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My trans may now be a ticking time bomb...

C

CSVT_2004

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Messages
2,406
Location
Wisconsin
So my shift tower bolt sheered last thursday... and last night the parts finally came in to fix it.... now I hate myself for this.... but it's all I can do for the time being.... Suppose to fish out that sheered head right... well.... I spent over 2 hours with various magnets and holes an ****... couldn't find any bolt head.... seriously... I about cried.... and I hate myself for this, but... I put the shift tower back together, refilled it with tranny fluid and drove it home..... so far no royal purple undercoating from the head of that bolt blowing through the tranny housing...

My question is this.... has anyone ever NOT been able to find that stupid bolt head and left it in the tranny??? I could not find it for the life of me.... If your going to yell at me for this.... go ahead... I already know I shouldn't have put it back together.... Trust me... I hate myself more than anyone on here could for this stupid move.... I drove from my uncles back to my apt last night... which is a good 20 mi probably.... so far so good.... I know it's stupid... but it was 1:30 am when I got out of his garage and we really don't have the tools to rip off the tranny at his house.... I think I want to go to a tranny place and just have them rip it off and find it for me.... but I'm sure that will cost a fortune.... My other option... I guess is to just wait an see if it blows through the tranny... that way I'll know its out... and can just have someone aluminum weld the tranny.. and then refill it....

I know all this is stupid... and I feel guilty as hell putting my car back together without finding that piece... I need some hope here.... Please someone say you've not been able to find this stupid thing as well and left it in there without any problems..... I'm guessing maybe this thing fell down by the differential... but I'm not sure. Where the gears and syncros are at... we had the magnet underneath and tried from the drain plug to get something... nothing.... unless someone has a super magnet that we can drag along the bottom of the tranny case and pull it to somewhere that is reachable.... I need some hopeful responses... I feel drained and dragged by this current situation...
 
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???

???

CSVT_2004 said:
So my shift tower bolt sheered last thursday... and last night the parts finally came in to fix it.... now I hate myself for this.... but it's all I can do for the time being.... Suppose to fish out that sheered head right... well.... I spent over 2 hours with various magnets and holes an ****... couldn't find any bolt head.... seriously... I about cried.... and I hate myself for this, but... I put the shift tower back together, refilled it with tranny fluid and drove it home..... so far no royal purple undercoating from the head of that bolt blowing through the tranny housing...

My question is this.... has anyone ever NOT been able to find that stupid bolt head and left it in the tranny??? I could not find it for the life of me.... If your going to yell at me for this.... go ahead... I already know I shouldn't have put it back together.... Trust me... I hate myself more than anyone on here could for this stupid move.... I drove from my uncles back to my apt last night... which is a good 20 mi probably.... so far so good.... I know it's stupid... but it was 1:30 am when I got out of his garage and we really don't have the tools to rip off the tranny at his house.... I think I want to go to a tranny place and just have them rip it off and find it for me.... but I'm sure that will cost a fortune.... My other option... I guess is to just wait an see if it blows through the tranny... that way I'll know its out... and can just have someone aluminum weld the tranny.. and then refill it....

I know all this is stupid... and I feel guilty as hell putting my car back together without finding that piece... I need some hope here.... Please someone say you've not been able to find this stupid thing as well and left it in there without any problems..... I'm guessing maybe this thing fell down by the differential... but I'm not sure. Where the gears and syncros are at... we had the magnet underneath and tried from the drain plug to get something... nothing.... unless someone has a super magnet that we can drag along the bottom of the tranny case and pull it to somewhere that is reachable.... I need some hopeful responses... I feel drained and dragged by this current situation...
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Uh oh. :(

My first thought would be that it lodged itself somewhere when it sheared off. It might have dislodged itself when you took it out for a drive. If I were you, I would take it apart ASAP and search for it again.
 
My other option... I guess is to just wait an see if it blows through the tranny... that way I'll know its out... and can just have someone aluminum weld the tranny.. and then refill it....

I'm 99% sure you'll wreck it for good if it blows out the casting. They weren't meant to be welded. Besides, you'll chew a bunch of gears in the process.

