My husband owns a 94 Ford F-250 4X4 Diesel automatic, and the transmission died on it. We have been shopping around for used and or rebuilt transmission. They are quite expensive. He came across a website that sells the kit, for a few hundred bucks and instructions on how to put it together. He is a pretty handy individual, he is a General Contractor himself. My question I guess is, is it as easy as they say? Can you put together a transmission without very little mechanical experience?
I was a mechanic for several years, rebuilt engines and manual trannys, but I never had the nerve to rebuild an automatic. They are quite complicated, and I would think you’d need quite a few special tools. I would never call it ‘easy’.
If he has no experience I would not recommend doing this on his own. The level of precision involved in rebuilding an automatic transmission far exceeds anything he has done as a general contractor. There are just too many details, he could get it back together and it would look correct, but it may not work.
Thanks texases and Xebadaih, thanks very much for your advice. I will try to talk him out of it. I guess we will keep looking for a rebuilt one.
Saskia
Thats probably a good idea. A 4R100 is not really something to “Cut your teeth” on. Its a Hoss. You are also going to need specialty tools which are quite expensive. Then you have to deal with the transfer case. By the time you add up all the expenses and the time, you would have wished you just got a reman.
transman
Be sure to check with the local Ford shop and price a reman. The warranty may still be excellent.
The test equipment for an auto transmission is too tough to home do. If he wants a bunch of new tools, some pricey then ok. Better if he talks to a local tech high school they might meet him half way. These machines are very technical and the oil pressure measuring equipment very pricey. The school may have the equipment though.