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Resealing a DR 4MT: which flavor of RTV?


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Well, I'm still waiting for my 35mm thin-wall socket, so this might be a bit premature. Assuming I successfully get the tranny apart and back together, what flavor or RTV should I be using? Also, how many tubes? It occurs to me that the one tube I have is probably not going to be enough, and as long as I'm going to the parts store, I may as well solicit recommendations.

 

Also, GD, thanks for the heads up (http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=103740). I've got the 4wd linkage apart, so hopefully the tailshaft extension will come off without any trouble. Apart from breaking the seal, that is. I bought a stiffer putty knife that I have yet to try.

 

Anyhow, the socket was a special order for Boston Industrial. I believe they got it on Tuesday and sent it to me by Priority Mail, so I've got my fingers crossed that it'll come today and I can start working. Otherwise, I'm going to have to do it in the evenings.

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For the case halves I would use ultra-grey, and for all the thin paper gaskets I would replace them with Loctite 515 or 518 flange sealant.

 

Hopefully that socket works out for you. Did you verify with them that this will not have an OD greater than 45mm?

 

Might have been easier (depending on your locality) to buy an axle socket and have a local machine shop turn the OD down. That's what I did as it was a sure thing but my boss at the time used to be a machinist and did it on his personal lathe for free. The trick (from what he told me) is that you have to build a center for the bolt end of the socket so it doesn't flop all over in the lathe.

 

GD

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I got the tailshaft extension off yesterday after breaking the gasket seal with a stout putty knife and a Big Hammer. I found the RTV ultra grey at Autozone, but I couldn't find any of the Loctite stuff there, so I'll hit the NAPA near my office tomorrow. I can at least now *see* the nut that I need to get off though, which is progress.

 

I didn't see your other reply until yesterday, so no, I haven't verified that the socket will actually fit. The current alternate plan if it doesn't is to get a 35mm box-end wrench, slip it down inside the transfer case and over the nut and turn from the input shaft. Conveniently, I have an oil-soaked clutch disk I can put a couple of holes into and attach a long lever arm.

 

Will I need to do anything special when I put the nut back on? It has 4-way crimps onto the shaft to keep it from un-screwing. Obviously, I'll need to pound them out before I unscrew it. Will I need a new nut, or can I pound a couple of crimps back in and hope for the best?

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I would probably reuse the nut. The few I have taken off haven't been that tight. I took the last one off with a 1/2" breaker bar and a hammer. Just repeatedly hitting the handle of the breaker bar - works like an impact but slower - you just have to be patient. The preference is to use an air gun but my compressor was out of service at the time. Knock out the detents and the nut should come off fairly easily.

 

Napa will likely have some sort of anerobic flange sealant - probably a permatex brand. You can hit up Fastenal or a similar industrial supply for the Loctite products (which I prefer). Use VERY thin amounts. It's a flange sealant so it only needs a few thousanths to do it's job.

 

GD

Edited by GeneralDisorder
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Progress! I called Boston Industrial today to check on my socket, and they informed me that the factory had misinformed them of when it would be shipped, and so they were expecting it in today. Bugger.

 

Time to try the fallback plan. I stopped by the awesome hardware store this morning to check on a 35mm combination wrench, but was SOL. They carry SAE up to 2", but no large metric. Autozone didn't have one, and neither did Home Despot (there's a shocker). Instead, I opted to go with a large adjustable, which I'd borrowed from a guy at my office.

 

At Home Despot, I picked up a set of carriage bolts in case I needed to attach a lever arm to my old (toasted) clutch disk. I also picked up a spare 3/8" socket, which fits over the hammer end of the punch I've been using. With a short 3/8" drive extension, this yielded a long enough punch that I was able to punch out the crimps on the pinion shaft nut.

 

With the crimps punched back out, I slipped the clutch disk over the input shaft, put the adjustable wrench over the nut, and gave the flywheel a turn (with the transmission in gear, obviously). Lo and behold, the nut broke free.

 

I pulled the transfer case off, took off the bolts that hold the bearing carrier for the pinion shaft, and split the case. With a little more fiddling and disassembly, I've got the input shaft off, and dammit if I can't get the snapring out with my snapring pliers. I've got a set of internal snapring pliers, but I need a way beefier set to get that stupid seal block off. Another day, another trip to the hardware store or the auto parts store....

 

Incidentally, how should I go about flushing the transmission after I reassemble it. My basement isn't the cleanest place to work, and I'm a little concerned about contamination. Can I just fill it up with lighter oil (like 10w30) drive it for 10 miles to work any contaminants out, drain and refill with gear oil, or does somebody have a better idea?

 

Thanks,

 

Eric

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Anaerobic Sealer is what should be used to put these cases together. I know for a fact that is what GM uses on their diffs, t-cases and trannys. RTV is a thing of the past now a days.. The Right stuff is far superior to RTV..

 

RTV doesnt like to seal if there is ANY residue or gas, oil, diesel, ATF, coolant etc. on any of the surfaces. The Right stuff will seal up with residues still there. I've put auto tranny pans on with ATF literally dripping off the pan and it sealed up just fine. Anaerobic Sealer stays in a semi liquid from until the mating surfaces are compressed together. A lack of air causes anaerobic to start curing.

 

And for cleaning it out, 10w30 will work for a short time. it doesnt have the shearing strength that 75-90W does. dont abuse it while it has 10w30 in it and it should be fine. I say 30-50 miles would be more than adequate.

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Ford Motor Company produces a BOSS silver sealant. Its not RTV, I think it is anaerobic. It is available from their parts department. That stuff is made from ground up ninja swords or something. I guess ford has to get at least ONE thing right.

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Subaru used RTV on the case halves - probably could use anerobic as well. But I've never seen one leak at the case joint so I would probably stick with the OEM equivelent (ultra grey is close) - OEM is some flavor of Three-Bond which is a Japanese brand of sealants.

 

If you want tough sealant - we used some german stuff where I used to work for the C-face mating surfaces of SIHI liquid ring pumps - the tube said "Dichtstoff" on it (which is german for "sealant") but I couldn't pronounce the brand. It's REALLY freakin strong though. Like so strong that sand-blasting and wire-wheels will barely touch the stuff. It hardens underwater even. HARD like a coffin nail that stuff. Makes automotive sealants look like butter. I think you could glue a woman's lips shut with the stuff and be reasonably certain it would hold for a few hours.

 

GD

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I've used up my quota of swearing for the night, but the input shaft seal is in and the case halves are back together. I hate the following, in no particular order:

  • Snap rings
  • Snap ring pliers
  • RTV sealant
  • Whoever designed the 4wd HI/LO shifter mechanism

I suspect I'll be doing the stub-axle seals in the very near future, but on the plus side, I think I'll be able to do that without tearing down the entire transmission. These two thoughts are related - one of them popped out as I was re-mating the case halves, meaning they're both old and brittle, and easy to install and remove.

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