Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Trailerguy]

Hi all,
Began removing the gearbox from my XJ last weekend, mostly straightforward but couple of bits I could do with advice on:
Dipstick tube removal!! How?? assume its pressed in but struggling to remove it without damage
Best way to disconnect the TFR box selector levers.

Cars a 1999 4.0L XJ auto

[Dave69]

dipstick are normally a one push fit from the factory with a tight O ring seal. a good pull should have it out but if there is an O ring seal, due to age it might be worth replacing.

cant remember how the TFR levers are connected

[Bandit]

On my xj the auto tranny dipo tube is in two halves and was a bugger to split, the transfer box linkages should simply pop out with a little help from a pry bar or long screw driver IIRC

If your planning to refit the same box its best to ease it back just enough to get a spanner in to undo the torque converter bolts and remove the whole lot together which will save seal problems when refitting.

[Trailerguy]

Ok box is now out and the full extent of the starters damage to the ring gear is clear! Box came out fairly easily with my borrowed transmission jack. once freed from the dowels it slid back and down and just cleared the sill!! Just relying on Dave at Llama to come up with the goods then refit and hopefully I can see if it runs

The dipstick was seized solid,  ended up taking the pan off and seperating tube in the vice. Defo deserve a few  tonight

[bgbazz]

Yup...that ring gear has seen better days! Make sure you pop out the starter motor and have a close look at the pinion gear..its likely to be in a similar condition.

[Trailerguy]

Starter was new, I think the garage I bought the car from fitted a new one to try to get the car running. My attempts to get it started by turning front pulley to a bit of the flexplate which had teeth soon ruined the starter!  Im hoping an auto electrician ive used before can replace just the pinion gear which should work out cheaper than another starter! DOH!

[bgbazz]

Bugger!...that's a PITA for you.

[Jonny Jeep]

The gears are available. I got a bendix (starter gear) and brushes for £14 I think when rebuilt my starter a couple of years ago.

I followed a write up showing how to strip the starter. Original link is dead but it's still on the internet archive. http://web.archive.org/web/20100103143755/http://www.btinternet.com/~roland.czerny/starter.htm

[bgbazz]

That's a neat little write up...to clean up the copper bars, I use a strip of 'wet and dry sanding paper' wrapped around a flat piece of wood, sprayed liberally with WD40 and held firmly against the bars as the drill spins the commutator...keeps everything 'true' and the gaps are cleaned out last with the scriber...crap rinsed away with the WD40 and the whole business dried off with a clean cloth.

Before anyone jumps in and chews me up...I cut my teeth on vehicles which were fitted with generators, not alternators and this job had to be performed every few hundred miles, or so. That was pretty much the extent of electickery back then. 
......apart from the dreaded voltage regulators. 

[Trailerguy]

Will defo be cleaning the neutral switch whilst the box is out. Ordered the flexplate yesterday, bit of a performance in the end, seems no UK stock (weird when you consider that flexplate cracking seems so common!) all the usual us based suppliers wanted around £50 for the pattern plate then £40 shipping and none were confident on supplying the right one, if it turns out to be wrong ure stuck with it! Dave at llama said if it was wrong he'd have it back but wouldn't bother returning it due to cost of shipping (didn't think that was fair to him) so a trip to the dealers (initially just to confirm jeep part no) dealer £99&vat and if it's wrong (chassis no checked) will refund no questions so that's what I've gone for! (Genuine jeep also) didn't think that was bad value! Now to wait till it comes in

[Trailerguy]

Well Flexplate went on and after some "whilst its out" work on the box that's back in also, fairly straightforward job really, couple of things id recommend:
If your doing it on the floor defo a transmission jack, with the tfr box on that box is mega heavy!!
Mark both propshafts as they are balanced and need to go back in the same way round
mark the torque converter to the box also and the flexplate if your removing that also.
The torque converter bolts, flexplate bolts and prop bolts all need locktite
Make sure the torque converter is fully back into the box before lining box with engine (didn't quite have it engaged on the pump first time round which resulted in the box & engine being locked up!)
Good idea to replace the two reverse torque bolts holding the top of the box in with normal bolts as very difficult to remove without damage to heads.
(all suggestions which seemed to be missing from the Haynes!)
Hopefully this will be useful to someone!