gunnibronco
Sr. Member
I'm pretty sure my ZF5 needs to be rebuilt. It was a Craigslist score, that looked very clean and it was cheap enough so I bought it.
After my install, it leaked (badly) out of the front seal. I pulled the case apart and added a "Speedie Sleeve" and it sealed up. Since then I've had problems with it griding into gears despite the clutch pedal completely depressed. This happens on upshifts and downshifts as well as going into reverse or going from reverse into 1st or 2nd.
It rarely, but sometimes slightly grinds/buzzes into gear in 2 Hi. I can usually shift as quickly as I want in 2 Hi without any problem, but sometimes I can feel & hear slight gear grinding.
In 4 low 2.7:1 (Atlas 4 speed), I get more noticable grinding, when I shift quickly.
In 4 low 4.3:1 and low/low 11.7:1, I have significant difficulty making a clean up shift or down shift. If I let the motor completely wind down I usually can avoid grinding. This doesn't really work for offroading as the shifts have to take so long the truck will come to a complete stop before I can shift into the next gear.
I'm assuming this indicates bad synchros and/or bearing play making gear alignment slow/impossible. Is this a correct diagnosis? I assume the transmission shouldn't do this and I should be able to make fairly quick shifts (not looking for race car performance) without grinding gears.
Can anyone recommend a good source for a rebuild kit? I see a wide range of pricing and want to buy quality as the work will obviously be significant. I do have people familiar with rebuilding transmissions available who will help, I know the ZF5 is a somewhat difficult transmission to work with.
Thanks
After my install, it leaked (badly) out of the front seal. I pulled the case apart and added a "Speedie Sleeve" and it sealed up. Since then I've had problems with it griding into gears despite the clutch pedal completely depressed. This happens on upshifts and downshifts as well as going into reverse or going from reverse into 1st or 2nd.
It rarely, but sometimes slightly grinds/buzzes into gear in 2 Hi. I can usually shift as quickly as I want in 2 Hi without any problem, but sometimes I can feel & hear slight gear grinding.
In 4 low 2.7:1 (Atlas 4 speed), I get more noticable grinding, when I shift quickly.
In 4 low 4.3:1 and low/low 11.7:1, I have significant difficulty making a clean up shift or down shift. If I let the motor completely wind down I usually can avoid grinding. This doesn't really work for offroading as the shifts have to take so long the truck will come to a complete stop before I can shift into the next gear.
I'm assuming this indicates bad synchros and/or bearing play making gear alignment slow/impossible. Is this a correct diagnosis? I assume the transmission shouldn't do this and I should be able to make fairly quick shifts (not looking for race car performance) without grinding gears.
Can anyone recommend a good source for a rebuild kit? I see a wide range of pricing and want to buy quality as the work will obviously be significant. I do have people familiar with rebuilding transmissions available who will help, I know the ZF5 is a somewhat difficult transmission to work with.
Thanks
