The inside of the******* looks brand new. No visible wear on even the synco's, all gears engage fine. Am I being paranoid about this amount of input shaft wobble?
That amount of wobble indicates a well worn bearing on the input shaft. I would fix it before it fails. It can also cause noise, like growling and/or howling, and it can cause the pilot bearing to wear prematurely. It can't be good for the synchronizers, either, which sit right behind it. It's not hard to fix it and the cost is reasonable.
Everyone of them do that, if you ever have one apart you will understand why. Put it in and don’t give it a second thought
When I still had the cover off, I could see the movement was at the roller bearings. Even without any grease, it doesn't feel "worn out". It rolls smooth. When I have it in neutral, I can spin the input shaft (slowly, no lube) and it's smooth and noise free.
I started think (dangerous) about the fact that this is from a 1980 truck. That got me thinking about the seals, and wondering if they might leak. Long story short, I ordered the rebuild kit from Brewers, $160 shipped. I probably won't change the main bearings, but can if they don't feel right. But I am going to tear it apart next week and take a better look. That will allow me to replace all the seals and the bushing in the tail shaft. I won't hurt anything, and the least thing is I'll have new rollers and bearings if I ever need them. I'm 65 and I don't want to have to pull the damn thing to fix a leak. This way it's one and done.
Now you mention it is from a truck...an OD unit? Aluminum main case? If so, check the case condition where the counter balance shaft sits. It is common on high mileage transmissions to have some stretch in that area. You get to decide how movement is tolerable but, it is fixable if severe.
I agree with 73RR, if that is an aluminum case OD trans, I would take a good look at the case where each shaft rests. High miles, or hard abuse tends to pound out the aluminum case where the gear shafts pass through. That creates trans lube leaks and gear slop. That aluminum case sure makes it easier to handle the old transmissions, but the softer aluminum case takes a beating if the trans was abused.
Totally agree and appreciate the comments. I purchased the Passion book on A833's and rebuilding them. I've scanned it, but I'll do a more deep read prior to diving in. He does go over that issue on the aluminum cases, and what to look for.
One & done ...hopefully. I tend more to the , if it ain't broke don't fix it frame of mind . Generally cheaper & always easier .
You don't know what patience is until you have tried to remove the rear bearing retainer ring. Having some long, wide mouth needle-nosed pliers on hand helps, as does a second set of hands. Remember to get a new o-ring for the speedo gear adapter, too....hopefully you have the earlier metal one, not the later plastic housing.
Glenn is correct on all counts, you have the book, that's good and there are a couple good videos on rebuilding that trans on the web, when you take out the input shaft, check the fit in the pilot bushing, that much input play may have worn that bronze bushing excessively if you had been using that trans.
If you get the kit from Brewers make sure you check the rear main bearing snap ring that comes in the kit before you press that bearing onto the shaft. The one that came in my kit was too big- it would not compress enough to fit into the bore. I fought with that****** for an hour before I pulled the shaft back out of the tail shaft housing. Pressed the bearing back off the shaft to get the snap ring off and tried to fit it in the housing, nope, absolutely no way. Tried the old one- perfect. So I reused the old one. The other thing is if I'd someway managed to force that oversize snap ring in there's no way anybody would ever get that transmission apart again.
Have the kit, watched the video's. Took the IBR off, this thing has seen attention, or has very low miles. The seals seem fresh, clean and soft. Like I said, I have the kit, and I'll use it some day. Thanks everyone. Many of the video's I watched were specifically about shaft end play and wobble. Mine is fine. I appreciate the experienced eyes and opinions. Now if my shifter had been in as good condition The adjusters were rusted to the rods. Lots of penetrating fluids, heat and few wacks of the hammer (maybe that was just for me) and I was able to get two free. Chased both parts with tap and die. They cleaned up well. I'll see about getting the broken rod out of the 1-2 rod. Right now I'm recovering from a nose/sinus issue. Thank you all again.
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