Cleaning transmission case

[chris the wrench]

Im about to bite the bullet and drop the 48re trans out of my 2006 ram 2500. Im thinking Im going to rebuild it myself. Ive looked at a bunch of parts kits and videos. Ive done a bunch of engines, a few vw transaxles, but never a auto trans so this will be an experience.

Looking for ideas to clean the case when I drop it? Few cans of Carb and/or engine cleaner, mess of brushes and some Pressure washing is the best idea I have.

Also considered breaking it all down and taking it into town and paying a machine shop or trans shop with a big enough parts washer.

Thoughts/ideas??

 

[BravoXray]

Automatics can be scary to work on if you haven't doen it before. Years ago I have a Town Car that suddenly lost all forward gears. After calling several trans shops and getting different diagnoses and widely varying prices, I bought a manual on Ford AOD transmissions and took it parat myself. I just cleared the bench and ;aid everything out in the ourder it cam out of the case. Took some looking but finally found a broken weld on a sun shell. The planetary was worn some too, but everything else looked good. Bought all the parts and pieces from a local shop and put it back together. Had one large snap ring left, took it all apart again and couldn't figure out where it went, put it back together again and put it in the car and it worked fine. Called the shop the nect day, and he said the snap ring was only an assembly air used in the factory and wasn't needed for operation.
The newer transmissions are doubtlessly more complex, but if you can get a manual and fine some YT videos you can probably do it. The only catch mught be if a special tool is needed to disassemble it.
Good luck!

 

[chris the wrench]

but if you can get a manual and fine some YT videos you can probably do it. The only catch mught be if a special tool is needed to disassemble it.

I got the manual a few weeks back and studied it. Then I watched a bunch of youtubes and found a couple that seemed legit. THEN I rewatched one of those and followed along in the manual. I think it’s not terribly hard… only tool I dont have is a hydraulic press makes it abit easier(Ive been wanting one of those anyways), and I’ll probably weld up some kinda stand to keep it vertical.

 

[rangerfredbob]

When I did the ZF5 for my F350 last year I put it in my expanded metal wagon and took it to a section of yard I don't care much about and sprayed it down with Super Clean or Awesome Clean or both (one's cheap and yellow, one's purple, both worked...)? then let them sit for 15 minutes or so then pressure washed then repeated a couple times, it worked pretty good. My friend that's a transmission mechanic and does stuff on the side at home was the one that turned me to the cheap yellow stuff from Dollar General...