I have a fried automatic transmission in my 83 Eagle and I have a perfectly good rebuilt transmission of the same design with the transfer case attached. I'm at the end of my sanity because of all the arguments in my house about replacing the transmission and I have to do this myself because no one will help me.
The transmission currently in my car spilled a little bit of fluid while cruising on the freeway for an hour and started jerking until I finally lost all the fluid and all gears. I still can't pinpoint the leak and I'm just going to try replacing the transmission with my rebuilt one while I find the culprit later(I'm guessing the torque converter flew apart). Are there any obstacles that may keep me from doing this? I have a good floor and decent transmission jack. I really need this car to work soon and I don't know where to research this or ask for help. WASP wouldn't even lift a finger to help me last week. :(
has the rebuilt transmission been used since being rebuilt if so it will need the filter changed. as for the transfercase you will need to remove the it before you put the transmission in.
Quote from: maddog on September 07, 2011, 02:34:11 AM
has the rebuilt transmission been used since being rebuilt if so it will need the filter changed. as for the transfercase you will need to remove the it before you put the transmission in.
The rebuilt one hasn't been used but I have a filter and gasket that should probably be used anyway. I suspect the transfer case may be a problem but I don't know what kind of work I'm looking at yet.
Great. Thanks.
There's one other thing bothering me. The transmission assembly already has a transfer case bolted to it. Is it a good idea to keep the one I've been using or swap out? :-\
Quote from: Regalwizard on September 07, 2011, 02:41:25 PMwhy throw more wrenches into the works then need be? :)
Only one tiny contradiction here: The entire vehicle is failing.
This month I've had to replace PCV valves, oil(blowback problem), a water pump, starter solenoid and now the transmission. The transfer case is the only part that isn't in question and I have to wonder when it will be. I don't need my 4WD failing me when I need it next month.
Quote from: Regalwizard on September 07, 2011, 03:12:54 PM
I HIGHLY recommend talking to Jeep guys; these things are close enough to Jeeps that, even if they can't help with parts, they'll at least be able to help with advise, & maybe even a hand or a recommendation to a good 4x4 shop.
That's probably the smartest thing I've heard all year. o_O
I have one Jeep friend I can see about this. He's a guy that machines transmissions and has this obnoxious looking Jeep with axles that look like they came off of a 6x6. I probably should seek him for advice. -_-
Quote from: Regalwizard on September 07, 2011, 03:24:16 PM
so finding parts for any of that I just tell 'em it's an 83 Cherokee, much faster, easier, & cheaper then trying to explain what an AMC Eagle is :P
I've needed to know this workaround for so many years it's not funny. -_-
Anyway I have both plates off and I'm loading the transmission jack now. I think the transfer case comes off next?
Yes makes it easier.
Something tells me I should mark and pull the drivelines first. Any problem in doing that?
No and it doesnt matter. However I used to have a test up here for the transfer case. Its gone.
If I have to pull the engine, do I have to go through this process with the transmission again? I know I would have to at least unbolt the bell housing like I will later but there was something in the way of me doing that.
Help me understnd. I done this nearly a dozen times. I don.'t understand your question however.
Uh....Nevermind. I got it. I think too much. No wonder I always come off as malicious. x_x
just remember to unbolt the torqconverter before you remove the transmission or you will have more problems.
Quote from: maddog on September 07, 2011, 08:23:38 PM
just remember to unbolt the torqconverter before you remove the transmission or you will have more problems.
Elaborate? I don't really intend to reuse this transmission again. I might be able to rebuild it but I'm certain the torque converter is damaged beyond reason.
Quote from: Regalwizard on September 07, 2011, 09:35:26 PM
Most trans shops will recommend simply replacing the torque converter, since there's really no way of knowing if it's still good short of cracking it open, which is basically no possible for the driveway mechanics like us.
I'll be swapping in a new torque converter as well. :-\
I just noticed that the undercarriage of this car is caked with DIRT, not rust. I'm going to clean up the area around the transmission before putting the other one in. This could actually look really nice when done. o_o
one resone to unbolt the torgconverter before removing the transmission is that i have seen people that didn't do it and as they were pulling out the transmission they either messed up the flexplate or the crank. another resone that thing is a lot heavier than you think.
