Shifter Shaft Seal Replacement

[rickf]

The problem is that the military seals are about double the depth of standard seals so that makes them grip quite well. If he has destroyed the main part of the seal then the only way to get it out is from the inside, and even then it is not going to be fun since there is little room to maneuver it there. I seem to think that when I was planning to do it I was going to release the c clips and shift fork and try to push the shaft in past the seal so I could get a small puller on it. I never got that far so I am not sure if there is enough room for the shaft to go in that far.

[Horst]

C-clips and the detent ball removed, the shaft can be pulled out to the front

[rickf]

how do you get the detent ball back in?

[glcaines]

Rick,
I can't see any rust, but the majority of the steel on the seal is hidden from sight. I believe the seal is either rusted in place or was inserted with some type of adhesive that is really strong. I pried on the seal via the sliver of steel clamped in vice grips with a crow bar. It didn't even budge at all. Interestingly, I also use liquid wrench and I soaked the area with the stuff and it was dripping all over me. Unfortunately, it didn't help. I actually pried on the seal again tonight after more liquid wrench and nothing. I'm going to have to remove the shaft to get that seal out. Once the shaft is out, I can likely use a slide hammer to remove it. I sure wish I had a lift.

[Horst]

The detent ball is behind a bolt/plug at the bottom of the case. Remove the bolt and a spring and the ball will fall out of the case.

[rickf]

Thanks Horst. And GL, Those seals are almost as long as they are wide so they grip quite well. You are going to have to tap it out from the inside but you will have to be very careful and patient if the face of the seal is almost gone. Light taps, it will come out. As long as there is enough for a blunt drift to butt up against. And since you will be working from the side you may need to build your own drift with a slight bend in it so it is flush against the seal. You want the drift to be traveling in the same plane that the shift rod is at a point an inch or so before where it contacts the seal, If you are hitting it on an angle you will score the case. If you make your own then use the new seal as a guide and make the drift just barely smaller than the diameter of the seal, this way you have the best chance of catching what is left of the seal face to push on. The other option is once the shaft is out you can very carefully bend the seal in towards the center if you are able to get behind an edge of it. They are thick steel seals so they do not bend easily.

[glcaines]

I've decided to go ahead and pull the power pack. I've already got everything disconnected on the engine and the prop shafts removed. I completely removed the prop shafts because once the power pack is out I'm going to tow the body out of the garage and pressure wash the engine compartment and underneath the body by lifting the front of the body up with the forks on my JD tractor. I'll likely also paint the engine compartment at the same time, as well as the engine. I only have a small amount of work to do before lifting the power pack out. Once the power pack is out I'll replace the seal when it is easy to get to.

[rickf]

You won't be sorry. It is so much easier to see what you are doing and to be able to maneuver tools around.

[glcaines]

The power pack has now been removed. After removing the power pack I transported it to an area where I could pressure wash it with my John Deere tractor with forks. I was getting ready to pressure wash the engine/transmission after spraying Gunk engine cleaner on it and the Honda recoil starter failed on the engine on the third pull. It seems there it is always something. Removing the power pack was quite easy but now I have a lot of cleaning and painting to do. After cleaning the power pack the first thing I will do is replace the seal.

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[Horst]

Using a chain like you did puts a lot of bending moment on the rear lifting eye. It is much better and safer to use a setup which will apply only vertical forces on the lifting eye.

Some use commercially available engine levelers, I just took a piece of pipe and welded two chains on it. I added two eyes on the pipe, one in the center for lifting the engine alone and a second eye towards the rear for balancing the full power pack.

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Another small detail you might want to correct is the fuel filter screwed directly into the carburetor. These fuel filters have a conical thread and can easily split the carb body if screwed in a hair too tight. There should be an angled brass part between the carb and the filter.

[m3a1]

A load leveler for pulling engines is available at Harbor Freight for very little money. Search under load leveler. It's one of those tools you'll have to use very infrequently (if you're lucky) but once you buy one and use it, you'll wonder why you never had one. Horst's home-made one would serve you well even without the minute adjustability which becomes even more important if you are lifting a variety of things. By the way, these HF ones now cost approximately twice what they used to cost so I don't think we can expect that the price will go down.

[rickf]

I harp all the time on that. I had one of those eye break off on me, thankfully it was not too far from the floor but that transmission hit the floor HARD! The military actually had a special spreader bar for that, I have one and I will get a pic of it when I can. Fridge went out yesterday so dealing with throwing out all of the spoiled food. Naturally this only happens after you go shopping. 5 refrigerators in 12 years! The one before that lasted 20 years and it had been moved several times. The more expensive the get the cheaper they get.

Looking at your pics I have a couple more hints that could save you grief down the road when pulling engines. Stuff a rag or paper towel in the shifter hole and close the choke. This prevents anything from falling into the inner workings of the engine. No matter how careful you are there is always the chance that something can drop or fall and you never see or hear it.

[steveo]

Thanks for the pics from everyone and the info.

Glad you got that power pack out easily. Will look great all cleaned up.

[Mr. Recovery]

Just an FYI, a spray bomb/ rattle can full size cap fits over the shifter opening very well.

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[1SGCAV77]

Harbor Freight load leveler. Make sure rear chain in straight up. No angle. Lifts so even. Roll Jeep out of way. Ease the pack down. The other picture is transmission install. Pack sitting on my homemade engine stand.

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