Transmission noise

[Georgie]

I’m getting a crazy metallic squeal from my trans and have been told it’s the clutches going out. Got quotes $1500 by a shop to rebuild the transmission after I remove it. Needless to say looking for a used unit. I have a 1985 GW will any trans from a GW from 1985 on work?

[Yeller]

I’d shop that quote. A 727 is not an expensive or complicated unit to rebuild.

[Stuka]

$1500 with you doing all the labor to pull it out seems very high to me. Jegs has a rebuild kit for $206. And even if they charge like $150 per hour, there is no way it takes 8.6 hours to do a 727 by an experienced technician.

[tgreese]

Jeep used the Chrysler Torqueflite transmissions in the GW from 1980 on. There were some 258s that got the A999, but all the V8s got the A727 AFAIK. They should all be interchangeable. NB these only fit the AMC engines and are not interchangeable with those used in Chrysler engined cars and trucks.

JMO - I would rebuild what I've got. If you can remove the transmission yourself, it should cost a lot less than $1500, I'd think. Or rebuild it yourself - not difficult and you'd get plenty of help here. Clean and organized workplace, take it apart, reverse the process and put together with new parts. Follow the TSM. The R&R is the hard part.

[Triumph215]

40 years ago I took an automatic apart just to see how it went together. Holy crap is that a complicated mechanical device.
My hat is off to the folks that dreamed that up.
I'd like to take another one apart now to see if I'd have the same impression.

[rocklaurence]

Buy a rebuild kit and pay someone $500 to rebuild it. It only takes a skilled person 2-3 hrs to do. Note: if you have to replace non-consumable parts like pumps, cases, gears etc it will cost more. In my experience the majority of the transmission rebuild cost is the possibility that it will come back under warranty. I was selling rebuilt TF727s for a while and never had one come back but I always feared that if one did [not installed correctly, dropped, broke], I would have to sell two more to make it to the Black for that one return.

[tgreese]

I've done a bunch of manuals, but my one experience rebuilding an automatic truthfully was a lot of fun. The shadetree mechanic has an advantage here, because they can go as slowly as needed, and be sure to put everything back right. If you're rebuilding to make money, you spend as little time as possible to get it done. Granted, the pro doing this is practiced, but there is also continued pressure on them to finish faster.

I think the main thing is don't do anything you can't confidently reverse. When you take things apart, document where they went and especially their orientation. An electric engraver is handy for marking parts "front" or "up" or such. Use your phone and take pictures. Put stuff in plastic bags with a note about what they are and how they are installed. I am tempted but I don't trust my memory. Life can interfere, and it might be a long time before you get back to where you are.

[letank]

crazy metallic sound... seems like something is rubbing... loose flexplate... loose flexplate bolt, bent flexplate access cover... remove the access cover and investigate... of course the oil level is correct...

Is any of the exhaust hanger broken... and the exhaust pipes are rubbing against ???

Is the noise in gear, in neutral ???

Tim's note on the electric engraver is the expert touch... you can scribe with some sharp diamond pen, but the electric is a lot faster! taking pictures is also the way to go... you may not remember something after a day, a week or a month... when I did my transmission oil/filter change... I messed up the TV linkage... went back to the pict taken and fixed it ...