My second M715 build. What was I thinking?

[jeeper]

Finally feel like I'm making forward progress again. My oil leak from the valve cover is gone.

I went for a run to the gas station today. The engine seems to run great. I'm pretty happy with the turbo on the 6.2. It seems to spool up pretty quick and I haven't gone over 10 pounds boost yet. I haven't even adjusted the spring tension yet on the manual blow off. It seems to be pretty good where it is.

I started working on the exhaust today. When I got the original 6.5 engine that the turbo came from the exhaust had been torched just after the flange at the bottom of the down pipe from the turbo. When I tried getting the nuts off to remove the flange three of the studs broke off at the flange. I spent most of the day trying to drill out the broken studs. Those studs must have been grade 8 hardened. They did not drill out easily.

Also the brake lights started working mysteriously. I'm going to be keeping an eye on that. I'm wondering if I have a problem with a wire in the circuit somewhere. When I took the original 3 lever switch apart it looked pretty good inside. I cleaned up the contacts but they didn't really look too bad to me. I haven't re-assembled it yet because I'm contemplating up sizing the circuit breaker in it.

[jeeper]

Another setback today.

I dropped my wife’s car off at the tire store this evening. It's getting some new treads tomorrow. My son drove the car and I took the M715 to bring him home. It was getting dark on the way back so I turned my lights on. They worked fine but I noticed my voltage gauge quit working.

When I got home I put my multi-meter on the batteries and took a reading. I was at 12.3 volts with the engine off. I started the engine and was down to 12.1. I think my alternator died.

Since I'm down a vehicle with my wife's car in for tires I was planning to drive the M715 to work tomorrow. With the daylight savings change it's dark for my entire drive in now. I don't want to risk driving on just battery power for that distance. I'll end up taking my son's Jeep to work tomorrow but he isn't thrilled about it.

[Von]

I'll end up taking my son's Jeep to work tomorrow but he isn't thrilled about it.

Tell him there's a lesson in there for him somewhere.. Is it wrong of me to be a little tickled when younguns are occasionally inconvenienced? I think my two idiot stepsons have wrung all the patience and sympathy for younger generations out of me...


I rewired my truck before getting to mess with the stock harness beyond the lights and blinkers, so don't know how the stock voltage gauge is wired. Is it cut off when the alternator isn't generating power?
On mine I can see the system voltage as soon as I turn the key on, whether the alternator is doing it's thing or not.

But it's a GM 12si alternator with a home brew harness, so...

[jeeper]

Tell him there's a lesson in there for him somewhere.. Is it wrong of me to be a little tickled when younguns are occasionally inconvenienced?

Especially since I just gave him my axles from my TJ. I spent a bit getting a Ford 8.8 rear axle set up to work in the TJ and I also installed a locker in the front axle. And not to mention I paid for the registration and insurance to get the thing on the road...

[jeeper]

Today after work I went to an auto salvage yard and got myself another alternator. I got it installed and it works fine. I am now charging my batteries. But my voltage gauge doesn't work still. I hope to get a new voltage gauge after work tomorrow and some new wiper blades.

I'm thinking I'm going to drive it to work tomorrow. I want to get it into an muffler shop for a quote on a custom exhaust. There's a muffler shop about a mile from work.

I still need to get a fan installed for the cooling and I need to figure out why the drivers side wiper doesn't work.

I will also want to tweak my linkage for 4wd. I can shift between 2 high and 4 high but I don't have enough throw to engage 4 low. I'm not sure how I'll solve that yet.

[jeeper]

I took the M715 to work today. I made it to work without incident. After work I stopped in to the muffler shop and got a quote for them to install a resonator and exhaust pipe. I scheduled them do it Saturday.

I made it about half way home and started noticing smoke in my mirrors and the transmission started slipping when I went up a hill. On the way down the back side the tranny was slipping even worse.

I stopped and bought a couple quarts of ATF and put it in. That got me a little further but before long I was not able to make forward progress. I let the truck rest for about 10 minutes and tried again and could make it another 100 yards before it would slip instead of moving forward.

I'm not sure what failed internally but I'm thinking it's time to replace the tranny or rebuild it.

Maybe just the torque converter went out?

I'm leaning on pulling it and swapping in a manual transmission right now but I know that will keep it off the road for a long time.

[Jonnie]

Ouch, your post started out so great too! Hope its minor!!

[Von]

Dang it. Did you see where it's puking fluid from? Still the dipstick tube?

[jeeper]

I haven't had a chance yet to see where the fluid is coming from but it isn't the dipstick tube. At least not the top of the dipstick tube.

I moved the truck today and it seemed fine for the short distance I moved it across the yard.

I'm hoping to have some time to pull the pan tomorrow.

I'm not a transmission expert by any standard but I'm hoping I find something obvious one way or another.

[jeeper]

Well I pulled the pan today. It's not good news for me. There are metal shavings in the bottom of the pan and the oil smells and looks very burnt.



I got a quote to rebuild this transmission. If I drop it off and pick it up it's $900. That's a reasonable price but I'm not sure I want to leave it an automatic. After driving the truck as an automatic I think I want to get a manual transmission.

I've been looking for a manual transmission for the last few hours and coming up empty. I think I would want a married setup for ease of installation.