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D18 Disassembly Question

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by FinoCJ, Apr 19, 2021.

  1. Apr 19, 2021
    FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Bozeman, MT
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    A question regarding the D18 I am disassembling for the 58 wagon. Its a small case, 1.25" intermediate shaft version with 3-5/32" locating bore on the 58 willys. Trying to get the front bearing cap off...I've removed the two shifter poppet balls and springs, but the interlock pin is still in the the cap - and I think that its supposed to stay there until the cap is completely removed. Anyway, something is not the letting the cap slide off of the long (2wd/4wd) shift rail, and I assume its something to do with the interlock pin hanging it up somehow. Is there a trick to this I missed?

    thanks!
     
  2. Apr 19, 2021
    Jw60

    Jw60 Sitting up n buckled down. 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Sedalia MO.
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  3. Apr 19, 2021
    FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Bozeman, MT
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    Remove the five bolts holding the front output bearing cap to the case. Tap the cap with a soft hammer to break it loose and remove it as an assembly with the shaft, shifter clutch, shifter fork and shift rod. Be careful not to lose the little bullet-shaped interlock that "floats" in the passage between the shift rods.

    Above from Novak - and the assembly with shaft, shifter clutch, fork and rod is the short shift rail (hi/low)....the long shift rail (2wd/4wd) is supposed to stay attached to the case I think....but I'll go look....I may not be getting the 4wd shaft pulled far enough forward (fully engaging the front drive axle)...I think that is somehow related to allowing the interlock pin to slide far enough out of the way....
     
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  4. Apr 19, 2021
    jeep peep69

    jeep peep69 Member

    redding ca.
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    You got clip the tie wire on the set screws and loosened them up to allow the shift fork to slide off as you remove the front cap. I’m not sure if this is the correct procedure but it worked on mine.
     
  5. Apr 19, 2021
    FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Bozeman, MT
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    All the shift fork and hub stuff is on the short rail...it's the long rail that is sticking and there is no way to access the long rail fork.....

    Ok...got it.. the interlock pin was stuck in the last notch (shifter pin slot) on the long shaft. After a bit of rotation of the unit, got the pin to drop back in the middle and the cap slides right off.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 19, 2021
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  6. Apr 19, 2021
    Twin2

    Twin2 not him 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Virginia Beach, VA
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    yep that's the secret :study:
     
  7. Apr 19, 2021
    FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Bozeman, MT
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    I think the real trick was just walking away for a bit....went a lot easier after coming back. Pretty much completely disassembled all the pieces, including the front bearing cap, with one small exception to a couple gears left on the output shaft - my snap ring pliers are in my jeep tool bag which is not here at the house...take care of that tomorrow and it will be completely torn down and ready for cleaning (its going to need quite a bit). So far, its going pretty well, and seems easier than I remember from a few years ago on the cj5 (also did a tera low kit at the time) and certainly less complicated than the sm465.
     
  8. Apr 19, 2021
    Mr Vaughan

    Mr Vaughan

    it wasn't hard to pull apart when i did it (besides torching off a bearing), but who knows what it'll be like going back together
     
  9. Apr 19, 2021
    FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Bozeman, MT
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    putting it back together is pretty straight forward IIRC...last time I did one, I had to test fit and grind the case and test fit etc for the low gears kit...typically the 2 annoying parts are getting the intermediate shaft through the intermediate gear without messing up the roller bearings and the rear shims. Many people use a pilot dowel of some sort in the intermediate gear to hold the needle bearings in place, and then place in the case and push it out with the intermediate shaft. Last time, I just threaded the shaft through...cold petroleum jelly on a cool day held stuff in place enough for me. The rear bearing cap shims...have to test fit to get the right endplay, and then disassemble and put sealant on the shims and put back together....last time I had to do that part a couple times as I think the spray on sealant added some thickness and changed the measurements. For some reason, I remember having to remove/trash some seals I put in as I put them in too early, and had to order replacements...going to try and avoid that issue this time.
     
