Progress on axle shift motor vacuum lines

[trucker79005]

I studied the diagrams and I think i have my lines hooked up right but there's a few things I'm still not sure of.
 
This is what I pulled out from around the transfer case. Not sure if they melted or were pulled apart but wondering if there should be some way to keep them from laying on the transfer case. oh, is the transfer case really supposed to have 10w30 motor oil in it???

The other picture of the axle shift motor has some questions on it. Seemed easier than trying to explain...

Many thanks to anyone that knows what they're doing here..

[mo.eagles]

The service manual states you are  to use 6 pints of Dexron II in the transfer case . Yes the bottom port on the shift motor is a vent . Yes you can remove that torn ,oil soaked ,rubber glob and use vacuum hose to connect it. The port size might be different from the line . I can't remember . The motor will spin or pivot . It's held in by a snap ring .

[trucker79005]

The service manual states you are  to use 6 pints of Dexron II in the transfer case . Yes the bottom port on the shift motor is a vent . Yes you can remove that torn ,oil soaked ,rubber glob and use vacuum hose to connect it. The port size might be different from the line . I can't remember . The motor will spin or pivot . It's held in by a snap ring .

Thanks for that. What about the lines over the transfer case? Any problems with them laying on top of it??

I really didn't know what to make of fluid deal. I thought I might be misreading something. It came out of the 1981 TSM that's in the Epedia. I'm pretty sure that whatever is in mine now is red, not motor oil....

[mo.eagles]

By the looks of yours I'd say  yes . Not a good idea to just leave any hose or wire loose where it can bounce around and chafe on hot rough surfaces . Seems to me AMC put some cheesy clamps on the side of the transmission ,and a bracket on the transfer that had steel tubes that connected the lines together. I think 

[trucker79005]

Thanks! Will have to see what I can do to reproduce a cheesy bracket...I thought the diagrams looked like maybe there was stuff I didn't have

[eaglefreek]

Originally motor oil was used in the transfer cases and then they changed it to Dexron. If motor oil comes out just put motor oil back in or if it's pink, put in transmission fluid.

[trucker79005]

Originally motor oil was used in the transfer cases and then they changed it to Dexron. If motor oil comes out just put motor oil back in or if it's pink, put in transmission fluid.

Got it. Thanks for the clarification

[trucker79005]

I'm starting to suspect that my front axle has already been locked. These may be no brainers but here goes:
 If there are no vacuum lines going to my front axle it should default to disconnected?? Right??
So if I manually put the transfer case in 4wd and jacked up one wheel that wheel should still spin fairly free??
If it has strong resistance then the axle is locked and the transfer case is safe from damage??

Thanks to anyone that has time to help.

[mo.eagles]

There are no springs in the shift motors so which position they were in when you lost vacuum is where they stay . The driver side axle is connected to the diff at all times . If you lift the right side wheel with the trans case not locked in and then spin that wheel you will see the drive shaft spin . If your axle is not in the locked position then only the right side wheel will spin freely .

[trucker79005]

That helps. Thanks. Just finished jacking up the right side. Axle is not locked. Wheel turns freely. I got all excited because I finally got the shift motor to work on the transfer case. I guess i should be excited about the shift motor on the axle too. I'm positive when I first got it home that I had the right side jacked up and it would barely turn and now it turns freely so I guess it moved at some point while I was messing with the vacuum lines.


EDIT: Finally got it all hooked up right and it works!!

[rollguy]

You can always use a Mityvac (hand vacuum pump and gauge) to shift the motor to whatever position you want. 

[trucker79005]

You can always use a Mityvac (hand vacuum pump and gauge) to shift the motor to whatever position you want. 

Lol. Maybe that would be better than the foodsaver vacuum sealer I was trying to use.... maybe someday I can clean the system up some but it's at least working now...

[amcfool1]

hi, it looks like those squished/fried lines are the vac lines to the transfer case "motor" . these lines NEED to be the hard, not soft, vac, lines, still available, but you may have to search a little, I know NAPA has 'em, but black only. Eagle has Red/Yellow/Green, the system is pretty bulletproof, IF, both your Vac motors, ie front axle, and transfer case, are functional. I just redid the system on my 84. Takes some time, you need a GOOD diagram, ie , as in the 82 TSM, looks like your front axle lines are ok, but rear ones are fried, so, again, you need a diagram, and some time, and maybe a couple of feet of new HARD vac. line. Congratulations, you are entering the post grad phase of Eagle ownership! Not to scare you, but, rather, to encourage you, The 80s AMC Eagle is one of THE most difficult cars to restore, bar none! This was the "tween" years, the not quite end of carburetion, but not quite full FI yet. Most people choose to discard the whole 80s system, do a ECM Test bypass, and go to a DUI distributor, and/or an MC2100 carb, which I myself have done, with my first one. The second one, my current 84, I did the whole stock/ w/upgrades thing, took over two years, and more reading/research and $$ than I care to remember, but all good now. Point is, don't give up, if you can keep an Eagle roadworthy, you are heads and tails above almost everybody else, with their SBCs, or 5.0s.
good luck, gz

[trucker79005]

I realize I did a horrible job of communicating.... I was really trying to figure out why those lines were so fried. I couldn't tell if being over the top of the tranny had overheated them or if someone got real careless and pulled them. Didn't want to put them back over the tranny and have them melt again. I have obtained a good diagram off the epedia and have the system working finally. Seems like my motors are ok but appreciate the advice about the hard lines. There are probably some places I patched the lines with the soft stuff that I need to go back and fix with hard stuff. I think I found some colored line at grainger.
I am encourage if I'm "postgraduate" was pretty excited to have it working. I had a mechanic put the weber conversion on it and bypass the ecm (I think...) Just had a guy buy me another 83 eagle tonight so may get a chance to try alternate paths As soon as I have concrete instead of cardboard and some shade for this Texas sun the work will be much more enjoyable.