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Welcome me to the 'noisy front diff' club


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On the way home last night I thought I may have smelled gear lube.

 

Pulled the car in the garage last night, am starting the trans swap.

 

There's oil under the car.

 

I'm goin' in.

 

Go Dave!!! `

 

External one is just wire mesh, isn't it?
don't know, i thought it had filter media in it...like material?
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I think the external H6 filter is just mesh, not sure. It's 37 bucks, though!

 

I can't tell yet where the diff fluid came out, looks like it might have been the filler but the dipstick was in place.

 

There was still diff fluid in it, and there were fresh filings on the plug.

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Plain OM shows filter media in a picture in this thread, though he mentions mesh. you've been there already:

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/66-problems-maintenance/23762-subaru-transmission-filter-different.html

 

but it's a lot different and i have no clue whether it means anything or not. my 200,000+ mile saturated filter media may sound scarier than it is.

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The mid-pipe bolts were replaced with big springs a long time ago.

 

Most of the header studs just threaded right out of the head, 2 threaded off the studs.

 

2 of the torque converter bolts would have broken my 1/4-drive ratchet, I always have that happen so I grabbed the blue wrench and bent a 3/8ths extension into a U. If that didn't work I would have brazed a socket to a bar.

 

The ideal tool I think would be a socket-end wrench where the socket end pivots, I have a 1/2 inch and a 9/16ths but no metric.

 

I used the U extension to break them loose, then I used that spline-drive that has a big external hex on the end to turn them until they were finger-tight. That turned out to be a lot easier than the 1/4 ratchet.

 

The big hex end fits a 13mm box wrench so I put a bolt into the socket and bolted the wrench to the end of the socket.

 

I threaded a long skinny mag pickup tool under the manifold from the side and stuck it to the bolt after it was finger-tight so I couldn't drop the bolt, was very helpful, but that trick won't work to get them started.

 

Is it helpful to back the converter out of the flex-plate? All the bolts are out but the converter still turns with the engine, presumably the center end of the converter is stuck tight into what on a manual would be the pilot bushing.

 

I am not looking forwards to starting and then tightening those bolts.

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good job!

 

chase the threads of bolts and torque converter with a tap and die while they're out of the car and they'll thread like better.

 

when installing:

1. place an allen wrench (largest that will fit) through the flexplate holes until it "goes through" the holes in the torque converter. then it's lined up.

 

2. your chased threads will go in like butter.

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AH-HA HA HA HAHA!

 

Jokes on me, not sure I can get the car high enough to get the trans out.

I always thought those jackstands and my jack went pretty high.

 

I'm going to have to put boards under the jack, and under the jackstands, and probably lower the rear off it's jack stands a bit to get the nose higher.

 

If I've led a virtuous life, I might not even have to take the trans off the jack and put the new one on the trans jack under the car. (in other words, I'll have to)

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Got in almost 2 hours this morning, then went to the model plane club's annual lunch, got back to work about 4:30.

 

Had to modify the transmission jack and do some judicious tilting, but it's out.

 

I had to put 2 pieces of 12x2 under each jackstand and lower the rear to the ground.

 

The trans jack (with the extension ears I added so the pan would not hit) is about 9" high fully lowered, but it was worth every cent getting it out, and will doubly be so going in.

 

One of the bottom bellhousing studs stayed in the block, the other threaded out, I wonder of putting it in is easier with both in or both out?

 

I bolted a 1/8th metal bar between the radiator support and a mount on the intake, motor stayed nice and stable.

 

I was hoping to get this thing all wrapped up by sunday afternoon, that's sure not gonna happen!

 

It looks like the diff oil was pushed up the dipstick, no idea why that happened, it wasn't filled with trans fluid or such.

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It does help to push the TC back. Just put a long screwdriver between the TC and flex-plate. It'll slide right back.

 

Tilting the trans this way and that, makes the perceived fluid level go up and down, perhaps could be the reason for the high diff fluid. Should have drained that first anyway. Drain the gear oil and trans fluid, makes it a few lbs lighter, but mostly makes less chance of making a HUGE mess everywhere.

 

I find it much easier to line up the trans with the lower studs in the block.

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Trans is 'in', 4 bellhousing bolts and 2 in the4 cross member holding it in place until I get back from Atlanta wednesday.

 

I can't believe how easy the trans jack made this- well, that part of it.

 

After I got the connector out between the block and the trans, it was easy-peasy.

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Just a pick of the horrid-freight 800lbs trans jack, and 4 of the 5 holes in the side of this '04 H6 4EAT are not in my '03 4EAT.

 

The circled hole is the only one of the 5 on the '04 front housing that is on my '03.

post-22963-136027662874_thumb.jpg

post-22963-136027662882_thumb.jpg

Edited by CNY_Dave
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Nifty.

I've always just used a wrench bolted to the bellhousing to hold torque converters in.

 

I like that trans jack though. I have an adapter that sits on my floor jack but its so tall I never use it. With a transmission sitting directly on the jack head I can roll it out from under the car. With the jack adapter I would need the car another 6" higher off the ground to do that. The jack doesn't lift high enough to do that.

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Nifty.

I've always just used a wrench bolted to the bellhousing to hold torque converters in.

 

I like that trans jack though. I have an adapter that sits on my floor jack but its so tall I never use it. With a transmission sitting directly on the jack head I can roll it out from under the car. With the jack adapter I would need the car another 6" higher off the ground to do that. The jack doesn't lift high enough to do that.

 

I wanted to hold the converter in all the way to after bolt-up.

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i have a hoist with a fullsize trans jack its a bitt different working on it when its 6ft in the air. Did you take it apart and see what whent wrong ?

 

Heh, I had to stop work sunday to travel for work, the other one isn't even fully bolted in yet.

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  • 10 months later...

 

Does anyone know how to get a hold of General Disorder? I want to go to his shop in Portland.for some Extra-S his mailbox is full on USMB.

It may not be the correct thing to do but I've seen people start new threads when trying to get in touch with someone specific.

I can't recall the name of his shop off hand...

Edited by Fairtax4me
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the starting a new thread thing is done sometimes like FT said, you'll get far more views than this one obscure thread about a repair that few people attempt! i don't have cell reception right now or i'd hit him up for you.  i'm also forgetting the name of his shop...

Edited by grossgary
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