Desert Patrol Vehicle build 3 year adventure sort of.

[gorth]

I did not drop off the face of the earth. I have installed coil over shocks on the back. I also found my battery is dead so i will have to take it in to be charged up. Well here is a new updated drawing with guns.
Jim

[gorth]

Here is what i have been working on. It does not fix the dead battery so i will have to do that now that the weather is getting better. The only problem i have had is sand natts are eating me alive while i put on the coil over shocks in the back.
Jim

[gorth]

Well yesterday i took the day off and figured out the battery problem. The kill switch i installed on the battery box worked too well. It stays in kill so i bypassed the kill switch and hooked the positive strait back to the starter and the engine cranked right up. Next problem is why cant i get into first gear or any other forward gear. In the past i had a problem with getting and staying in reverse but now it will only go in reverse. I was thinking that possibly i needed to mess with the clutch but by being able to go in reverse i am not so sure.
Jim

[Lotrat]

You could just have a loose or mushy shift coupler. It's pretty common for them to turn soft.

[gorth]

Nope not the shift coupler. Drained transaxle and found a tooth so not a good sign. Refilled transaxle, jacked up the back, put it in 1st gear and when i spun the wheels by hand noticed that the right tire would spin free with out the other tire spinning in the opposite direction. Intermittently i could get both tires to move so once they were i fired up the engine and both tires turned. Shut off the engine and took it off jacks jumped in and fired up the engine and moved forward four foot and then it started to do the old convulsions for lack of a better term and it came out of first and i could not get it back in. Looks like a new transaxle. Priced a refurbished one for around $715.00 to $749.00. Called Dave and he has 3 12 VOLT swing axle transaxkes. He was not sure if they are operational or not but if the wife has not planned out next Friday i may be able to get over to Dave's place.

[winifredevw]

It's normal for one tire spin in the opposite direction or maybe not at all. Both tires won't spin in the same direction if they're off the ground and being turned by hand, even with a limited slip diff. What kind of transmission mounts do you have, solid or rubber? It could be a broken nose cone mount or maybe your pressure plate gave up? Does it feel like the rear of the car is shaking or shuddering violently as you let out on the clutch?

[gorth]

When i start to let the clutch out and apply more gas i move forward a couple of feet and then as you said the back end shudders violently and loud like a drum beat. The front of the transmission is rubber but the back is not rubber just hard mounted and braced. I will try to get a picture for you. In the past once i got moving forward fast enough the shuddering would stop and off i went. No problems shifting from gear to gear. Just from taking off from full stop. The problem is that the only way i was able to move in first gear was to jack up the back and put it in first gear before starting. Then after the rear weals had been moving in the air i would shut off the engine and lower the back end still in first gear. I would start in first and let off the clutch and move a bit then the shuddering would kick it out if first and i could not get it back into first.

[Big Dave]

Once the car is moving, it runs and shifts OK?

That sounds like the clutch is chattering really bad. Can you take a pic of the bowden tube (the clutch cable from where it leaves the pan to the clutch arm)?

[Getrdone]

I am guessing the Bowden tube. Had similar situation till I played with the tube when I did the bus trans swap. It is a finicky little detail, but has major repercussions if not addressed. Worth looking at.

[Piledriver]

Input shaft bushing gone is another possibility, check before the motor goes back on.

[gorth]

Going for a new to me / old transaxle. I have not taken the engine or old transaxle off yet. I need to move it in the garage in place of my truck. Dave hooked me up with a used swing axle. Got the first axle nut and axle off and started on the second axle nut but not before i snapped four half inch breaker bars using a 6 foot cheater bar. With Dave's help and torque multiplier tool got the second axle nut off. Well i got the transaxle all cleaned up and started flushing the old black gunk out of the low point drains. I am going to put my new nose cone on this one due to having the back up switch on it. I got all the nose cone nuts loose but the nose cone only pulls open about a quarter of an inch and then snaps back closed and will not come off. The hockey stick is stuck and will not go in or come out or twist by hand or with vice grips. Tried cussing it but that did not work. Any ideas???

[bajaherbie]

cuss louder and throw some tools....







maybe the guys in the transaxle forum could help you.

[Big Dave]

Pull the hockey stick forward (so as much as possible is sticking out the pointy end) and clean the shaft with emery cloth, then give it a shot of penetrating oil and it should come out.

[gorth]

Didnt have penetrating oil but sprayed a bunch of ZEP down around the hockey stick and inside and let it sit for a day. I put vice grips on the hockey stick and banged on it and it will not budge in, out, left or right.

[Big Dave]

That shaft just rides in a couple bronze bushings that are pressed into the nose cone. It must be really rusted up inside there. If you can't get the nose cone off the trans, you my need to apply some heat to get the Aluminum to expand and break up the rust a bit to get it to trun so you can get the nose cone off. Once its off, a press would drive the hockey stick out, might take the bushings with it, but it should come out.