Hi Dan,

Thank you for your kind words. If Wingrider's suggestion of Vise Grips/Mole Grips doesn't work, you may have no other option than to drill the head off the screw with a 1/4 inch bit or slightly larger. With the head off the screw, the pan will slip down and then you can turn the remaining shaft of the screw out with pliers or Vise Grips.






For the screws whose ends protrude above the lip of the transmission, cleaning that top lip area around the upper ends of the screws with a small wire brush, applying penetrating oil to the ends of the screws and allowing it to soak for awhile (overnight if possible) seems to help reduce the incidence of stripped screw heads.

Please let us know how it goes.

Cheers,

Don

 

Another suggestion.

Take a dremel and cut a slot into the bolt head and use a large straight head screwdriver to loosen.

 

Vise grips works but not all bolts are easily accessed with vise grips. A technique that has always worked for me is to dremel a groove in the edge of the bolt so you can get a small chisel into the groove and tap tap in the right direction to loosen the bolt. Not hard just firm repeated taping to break the bolts loose. Only 3 of the 21 bolts came loose with the torx bit the rest came out this way. This technique has never failed me in 40 years.

 

Thanks Don, Tom and Abonano, I'll give that a try tomorrow when I have more time. Tonight I thought I would make a quick swap of the electrical connector sleeve. I looked at the manual and "Remove the sealing tube" didn't quite describe the action needed once I started. Not even the good old British "prise" thrown in for good measure! Seriously, I was concerned about breaking it apart in the hole and having another problem to solve. What is the best way to get the tube or sleeve out of the transmission housing?

Thank you all, you've been very helpful.

 

First of all, be certain that you have the sleeve lock pulled all the way down. It's the white handle directly below the sleeve in the valve body area. You may still have to pry and pull the sleeve a bit to get it to come out, and as you've discovered there isn't much room up there. But before you remove the sleeve, take a photo of its face and note the position of the locating tab. This will make it easier to install the new sleeve in the correct orientation/clocking.

 

Perfect! Thanks Don. I'm glad I didn't give it a hearty prise...

 

Ok, I confess, I am starting to feel inept at this! I have restored 5 cars from the ground up and this one keeps me baffled! I'm having a hard time finding the white release tab. I've attached a pic of the sleeve after removing the electrical connection. What am I missing?

Thank you in advance for any advise.

 

You have to remove the plastic transmission pan/filter.

It is inside the case. You need to fully release the white tab and the sleeve will (should) come right out.

Use a bit of lube on the o rings on the replacement sleeve and utilize equal force when seating back into the case and ensure the tab within the sleeve is slotted correctly. (Look and ensure)

Finally, a measurement that needs to be taken before installing the new pan is a measurement with the harness connected to the sleeve and the case.

Measurement should be between 2mm and 3mm - anymore than 3mm and you will have electrical issues as the white tab can be pressed in with the sleeve not being fully inserted into the TCM.

 

Dan,

Sorry, I assumed you had the pan/filter removed. Somewhere I have photos of the sleeve release/lock handle but I can't seem to find them right now.

Don

 

 

John and Don,
The video was a big help. I've replaced the sleeve but I'm embarrassed to say for the life of my I cannot figure out how to get the locking pin to slide back up into position. Mine does not look quite like the one in the video as it does not have the same lip that is pushed in to disengage a catch of some sort. Thanks for your patience and tips!

 

To add to everything Don said, be care full when you pull the locking tab done. Mine resisted until it broke free and came down rather hard. Others have warned about breaking the tab, then you have real problems. As Don says note the orientation of everything. As I recall there is a tab inside the tube that has to line up with a slot in the trans. To reach it I removed the weight bolted to the back of the trans. With that out of the way it was a straight shot for my fat hands to get in there. Make sure the new part has the improved black O-rings. I coated the O-rings very lightly with dielectric grease. Also before assembly I cleaned the electric contacts with contact cleaner. Once in, the electric connector plugged in and the locking ring touching I sprayed a little silicone lube and twisted the locking ring on. Don't get any lube in the connector.

Apart from that as long as you have the car up consider cleaning the grounds that you can reach if you have not done so. As I recall there are 21 grounds on this car.
In trying to clean the starter motor connections I twisted one off because it was so corroded. That meant removing the starter which is when I learned about ratcheting half moon wrenches. The only way to get to the top bolt. I should have kept my 65 Falcon.

 

Tom, when your locking tab came down after a bit of a struggle, it sounds like it didn't break. How did you get it back up?
I took a pic of the sleeve in place before taking it out but it seems like it can only go in one way when the tab on the inside of the sleeve aligns with the slot in the electrical connection. So it doesn't seem like that could be what is keeping the locking tab from sliding back up.
You are right, this "little" job makes me long for the days of trying to figure out the window relays on the XJC!

 

Some people have had a tough time getting the mech sleeve to "fully seat" so that it has 2-3 mm gap behind it to the transmission as abonano stated before.

I have had to knock it with a length of wood carefully and when I was sure it was aligned with that slot mentioned. Then the white pull mechanism should go in quite easily.

 

Should you be able to set the white pin mechanism up into the tranny if the sleeve is not installed? I tried that to see if the sleeve could possibly not be in far enough.

 

Apparently you can do that. Then you would be in trouble if you had put everything back with fluid.

 

This is what I am looking at. It doesn't appear that there is anything broken or snapped off.

Photo from the rear. With or without the sleeve in place, I can't figure out how to get the white catch mechanism to slide up into the locking position.

 

To me that looks like it is in the fully closed, up, position?

 

I don't think it's closed because that little triangular nib on the white handle is what latches to the ledge of the slot in the black retainer above. My guess is that the sleeve is not fully seated. It can take a bit of force to get it in. I lubricate the O-rings with a little dielectric/silicone grease to help the process.

 

Thanks to all for the very helpful insight. Don was correct in that the sleeve was not in all the way. The pan is back on and the filling process begins. I'll let you all know how it turns out generally and specifically if this solves my periodic trans fault. I have a feeling the leaking sleeve was as much at fault as anything.