Best thing to do is drop this trans. out and open it up. You may have to tip it upside down to get the stupid bolt to fall out. At least you'll save it that way. Tons of work though but better than having a large chunk of bolt sitting in it somewhere waiting to ruin your day.
 
fornetti14 said:
My other option... I guess is to just wait an see if it blows through the tranny... that way I'll know its out... and can just have someone aluminum weld the tranny.. and then refill it....

I'm 99% sure you'll wreck it for good if it blows out the casting. They weren't meant to be welded. Besides, you'll chew a bunch of gears in the process.

Best thing to do is drop this trans. out and open it up. You may have to tip it upside down to get the stupid bolt to fall out. At least you'll save it that way. Tons of work though but better than having a large chunk of bolt sitting in it somewhere waiting to ruin your day.
Click to expand...

It's what I want to do... but I don't have a backup car at the time to set my SVT aside and fix.... unless someone is a tranny GOD and can do these things in a day easy I'd love to meet em... I'm pretty sure though... that they won't live anywhere close to me.... :(
 
the plug on my trans has a magnet on the end. you can take the plug out, and if its not on there, youc an put the magnet in from down there and its easier to move around you'll probably find it. i wouldnt run it at all with that bolt in there! good luck anywho.
 
SVTJON87 said:
i know TH said that the main magnet in the trans can not be cleaned unless the trans is opened.
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Well I'm hopeing that caught it... cause the pictures I'm going to post later will make you **** your pants probably.... Just pics of the extracted screw... and the comparison to a new bolt.... yeah... it's scarry.... I may opener up this weekend and probe around... but I've driven over 200 miles so far.... yay....
 
CSVT_2004 said:
Well I'm hopeing that caught it... cause the pictures I'm going to post later will make you **** your pants probably.... Just pics of the extracted screw... and the comparison to a new bolt.... yeah... it's scarry.... I may opener up this weekend and probe around... but I've driven over 200 miles so far.... yay....
Click to expand...

yea do that just to be sure. i would hate for it to blow and cost$$
 
SVTJON87 said:
yea do that just to be sure. i would hate for it to blow and cost$$
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Yeah I screwed around drinking too much this weekend.... so.... I changed my oil since it needed to be done.... I should really open that tranny up next weekend... I hope I don't keep putting this off... I gave her nuts today on the road and I've driven on different roads and corners, etc, etc. So far.... so good.... I really wish I could find someone who was very experienced in taking the MTX75 off the contour, and could come over and help me rip it off and get that bolt out... I'll list the picture of how much is still missing... you'll want your shift tower keyed asap...
 
Ready to crap a brick????

Ready to crap a brick????

So here is what's left in my transmission somewhere... So here is an idea of what is left somewhere in my transmission.... The smaller piece is what we extracted out of the transmission.... I hope to god that the head of that bolt found a magnet... I'm guessing it's deep in the tranny because we hauled it with a dolly.... so I'm assumeing gravity pulled it back....

100_2479.JPG


100_2479.JPG


100_2480.JPG
 
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wow. i hope all the best and i hope to god this dosnt happen to me. if it dose the car will be sitting for along time.
 
SVTJON87 said:
wow. i hope all the best and i hope to god this dosnt happen to me. if it dose the car will be sitting for along time.
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well unless you know someone in wisconsin that has a cheap 4 banger with a 5 speed preferably... I'd like to meet em... looking for something in the $200 range about for price.... so like a crx or some thing.... anyone?
 
This is the output shaft assy of a trans that had a bolt break as it went into 5th...Gear engaged OK and driver went off down the freeway,not knowing the bolt was broken...later the bolt head was punched thru the case and the fluid leaked out over 60+miles..then the trans siezed up...The owner wondered what happend.If you also rembember ,this is the trans where the bearings got so hot they melted the ally case in the area of the races!.Take a look at what is left of the drive pinion on the end of the shaft...the assy next to it is 'uncooked'!!!.Leave the broken bolt in sure sounds like a good plan eh!!TH

orig.jpg
 
we all know how wrong it is, but he obviously feels the need to not call people for rides and to get a taxi and the such. he'll learn though. so sad :(
 
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