Well, looks like I'll have to be careful with it. Is there anything I need to keep in mind to take out the transfer case without any trouble? I'm already unbolting the rear half of it.
just remember to unbolt and remove the speedo cable from the tail and use a jack because even after the fluid is completely drained that thing will still weigh about 60 to 80 pounds.
Looks like it's not going to happen. I have a bolt between the transfer case and transmission that won't come. It's a stripped 14. I have other bolts for it but it's heck getting this one because the vaccuum assembly is in the way. I'll just drop the whole assembly.
Alright I have most of the bolts out. I just need to get the top bolts off the transmission and it's done. Suggestions on doing that?
Ah yes. Thanks. I have several extensions and I figured out how to get them off of the driver's end. Now I have the last bolt(there ISN'T one at the top?) on the passenger's side and I don't have enough torque to move the bolt. I think I need a longer ratchet.
Oh, I AM doing this all with hand tools btw. I just find it weird that I seem to have a problem with the LAST bolt on each section I'm working on. I hope to God the engine isn't like that when I pull it. :/
Well, I finally have the transmission back in place and I was doing so much prep work that at the end of it I realized it was all slowing me down. This car doesn't really need a whole lot in order to move stuff around. You just need the tools, transmission jack and bolts.
Tomorrow I'll install the cover plate, transfer case, drivelines and the other protective guards. Shift assembly and starter should be cake but the torque converter bothers me a little bit. I used blue loctite on the threads and noticed that I have a stripped hole on one part of the torque converter. If fluid is still spilling out of this thing, it's going in the trash. I have a spare converter in unknown condition that might work but if it doesn't, what are my options? I've been looking through a list of converters lately and only three of them are lockup and they don't even list an AMC as compatible. I found a Saturday Night Special through Racemart for $200 but I'm not sure if it would work. Suggestions?
Really? Nobody knows anything about this?
Here's what I'm asking: Does a lockup torque converter meant for the A727 work with the A904 transmission?
I think I got mine from a place called TourqueConverter dot com. it was just over $100 shipped, they had both lock-up and non-lockup, I have had no problems with it at all. I made a cardboard template of the flex plate holes and lined them up on the new converter and marked two that matched when all were lined up. ( I got tired of spinning things around like a roulette wheel to get the right ones to match )
Quote from: Regalwizard on September 22, 2011, 10:14:25 PM
Doubt it. I know the converter from my old 998 wouldn't work on the 727 I put in, though the 998 was lockup & the 727 isn't.
That's just it. Here's the real problem: I know the torque converter seated in my A904 is lockup. It's proven, nothing to dispute. Same goes for the 998(which is what really belongs behind this engine anyway).
When I look up replacements, the A904 transmission is automatically thrown into the non-lockup category. When I look up the lock-up specific converters, the A727 transmission is listed as the only one compatible even though we all know it's a non-lockup transmission. I'm assuming I can grab a lockup torque converter listed for a A727 and use it in my A904.
If this isn't the case, I'm boycotting TCI and the other names that are so misleading about this. I need to find a vendor that knows what they're doing for once.
Quote from: Regalwizard on September 23, 2011, 12:46:30 AM
Just don't tell them it's going into an AMC Eagle, you'll confuse the snot outta them :P lol
........
Bane of my existence. :eyepopping:
I finally found ONE vendor called Precision of New Hampton that seems to know what's what. In their listing the 904 appears twice. When I select the first listing, I have several lockup converters to choose from. If I choose the second listing, one result pops up and it's a 120ยบ pattern on a non-lockup converter. Is there something I'm missing about the A904? I thought all of these were lockup.
I can't help a whole lot, but the early 904s were non-lockup, and maybe all 4cyl 904s (at least in certain applications) were non-lockup. Depending on the year, Eagles got one of two stall speeds and at some point they dropped the lockup converter in the 998.
From all I've read, the 998/999 are the same case and parts, the only difference is the clutches and bands.
