to do it. I live by the motto "The difficult I can do right away, the impossible, well that may take a little longer". I've seen you struggle time and time again with routine simple tasks. Don't f uck with this plug. If that plug blows out because you butchered up the bore getting the old one out, you WILL burn up your trans. But that little hole won't. Leave it alone. It won't hurt a thing. Remember the first rule of medicine "First, do no harm".
You're rearranging sand on the beach. Worry about something worth worrying about.
I don't really know enough about transmissions so appreciate the input. All advice I have read on this so far suggests plugging the hole so you are the first to disagree. You make a strong case however.,
That said, as far as the line pressure not being a problem, brake lines don't do so well with even tiny holes in them so I want to be careful. I'd rather ask the question. As usual, I am doing this by myself with noone experienced around, based off hearsay on the internet.
has anyone ever just welded that pin hole shut? looks like a 1 second job.
Probably. Like you say, it looks pretty easy to close up.
Noticed that your case bushing came out with your old output shaft , check the case make sure The bushing
drives in snug.
It was pretty tight putting it back in the case so I hope it's ok. There didn't seem any excess play at least and there are no leaks now.
So...
I thought I'd update a little for anyone curious...
Basically, I got it back together...
My new torque converter arrived so spurred me on:
In comparison to the new on the left, old on the right..
Assembly was pretty easy because the clutch packs weren't disassembled. There was no indication to do so. The fluid was clear and there was no debris in the pan, the filter or anywhere in the valve body.
Some of the clutch assemblies were a bit fiddly to install and line up:
If I were to do this again, I'd get a couple of specialist tools. The 4th clutch assembly tool is pretty much essential. (J38731). I didn't take the 4th clutch apart as I had OD on the motorway but this tool is one that you can't really do without.
Dropping the clutch assemblies into the upright case was also tricky. There is a tool which fits around the neck of the inbput shaft which is bascally a piece of metal with a notch. I managed but it was harder than it needed to be.
Overall the case and trans are really easy to work on. It's all modular, the guidelines are easily available and the parts are available.
This is the old shaft. This would have broken in the not too distant future.
I didn't find anything wrong so put the new (used) 4x4 output shaft in and it all went together fine in the end.
The Bad News
I got the trans back in the truck after assembling the transfer case with the new shaft (a beautiful item from SpeedInc.com[link to build])
Unfortunately, I had exactly the same problem as before so I am now focussed on the controller. I have reverse but in OD, the truck needs a lot of revs before it goes anywhere. I can't get it on the road to test the other gears so need to see if I can command 1st via the controller. It's so frustrating. :tdown: It seems like it is in limp mode so my efforts wil be directed that way.
But, at least the truck is assembled and can be moved around and I know that the clutches are ok in the trans and there is no junk. I also know my output shaft won't twist off in the future.
I just wish I knew what the problem was, then I could fix it.

You have to laugh though right?