Enthusiast
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Wichita, KS
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OT- Poor maintenance rant-Why do people do this?!?
I finally ripped the driveline out of my CJ2A so I could rebuild the trans, t-case, and swap in the V6. Everything was going according to plan until I opened up the tranny case. Now I wasnt expecting a perfect set of gears or anything, but this was horrible! I had already bought a new input shaft, synchro's, 2nd gear set, and all bearings. T-90's are bad about these, and I needed a different input for the engine swap. Once I got into the case, I found that the ONLY fluid in there was WATER! Not any signs of gear lube mixed. I think this could have been bottled as pure spring water, except it had RUST FROM MY WASTED CLUSTER GEAR! [img]images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]
I understand a 50 year old gearbox isnt going to be perfect, but come on! Apart from half this thing being repaired with coat hangers and duct tape, the ol' Willys is in great shape. Oil was good in the engine, coolant was new and not contaminated, etc....HOW HARD IS IT TO CHECK THE TRANS! [img]images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]
The t-case wasnt much better. It had a SMALL amount of slippery substance in there, but it was a token amount. Bearings chewed up.
The moral of this.....$20 of maintenance would have saved $125 worth of gears and shafts!
OK, just had to get that out. I am always having the same problem with people coming into my shop with their car knocking and they ask "why". Then they tell me they "change the oil every 12,000 miles becuse they cant afford the $20 to have it done more often". "Hmmmmm" I say. "This will now be a $3000 oil change, but you get a free engine!" [img]images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]
Now four-wheelers are some of the best at taking care of their rides. However, for everyone who isnt,PLEASE people, maintenance is simple, and will save you major $$$ over the big repairs later. Trust me. If everyone started taking care of thier vehicles, I could be out of a job!