  10. Apr 20, 2021
    Mr Vaughan

    Mr Vaughan

    i'm going with tapered bearings from AA (y)
     
  11. Apr 20, 2021
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    I would put the tapered bearing conversion low on the list if I were working on a budget. The transfer case will work fine for a long time if it's rebuilt with something other than the soft Omix or Crown (?) intermediate shaft. Get your parts from Herm or Novak. Maybe my picture of this situation is wrong, but it seems to me you have much bigger fish to fry with that Jeep.
     
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  12. Apr 20, 2021
    Mr Vaughan

    Mr Vaughan

    in what way? the engine runs, then the tranny and tcase are going to be rebuilt, and the body is solid enough to work. the rear axle was freshaned up, but the front needs it's checkup.
     
  13. Apr 20, 2021
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    Just looking at it, I expect there are issues waiting to be discovered. I see a lot of neglect there. I expect you'll want to go through the knuckles and replace a lot of service parts. How about the brakes? The transmission may need parts, and replacement gears are expensive. Maybe you'll be lucky - but if you find something that needs fixing, it would be good to have some capital to spend on it.

    You'd be much-much-much better off to spend that money on upgrading your brakes. Single best first thing you should do, if you upgrade anything.

    Nothing against the tapered bearing idea, if you could afford it. It's great, especially if you plan to put lots of miles on a Dana 18. The tapered bearing setup addresses a central weakness of the Dana 18; ie, the intermediate shaft drives the rear wheels all the time, and that makes it wear out faster than it might. The Borg-Warner Quadratrac has the same problem.

    The hardened shaft and quality parts repaired to original spec will be really good, and good enough, maybe 100K miles good enough. How many miles has been put on that Jeep in the last decade? Last 20 years? Last 30 years? Perfection is the enemy of the good. Just a month ago you were asking for schemes where someone in your position could make some money, so I expect you are under-capitalized for this project. Don't let scope creep deter you from your goal - a safe, running, driving Jeep you can drive to school.
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2021
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  14. Apr 20, 2021
    Mr Vaughan

    Mr Vaughan

    a lot of this is funded by dad because it's not really my jeep...
    but if i wanted to do something crazy with it he'd have me pay. the transmission gears look good, and the brakes work. i don't know the miles in the past while since the speedo is not connected. it has almost none from the last 10 years, more from the 10 before that, and a lot from the 10 before that. i don't plan on changing the transfer case (besides maybe a large case), so it's gonna be fairly permanent.
     
  15. Apr 20, 2021
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    I point out the miles because it's a trend. The best indicator of how much this Jeep will get driven is how much it was driven through history. Building for 50K miles a year is not supported by this Jeep's history, much less it's condition or capability. This is a hobby car.

    Is this a 1.125" or 1.25" unit? If you already have a 1.25" case, the D20 case would not do much for you when powered by the F134.

    Your Dad should be very willing to buy stuff to upgrade the brakes instead, if he's willing to upgrade to the tapered bearing kit. Even Dad's capital for this project is not unlimited. The tapered bearings will do nothing for you once they're installed, other than your personal mental satisfaction of running tapered bearings. Your peers won't understand or care. Girls won't care, and will be turned off if you try to explain. Everybody understands better brakes.
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2021
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  16. Apr 20, 2021
    Mr Vaughan

    Mr Vaughan

    fortunately, i have more than that that i care about.
    i need to look at getting brake and axle parts, but one of the biggest issues is mom not wanting the new parts, and saying "couldn't you just find a different jeep?"
     
  17. Apr 20, 2021
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    That''s a good question. Used to be YJs were cheap for what you get. Maybe not so much now. I don't know what the market is like in NE.
     
  18. Apr 20, 2021
    Mr Vaughan

    Mr Vaughan

  19. Apr 20, 2021
    Mr Vaughan

    Mr Vaughan

    unfortunately, i don't think we can handle 2 jeeps (but i wouldn't mind it), and this one has a history with our family. first thing i'd do if i got a YJ was swap a CJ front clip on...

    most of the jeeps around here have been trashed in the river, and what's left is not cheap.
     
  20. Apr 20, 2021
    Michael Wedin

    Michael Wedin Member

    Sweetwater, TX
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    I had the same problem with the pill and poppets taking mine apart as well. Just took a break and wiggled it differently and "whala" it slid apart. Had the same problem putting it back together. Keep everything assembly lubed and with a little wiggling the cap goes back on . Don't force it!
     
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