The day of reckoning has arrived, have decided it is time to freshen up my 41 year old 904. Any favorite techniques among the gang?

Call about 3 friends over on Saturday and have a lot of cold beverages in the cooler regular or unleaded. Thanks Ron Parker











Hell Hath No Wrath Than A Possum Scorned

I just had to pull the 904 out of my Dart. The 904 I had just rebuilt a year ago! I finally broke in the new cam, changed the oil, etc. and was ready for the initial drive when lo and behold, she wouldn't roll. My first auto trans rebuild apparently was not a success.

1. Lift the car as high as you can safely get it. I have mine on four jack stands set at full extension. Make sure you shake the car and insure it is secure with it being that high up!

2. I cut a piece of thick plywood to use between the jack and tranny pan. Make it as large as possible without it interfering when you go to lower the tranny.

3. As you lower it, take your time and check that you aren't hanging up on anything as you lower it. My tailshaft caught on the emergency brake cable and I almost tipped the tranny off of the floor jack. Remember to take the neutral safety wire loose. It may be run through a wire loom in addition to the sender, so check that.

4. The rest is typical stuff, like making sure you took everything loose, like the four flex plate bolts, etc. I took my exhaust off to make it easier, but it might not be necessary.

5. I did mine by myself, but it would be better to have a set of helping hands/eyes as you lower it. Good luck.

Rob

Sounds as if sufficient libations and a couple of roundtrip air tickets for you guys are the key! Thanks for the tips.

I bought a $40 parts store motorcycle and ATV jack. I discovered after I got rid of my bike that it Works GREAT with a 904 pan, Or removing K-Frames.

I've used it on 4 904s so far in A Bodies, and took it to my buddy's house to lower the K-Frame out of his '67 Barracuda.

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"When applied at precisely the right time, Ignorance is a powerful tool, usually even surpassing knowledge" E.J. "Michigan Madman" Potter.

GT63, fill up the cooler with miller high life or some modelo and i'll be there. 40mins to yank that trans max, homeslice.
Bacardi and coke, do it... do it...

-JYH
Have tools, will travel
PCR LA

One thing you might want to do is fabricate a small bracket out of some strap metal and drill in one end a hole the size of a dust cover bolt. When you pull the 904, the torque convertor tends to want to fall off. Bolt the bracket to a dust cover hole in the tranny case and bend it inward to put a little pressure on the torque convertor to hold it in place.

Something else I was told to do, and found mine already had it done, was to drill a small hole, tap it, and install a small bolt in the front edge of the torque convertor to create a drain plug. It doesn't have to be very large, just enough to drain the fluid out of the convertor when you roll it over to point downward. Makes it handy when servicing tranny and replacing its fluid. Sometimes the old fluid in the convertor gets overlooked.

Jerry

_________________
There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.

Careful Jerry, that hole needs to be drilled in an area where it won't bend an impeller fin. If one gets pushed into the pump fins it could wreck the converter, and possibly the trans. My TC has the plug installed already, and many others do. I would leave this job to the pros, and if attempting it on my own, I would use a pipe plug with tapered threads as it expands into the threads the tighter you go. And flush the trans of all tailings THOROUGHLY.

I dunno...

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Point well taken. Like I said, mine was already done, so I don't know how the installation was done or who did it. The previous owner was an old lady, so she may have had the transmission serviced several times over the years and they could have done it for the convenience. I would guess that you could drill the hole slowly, withdrawing the bit frequently to make sure you only go through the outer shell, thereby avoiding contact with any internal parts. Something to investigate on my extra A904 that I want to learn to service.

Jerry

_________________
There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.