1967 Dodge Dart 270
Learned a very valuable lesson today. Be absolutely sure the front clutch is fully seated in the rear clutch before torqueing down the front pump. I know I had it fully seated, but at some point it moved. What I think happened is when I tightened down the front pump, the front clutch pushed the rear clutch and input shaft into the output shaft and as the planetary gears hit the back of the case, the snap ring sheared off the teeth. What got my attention was that the output shaft had a lot of play in it when I put it back on the table. I found a used one on Ebay for $30 and have a message to the seller to make sure it will fit my application. The picture and measurements match but it can't hurt to verify. I will be tearing everything apart again to be sure I get all the metal fragments out. So much for getting the engine back in the car this weekend. As I tell my kids, do it right, or do it again. Lesson learned.
Learned a very valuable lesson today. Be absolutely sure the front clutch is fully seated in the rear clutch before torqueing down the front pump. I know I had it fully seated, but at some point it moved. What I think happened is when I tightened down the front pump, the front clutch pushed the rear clutch and input shaft into the output shaft and as the planetary gears hit the back of the case, the snap ring sheared off the teeth. What got my attention was that the output shaft had a lot of play in it when I put it back on the table. I found a used one on Ebay for $30 and have a message to the seller to make sure it will fit my application. The picture and measurements match but it can't hurt to verify. I will be tearing everything apart again to be sure I get all the metal fragments out. So much for getting the engine back in the car this weekend. As I tell my kids, do it right, or do it again. Lesson learned.
