Vote for The Forward Look Network on the Mopar Top 100 Sites |
From: John Z
Email: [email protected]
Remote Name: 68.113.233.222
Date: August 30, 2003
About a year ago to date I posted to list vibration problems with my 59 Plymouth. I found loose nut holding brake drum on drive shaft and tightened that and vibration seemed to go away somewhat but not entirely. WELL, a couple weeks ago I finally discovered real problem. Was going to take car for drive recently and pushed trany buttons and nothing happened, no reverse or drive. Preparing for the worst, I got car up in air, crawled under and discovered problem with the four bolts that attach trany to converer housing. The upper left one was GONE, right upper one was finger loose, the two lower ones were backed out almost half an inch. Also front seal was leaking on trany for about 2 weeks. I lined trany back up with engine (using jack, making sure torque conv turned) tightened all bolts and replaced missing one. Trany leaked for about 30 miles, then stopped leaking. Put about 400 miles on so far and no leak and trany shifts perfectly. (I lucked out). I think trany came loose because of worn out lock washers. I checked them and they were flat, thus having no locking capibility. I installed new lock washers and will check tightness of those four bolts periodically. I have never heard of or read anything about replacing lock washers on anything. Always routinely just used the old ones. Considered using locktite on trany bolts but they're kind of hard to get to so might have a problem there in future. The other day I sharpened blades on my riding lawn mower which is 19 years old and checked lock washers - they were also flat so they were replaced.