XM V6 Gearbox Rebuild...

[CitroJim]

can i have it back now please

Yes, I'll just box up all the bits and drop it off to you...

[CitroJim]

Works has been a bit sporadic recently but I did take the oil pump apart and I'm not entirely 100% happy with it. I can see some light scoring on the impellers so will be looking at one of my spares donors to see if it has a better one. It's not a show-stopper but if they didn't cost the best part of £300 I'd say to Chris replace it. I shall ensure the 'box has the best pump I can find amongst my spares...

I've been spending though, on all the parts needed (filters, seals and so on) for the rebuild and booking a holiday in Scotland for the torque converter from which it will return very refreshed. I had to build it a special transit box this evening. And then got very frustrated using the Parcel Force website to post it. Parcel Force only works with IE and on my Win 7 machine, since the latest round of Microsoft updates it no longer works I had to revert to an XP machine with IE8 on it

I cannot recommend Automatic Choice highly enough Incredibly helpful and they do all the arrangements for the torque converter refurbish; all I had to do was box it and send it to Mackie's in Glasgow. Their page on torque converter rebuilds is well worth a look at to see how it's done.

Chris and I are aiming to have the engine and transmission back in the car well before the end of the year. Chris has been busy on the engine - maybe he'll write in his blog what he's been up to

[robert_e_smart]

The Parcel Farce website is dreadful.

I try other courriers like Parcel Monkey who can give me a quote online when I want it.

Good work on the box Jim.

[lexi]

I take it the ZF Lifegaurd 5 oil for HP20s was still £ouch ?............from Automatic Choice.

[CitroJim]

I take it the ZF Lifegaurd 5 oil for HP20s was still £ouch ?............from Automatic Choice.

Yep, sorry. It's reassuringly expensive wherever you go

[CitroJim]

The refurbished torque converter and all the immediate spares need have now arrived so as soon as I'm fit I can crack on with this job...

[CitroJim]

I pulled one of my spares gearboxes apart today to see if it had a better oil pump for Chris's. In the event it did...

On stripping it, I heard an odd tinking noise when I moved it to a different orientation and then the output shaft fell out all on its own without any help from me Normally this component is held in by two taper roller bearings and a special nut tightened to 250 ft. lbs On further disassembly this was found



The big, special nut was undone and completely off the shaft...

The rollers you see spread all over were once contained within a bearing

You can also see how damaged the outer race of the bearing was It's no longer round

This is the remains of the taper roller bearing on the output shaft... The inner race had once spun and welded itself to the shaft. It took several tons in the press to remove it...



After punching out the outer race, it too had spun and wrecked the F Clutch cylinder...



So, in total, one output shaft, one bearing, one tab washer, one F clutch hub, one F Clutch plate and one F clutch drum wrecked beyond any salvation. Maybe getting on for over £500 in parts required...

This 'box I bought from ebay a couple of years ago, admittedly for a very silly price, from a Pug 406 V6 that had donated its engine to a V6 306 project. I was assured the 'box was fine and the only problem was that it leaked a drop of oil from the driveshaft oil seals... He claimed he had driven it...

Yea, right. Or perhaps it was fine and that bearing broke up from being bored of sitting in my workshop for a couple of years...

I can only think this 'box was making a devil of a racket for a while before it finally threw in the towel...

[Deanxm]

Should never do business with someone daft enough to want to put a V6 in a crap car Jim
At least there are plenty of good spares in it, ive got my stash of gearboxes too waiting for the day they are needed, sad isnt it but will save a small fortune should they be needed.

D

[CitroJim]

I seriously wonder about the mental state of someone who honestly believes it's a good idea to put a V6 in such a car Dean

Spares aplenty.. It only cost me £30 and already saved Chris money by donating some spares to his 'box already

[Chris570]

was fun working on that gearbox with you today Jim

the pictures don't do that box justice, it is in awful condition inside isnt it.

[CitroJim]

was fun working on that gearbox with you today Jim

the pictures don't do that box justice, it is in awful condition inside isnt it.

Yes, it was most enjoyable day indeed Chris

Yours, by comparison, is immaculate.. Most of the debris you can see in third picture is the remains of the bearing cage

It goes to demonstrate clearly my advice that if a 4HP20 starts to misbehave in any way stop immediately and get it investigated. This I believe is what happens if you don't...

[addo]

Oh yes, the old "Ran good when parked" lie... Console yourself that the 306 probably never was finished.

[CitroJim]

Console yourself that the 306 probably never was finished.

I do and I wonder just how many of these ambitious conversion projects actually reach completion. I suspect a very small percentage...

[addo]

Looking forward to the next instalment.

More honestly, probably looking forward to when you do an AL4 so I can watch from a distance and learn some tricks! Mine is at 106K (kilometres) on the last rebuild and probably still a good 90% of what it's ever been - but the whine drives me nuts!

[CitroJim]

Looking forward to the next instalment.

Hopefully not too long Adam - now my health is on the way to being restored

I've no plans to do an AL4 but you know how it is. I may not have plans but fate or something may decree otherwise....

Next up will be an ML5...