T-15 rebuild I think

Well just got home from a nice drive out to get Icecream And I think the T-15 in my 72 is in trouble. Very hard to get into gear difficult to shift (easier when I shift early and slow) Any one have any ideas? Is this something I should be able to rebuild myself?

 

Clutch trouble? Try running through the forward gears at idle, clutch out, with the transfer case in neutral. If you can do that, then it's likely the clutch is not disengaging. Also check that you have oil.

T15s are tough - typically the blocking rings wear out first. This causes some gear clash if you try to shift fast or try to do sporty downshifts. They'll go a long time like that if you can stand to drive, uh, sedately. If you have a problem other than gear clash or noise, I'd guess that something is broken and that you need to diagnose that, rather than (or in addition to) freshing up the transmission with new blocking rings, small parts, and maybe bearings.

I think that Borg-Warner manual transmissions are easy to rebuild, having done a couple of them. The trick (IMHO) is to be very observant and to put everything back the way it came apart.

 

Tim,

I'll try your suggestion. Oil is fine I checked that about a month ago was right up to the bottom of the fill hole. I notice some of the symptoms you spoke of. I was noticeing the shifting issues when I tried to get into the throttle taking off. As far as I can tell there isn't any new noise that has gotten any louder.

 

Just tried the shifting with transfercase in Neutral shifted easier that in 2H still a little stiff. I'm gurssing that is just 32 years of wear. Clutch adjust in order Tim? Also you said you had done a couple of rebuils on these transmissions. Is there a kit with the parts I would need or piece meal. What about gears and synros how do they hold up?

 

If there's just normal wear, the minimum parts you need are a small parts kit and blocking rings. The small parts kit includes new lock rings, bushings, roller bearings, gaskets, seals, thrust washers, and so forth. Novak has some good pictures of transmission rebuild kits, although they don't list the T-15 on their web site. They also have rebuild instructions for the T-90, which is similar but does not have a 1st gear blocking ring.

Most rebuilds also include the two big bearings that fit into the ends of the case. You don't neccessarily have to replace them - it depends on their condition, how much you're willing to spend, and the number of miles on your Jeep, and the number of additional miles you plan to drive it. Next up, you can replace synchro hubs and maybe gears. You may have trouble if you need to replace gears - Nick wrote recently that replacement gears are getting had to find for the T-15.

The T-15 is said to be the strongest truck 3-speed available, ever. You shouldn't have to replace any gears or the synchro hubs. There's always the possibility of a catastrophe though... I'd think something must have broken to get a sudden change in the behavior of the transmission.

 

Thanks Tim. I afraid your right about something breaking it did start all of a sudden. I'm going to check out the Novak site. The jeep $$ are a little short at this point I was toying with the transmission rebuild for the winter. Timetable has changed I think

 

I'd say look around for a replacement and rebuild it. There should be quite a few out there that came out in favor of a 4-speed. Can't hurt to have an extra if you plan to keep the Jeep more than a few years.

 

I have no plans to part company with it any time soon. Its my baby. So I guess I'll need to look for a tranny. I've never had the tranny out of this (I know this sounds really dumb) Any Idea how long it takes to get it out?

 

It's pretty easy - I'd guess an hour or hour and a half if you know what you're doing. I'd suggest you set aside a morning. It'll all come out under the Jeep without raising it. Remove the driveshafts. Put a jack and blocks under the bellhousing. Unbolt from the crossmember and raise the jack a little to take the weight off the crossmember. Remoe the crossmember. Remove the transfer case separately. Remove the shifter through the floor. Pull off the transmission. I was able to do all of this without a transmission jack or such - just a bottle jack and the stock scissors jack. I used the scissors jack to support the transfer case as I removed it (IIRC!) then pulled it off and muscled it down. Not a problem - and I'm not built like Ahnuld.

There are a lot of "might as wells" too - clutch disk, throwout bearing, transfer case seals, u-joints, probably more that I can't think of.

 

i'm doing a rebuild on my t-14. i just took the tranny & tc out at the same time. just pulled it right onto my chest and quickly get out with some the help! it is much easier with the shifters off. it was easier then i thought!

I got my kit from Novak - great company!