The one I had rebuilt I was never asked about, and it seemed the shop had no problem getting a correct torque converter. I would suggest trying to find an independent transmission shop or rebuilder nearby that can order in the correct part for you. It's got to be a case of bad catalog information because the parts are available. There have to be a very large number of 99x transmissions out there still running in Jeeps and Chryslers.
A 727 TC definately will not work on a 904. I have a 727 and a 998 next to each other in my garage right now, and the input shaft is obviously a much larger diameter. I read through your thread and I can't tell if you mean 998 or 904. All Eagles came with 998s except the 4 cylinder's. A four cylinder transmission will not bolt up to a 258. If you have a 904 from behind a Jeep 258, which I don't know if such a thing exists, than you need to use that year and model to find a torque converter.
Most 727 transmissions have a lockup torque converter. The lockup converter debuted in 1978, so anything older than that is definately nonlockup. I know full size Jeeps 85 and newer definately had lockup 727s. You can tell if it has a lockup converter by looking at the smaller inner input shaft. If about 5/8 of the end is machined smooth, then its a lockup converter. If the splines go all the way to the end of the shaft, except for a 1/8 bevel, then its a nonlockup.
A lockup 904 has 26 splines. A nonlockup 904 has 27 splines. A lockup 727 has 23 splines. A nonlockup 727 has 24 splines.
Quote from: captspillane on September 26, 2011, 02:51:06 PM
A four cylinder transmission will not bolt up to a 258.
(Un)Fortunately, this is wrong. My Eagle has had the same A-904 transmission behind an AMC 258 engine for the past 15 years. I know it uses a lockup converter because I can feel it locking up when I hit 38mph(or is it something else?). It doesn't help that my spare torque converter still has the HS LOCKUP label still on it.
Quote from: captspillane on September 26, 2011, 02:51:06 PMA lockup 904 has 26 splines. A nonlockup 904 has 27 splines. A lockup 727 has 23 splines. A nonlockup 727 has 24 splines.
I was curious about this during the overhaul and I believe I counted 26 splines. I don't remember for sure but I remember the input shaft having 26. I'm not about to unbolt my transmission tomorrow morning to check it(unless the test fire goes really wrong) but I'll look at the spline on my spare and check it out. I still say I have a A-904 that uses a lockup converter. I don't believe I have the guts of another transmission in an A-904 housing.
The 151 and 150 four cylinders in Eagles both have different Chevy bolt patterns intergrated into the casting and are not compatible with a 6 cylinder. That's not wrong.
It seems that you're convinced you have a 904 and not a 998. You're wrong. If its the original transmission that came behind the 258 from the factory than its a 998. Only four cylinder Eagles had a 904 from the factory. There is a subtle bulge in the casing somewhere thats different, but most people including myself wouldn't be able to tell a 904 from a 998. When you buy a rebuild kit it will be the same for both, since its essentially just a single planetary gear inside that's bigger in the 998 than the 904.
Its not surprising that you couldn't find the correct torque converter for your transmission when you didn't know what transmission you had. All the 998s have a lockup torque converter. Most 904s did not but some did.
I did just put "1984 AMC Eagle" into the search engine at the Advanced Auto Parts website. It came up with a torque converter ready to ship for $95.79 and a $20 core charge. Under details it said its a 904 lockup torque converter with a "HS Lockup Decal" on it. You're not the only one who considers the 904 and 998 designation to be interchangeable. There is alot of sources out there that will call your transmission a 904 by mistake.
Instead of counting splines you need to just look at the shape of the shaft. Your lockup transmission has a smooth area without splines at the tip. This picture should clear that up:
(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x427/captspillane/Eagleweb%20Postings/Lockupvsnonlockup.png)
Quote from: captspillane on September 29, 2011, 01:47:33 AM
Its not surprising that you couldn't find the correct torque converter for your transmission when you didn't know what transmission you had. All the 998s have a lockup torque converter. Most 904s did not but some did.
Not true. 84 and older is cut off for lockup.versus 85 and newer non lockup