Uberoo Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 I was out playing around in RWD because a front axle blew up.I was trying to get out of deep mud hole.I had reverse fully engaged an all of the power of an ea81 going to the rear wheels to get it out, then I heard a bang.Thought a broke a rear axle until I found that I could still move forwards.I can find the other gears but where reverse normally would be its like reverse doesnt exist any more.Is this a simple linkage problem or did I break the transmission? car is an 84 GL with 235/75/15 mud tires and an old tired EA81 with a bad carb.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 this loud bang you heard, can you describe a little more. sounds like it may have killed your trans. usually, loud bangs are not a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one eye Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Replace the Trans............. cheaper and faster................... Its done.... Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted November 1, 2009 Author Share Posted November 1, 2009 Im guess the torque the motor was making probally snapped the reverse fork.I will replace the transmission for sure, Im just wondering if there might be a way to prevent it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 (edited) Typically, the reverse gears break because of years of partial engagement. The linkage leaves much to be desired with respect to fully engaging the reverse gear set. The tranny is junk. It will have eaten most of the teeth off the reverse gears - one of which is part of the main shaft. It would be a mistake to repair it as the cost would be high and you still have a lot of metal floating around in there. This is not as common with the 5 speeds - they have a better linkage for one - you should probably ugrade. GD Edited November 2, 2009 by GeneralDisorder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 Ill upgrade after I run out of parts DR 4 speeds... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xoomer Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Dr 5spd ftw:slobber: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Yeah - the 4's are good for boat anchor's and I would much rather just install a 5 and be done with it than burn through all the 4's in the world till I run out. Changing transmissions is a biotch. I would almost rather chew my arm off. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one eye Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Really its worth your time to replace it with a 5speed, I've gone through 3 4 speeds, and none of the 5 speeds have blown.............. and I put them through the mill....... Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstaru Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 he said it best....BOZO...get over it, ************in pony up for a 5 spd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Really its worth your time to replace it with a 5speed, I've gone through 3 4 speeds, and none of the 5 speeds have blown.............. and I put them through the mill....... Jeff I've never blown up either, but I've had the 4 speeds get pretty bad (3rd gear and reverse mostly), but I agree, the 5 speed is a better transmission -- we'll see how long it lasts behind the EJ22 in the impreza (that I just blew up the stock awd 5 speed in -- mostly the previous owner, not me) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted November 4, 2009 Author Share Posted November 4, 2009 (edited) while a 5 speed would be ideal, putting a another 4 speed in means that I might have a chance to go wheeling again this year...Hell my car sat for 3 months because I couldnt afford to to put headgaskets on an engine I had... I read an old post on the matter and it seems that if: Most of your driving is street on small tires= 5 speed Most of your driving is offroad with big tires=4 speed That and I just remembered that my parts car is an 82... Edited November 4, 2009 by Uberoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast I Drive Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 I read an old post on the matter and it seems that if: Most of your driving is street on small tires= 5 speed Most of your driving is offroad with big tires=4 speed No. The 3.9 5 speed D/R trannies have 1.59 low range. The 4-speeds have only 1.4 low range. The 4 speeds, as you have found, do not handle too much abuse like a 5 speed can. 5 speeds dont have the shifter problems, have lower gears, better ratios, and stronger internals. They are damn easy to come by around here, and will probably outlast the rest of your car. To make it simple, 5 speeds are for Off-road, 4 speeds are for the street. -Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted November 4, 2009 Author Share Posted November 4, 2009 Ok then.I will put a 5 speed in when I go to put an ej in...(just takes money,and I have to find a parts car... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 No. The 3.9 5 speed D/R trannies have 1.59 low range. The 4-speeds have only 1.4 low range. Not to quibble over minutia... but it's actually 1.46 for the 4 speed, and it has a slightly lower 1st gear, so it's really only a tad different than the 5 speed -- 5.315 vs 5.636. 4th gear is different for the '81 and '82 4 speeds, but it looks like the later ones actually give you about the same highway gearing as the 5 speeds, just wider spacing because you are missing one gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted November 5, 2009 Author Share Posted November 5, 2009 Anyone have a technical drawing of a 4 or 5 speed?i will be taking apart the busted one,but it might be nice to be able to take one apart and put it back together with some slight changes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 What changes were you wanting to make? I can tell you right now that unless you have a parts tranny it won't be viable to repair it. You will need a 35mm thin-wall socket to dissasemble the 4's. These are not easy to come by - I had a 35mm axle nut impact socket turned down on the lathe till it fit. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one eye Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 Anyone have a technical drawing of a 4 or 5 speed?i will be taking apart the busted one,but it might be nice to be able to take one apart and put it back together with some slight changes... Fail! Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted November 6, 2009 Author Share Posted November 6, 2009 I plain to take apart the busted one to maybe get a feel for the transmissions.Then maybe take apart another one to shim the diff with grinder disks for a redneck limited slip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 The 4 speed's are so stupidly complicated inside that it's not even worth the trouble to dissasemble them. The 5's are incredibly easy by comparison. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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