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T18 Troubles

Discussion in 'Flat Fender Tech' started by C180Guy, Dec 6, 2015.

  1. Dec 6, 2015
    C180Guy

    C180Guy New Member

    So. Oregon
    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2014
    Messages:
    21
    The short version, I found water in my T18 and developed a whining noise at about the same time period. I'm not in a position to pull it right now, but need to have the vehicle available for work pulling about 60 trees to clear an area for a shop and eventually a house.

    I'm letting it drip out and will refill it this week with an oil flush of some concoction.

    My question is, what's the likely hood of damaging gears and more components if I keep using it for the short duration, especially if it doesn't get worse before I pull and rebuild it. I guess I'm looking at this rather simple like a timing belt on a car, when one type breaks you just loose power, but on a no clearance motor it potentially wipes out internal parts.

    Thanks,
     
  2. Dec 7, 2015
    colojeepguy

    colojeepguy Colorado Springs

    At the foot of...
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    7,110
    How much water? If it's making noises you probably have 1 or more bad bearings....if they seize up you could potentially damage some expensive internal parts.
     
  3. Dec 7, 2015
    oldtime

    oldtime oldtime

    St. Charles,...
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  4. Dec 7, 2015
    tarry99

    tarry99 Member

    Northern California
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    If it is an old T-18 that has never been rebuilt.........and your just going to run it around at low speed around the property to pull trees , flush it & refill it..........whatever damage to the bearings has already been done..........at low speed it's doubtful that the bearings will give up to the point that it will effect the gears..............noise wise they will get allot more noisier before they fail.

    If this is a New Rebuilt Tranny or your plans take you on the freeway then you really need to reconsider............sometimes after the flush with kerosene or a like product and replacing the gear lube they live again just fine............pull the top cover and take a look inside.
     
  5. Dec 7, 2015
    47v6

    47v6 junk wrecker! 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    USA
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    if you had water in there the water went to the bottom and messed with your countershaft bearings and gears. the bearings are done, but might be good enough as Tarry states above. If there is rust on the gears, it will wear off and suspend in the oil and wear everything out over time. if you're not rebuilding it right away, flush it after driving it a couple times, then rebuild it.
     
  6. Dec 7, 2015
    Warloch

    Warloch Did you say Flattie??? Staff Member

    Falcon, CO
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    Mar 4, 2003
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    Depending on the level of rust, that could come off under operation and plug lubrication passages and cause more issues as well.

    Guess a lot will come down to 'are you feeling lucky?'
     
  7. Dec 7, 2015
    C180Guy

    C180Guy New Member

    So. Oregon
    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2014
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    21
    Thanks for everyone's input, I greatly respect everyone's knowledge here! I kind of chuckle, because I know what the right thing to do is, I just didn't want to face up and have to deal with it right now.

    I will take the advice on flushing it out and will pop the top and look down inside to see how bad it is. The whining was minimal and in-fact the person next to me thought I was nuts.(which I probably am for many other reasons)

    I've never rebuilt a tranny before except a few motorcycles when i was young and stupid, so I'm not sure if I will pull it and do it myself or not, but with all the great info here it doesn't look like rocket science.

    It was rebuilt about 15 years ago by a shop in Portland and I wondered if it wasn't from one of our celebrities here on the forum hat did the work.

    My shop I'm in the process of building is sort of the result of getting back into the jeep thing and wanting to build my ultimate flat fender. Now that I think about it, you all are a bad influence on me.

    Thanks again for all the ideas and direction.
     
  8. Dec 9, 2015
    nickmil

    nickmil In mothballs.

    Happy Valley, OR
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    What shop in Portland?
     
  9. Dec 9, 2015
    C180Guy

    C180Guy New Member

    So. Oregon
    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2014
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    21
    Nick, I'll have to dig my paperwork out. I know some people complain about the T18 being hard or maybe I should say slow to shift, but this one is one of the nicest I used. Although my experience has been years ago in 1980's vintage Fords. Whoever rebuilt it last did a really good job in my opinion, so now I'm afraid I'll end up with something really stiff and cumbersome. Live and learn, their just toys anyways I guess.

    I bought a GPW rolling chassis several years ago that has a T18 in it and it's been sitting under cover since I got it. I'm now thinking I need to drain it to see if it's been sitting with water all this time since it was outside when I purchased it.
     
  10. Dec 11, 2015
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
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    6,656
    Just curious... What engines are you putting/finding these T-18s behind in early jeeps?

    I put a Wagoneer T-18 behind my F-head, but it wasn't exactly bolt-in.
     
  11. Dec 11, 2015
    C180Guy

    C180Guy New Member

    So. Oregon
    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2014
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    The shop in Portland that rebuilt my T18 was J&H Four Wheel Drive. I tried to look them up tonight, but it looks as if they went out of buisness like so many others in the past five years.

    The T18 with troubles is connected to a 225 V6. The other one is an odd-fire 231 V6, which I hope isn't a bastard child motor when I get ready to assemble my pieces.

    Several years ago I looked at a relatively nice CJ2A that had a 4.3L Chevy and a SM465 or SM420 tranny. I kick myself that my pride got in the way over a couple hundred dollars. I've always thought that would be a really nice motor in a flattie.
     
  12. Dec 12, 2015
    nickmil

    nickmil In mothballs.

    Happy Valley, OR
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    J&H during that time was owned by Randy, I forget his last name. Good guy and knowledgeable. Makes sense it was done well. He purchased J&H from Harold Kettelson. I was curious because I built R&P's T-18's, along with a few people I trained, for 22 years, up until last June when i retired from them. I was just curious if it was one I built or not.
     
  13. Dec 12, 2015
    Sgt_jarhead

    Sgt_jarhead Sponsor

    Fallbrook, CA
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    Sep 23, 2015
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    My 42 MB had a Chev 153 4cyl / SM420 / D18 when I got it. Currently in the middle of putting a 4.3 in it now.....
     
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