Bad Luck... hole in bellhousing..

Jim_Lou · #11 05-21-2008, 08:14 AM

You shouldn't worry too much about the bell containing a blown clutch. Unless you're banging on the rev limiter it's not going to come apart.

If it were mine I'd take it off and weld up the cracks. Is there not a sheet metal cover between the bell and the oil pan? Maybe you could make that removeable. It wouldn't hurt to be able to flush the mud out.

RRich · #12 05-21-2008, 10:23 AM

It's probably well worth the extra effort to take it off to weld it.
Welding aluminum is tough enough, overhead it's even worse. You'd need someone with lots of experience to do it.
And - what about other cracks? Since it was an impact that broke it, I'd worry about cracks around the hole - and even elsewhere - that can't be seen from underneath - you need to inspect it both inside and out.

So if you take it off to weld it, the cost of welding would be about the same as getting a better bellhousing.

I'd swap it out.

Olin18 · #13 06-06-2008, 06:58 AM

I let this topic slip a bit but thought I would follow it up with my findings. I came down with a bug shortly after I finally got the jeep home, and havn't had much driveway time.
When I did get under my jeep to do a full inspection I wasn't happy with what I found. The cracks around the hole were longer than I though, and when I took a look into the housing through the starter hole I saw a lot of Al shavings...
So I decided to scrap the bellhousing I have. So off came the skid, the drive shafts, the exhaust and the shifters.
I don't have a tranmission jack (when I put the drivetrain in my jeep I put it in all together from the front with the clip off. I looked around for a place that would loan me a transmission jack but couldn't find one. Asked a bunch of "car guys" I know, no one had one. So I looked around locally to buy one, couldn't find one I liked so I ordered one. It should arive today. I wanted to wait until I had the correct tool for this job because my trans/xfer is heavy and I am going to have to do this alone and I think I would be hurt if it fell on me. (SM 465 hooked to a D300.. couple hundred pounds... don't want to fall on my face)

I still don't really feel good enought to be out in the driveway so I think it will probably be into next week by the time I get the trans out. Then I will hit up my local junk yards for a new/ used non AL bellhousing. (hopefully with an access panel)

JeepnGreg · #14 06-06-2008, 08:05 AM

Harbor Frieght has decent usable trans jacks for not too much money......

i bought this one:

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

but I think I should have maybe gone for the beefier one:

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

the one i got did a decent enough job helping get the trans and t-case out of the jeep....the cradle leaves a little to be desired, but its way better than trying to bench press them!

LEVE · #15 06-06-2008, 08:43 AM

I don't use a trannie jack.

I've made a couple of 1/4" wire cable loops to go around the transmission and transfer case. Then I attach a come-along to the front bar of the roll cage and drop it's hook down to the loops thru the transmission tunnel.

Once that's done I raise the assembly up and put another cable loop from frame rail, under the engine oil pan to the other frame rail. This supports the engine... and lowe the assembly.

Now I can remove all the bolts holding the transmission to the engine and divorce the two. The assembly now is being held up in the air by the come-along. Just use the Come-along to lower the assembly to the ground.

It's almost effortless.

Olin18 · #16 06-06-2008, 09:43 AM

Greg, that looks like very much the same jack that I orderd. I had a summit racing gift card left over from X-mas, so I didn't have to put that much money out of pocket. If it keeps the transmission off of my face it will be money well spent.

Leve... That is a way good Idea idea. After reading that post from you I have totally rethought the way I am going to go about this. I like your plan a lot.

Some times I think I have it figured out and I think I know how clever you are... then you post up somthing like that.... Nice work.

LEVE · #17 06-06-2008, 09:47 AM

Thanks, it works well. One other benefit is that while you're under the Jeep you're not having to work around a transmission jack. There's plenty of room to roll around, cuss, bust knuckles, hit your forehead and get that sucker down on the ground.

Jim_Lou · #18 06-06-2008, 10:12 AM

I've pulled the lump all three ways - two guys and brute force, transmission jack and a winch from above. The easiest was with the transmission jack, but next time I'm going to use a hybrid method; support it from above until it's ready to come out, then attach the jack and release the winch. A great feature of the jack is that it has the screw to adjust the pitch so that the input shaft can come straight out without hanging on the pilot or throwout bearing.

Jim_Lou · #19 06-06-2008, 10:12 AM

I've pulled the lump all three ways - two guys and brute force, transmission jack, and a winch from above. The easiest was with the transmission jack, but next time I'm going to use a hybrid method; support it from above until it's ready to come out, then attach the jack and release the winch. A great feature of the jack is that it has the screw to adjust the pitch so that the input shaft can come straight out without hanging on the pilot or throwout bearing.

JeepnGreg · #20 06-06-2008, 12:53 PM

if you do get the trans jack....make sure you get the lowest-profile possible......

I had to lift the jeep to get the trans out, last time because the trans + jack was too tall to clear the frame rails. this was with the jeep on jackstands + 4" lift....so the frame was pretty high up already.

thats why i would have gone with a different jack than the one i got.....

hind sight