Geoff Baltz

I wasted my 3rd gear on the track last month in my 86 Turbo. I've been waiting for that. It had the non LSD with cooler (016R 5P). I always promised myself when it went that it was going to be replaced by a Turbo S (016R AOR) tranny.

Guess what I got? Found one from an 88 Turbo S street car with 81K miles that had the infamous fuel rail fire. I am cleaning it up and am going to change the gear lube while it's out of the car.

Questions:

I'm thinking of cracking it to check it out. What would you do?

I have always used Red Line but am hearing that Mobil 1 gear lube is better. Thoughts?

-g

RKD in OKC

Since most of the cost of transmission repair is removal and replacement, I would definately have a look at it before going to the trouble of doing the swap.

Oddjob

I would either install it as is, or open it up and refresh it (new bearings and synchros). Unless youre just going to make sure the gears are not missing teeth (which would be very unusual), its pretty hard to see wear on the bearings and synchros without removing the shafts from the gear carrier and pulling the gears and hubs off the input and pinion shafts. So if you do that, might as well replace all the wear items and have a fresh trans.

You broke the 3rd gear set (missing teeth)? How did you do that?

Waterguy

I just pulled mine (AOR) at 112k miles. I had the following done: replaced input and output shaft seals and cooler loop o-rings to cure oil leaks, replaced the LSD clutches/washers/spring, re-shimmed the R&P. I did not feel there was any need to open up the tranny itself to replace bearings or synchros. A worthwhile improvement that cost about Can$1000 (US$800) while the tranny was out. LSD feels much stronger now!

The entire shifter mechanism and one half-shaft had been replaced by PO; it feels very tight and shifts great, although I don't know why you would go to the bother/expense of installing a whole new shift rod.

Oddjob

Setting the ring and pinion spacing requires shimming the back side of the differential bearings (to adjust side to side) and back side of the pinion bearings (to adjust front and back).

Not much need to reset the R&P spacing unless you replace the differential bearings and/or pinion bearings (unless the bearings are so worn that the pinion shaft is too loose). So, odd that a shop would set the R&P spacing if not replacing any bearings. And odd that if pulling the differential bearing races out to reshim the diff. that they would reinstall used bearings. Also, impossible to shim the pinion unless you remove it (which requires pulling the gear carrier out and removing the pinion shaft).

Not being a smart ***, just curious about the recommendation to shim the R&P and not to replace bearings or open up the gear carrier?

Waterguy

My understanding is that the ring gear must be shimmed when the differential is removed to replace the LSD clutch plates, etc. You are right, the pinion gear was likely not touched, nor were the differential bearings replaced. I guess what was done was not a full R&P shim.

Sam Lin

If you're cracking it open, then replace all bearings and the synchros at least for 1-2 and best 3 while you're in there. Otherwise, change the fluid and run it. As for which fluid, I run Redline in all my cars, but Mobil One is fine fluid.

Sam