4.10 gears blew up friends trans 4 times in a 97, opinions?

[v8only]

I've got a question about more of an acquantance of mine. He's from a local mustang message board that I hang out on, and I've met him a few times.

He's got a 97 Mark viii. His mods are a torque converter and recent 4.10 gears. He recently pm'd me complaining that the gears blew his trans up 4 times now. He's had it built by a shop, but has to keep going back.

It's difficult to get the full explanation from him online as it's hard to understand his writing, but from what I understand, the cup seal got chewed up in the tail,(which may have caused some fluid leakage). He's claiming that he believes the d/s is spinning too quickly. I guess he had to swap out that case too.

Now, he didn't get a tune to correct the shifting problems that he said he had, he didn't do the tail shaft mod, and had no trans cooler, though he does have a hi stall converter.

Anyhow, he wants to sell me the entire car for $500, for parts and I want the 4.10 gears for my 98 LSC, and i've already got a one piece 93 shaft, and an xcal 3 tuner waiting for this mod...but now I'm worried I may screw my trans up.

I'm looking for peoples input on this, and if anyone else has had trans issues too after a gear swap.

 

[Sapperfire]

Now, he didn't get a tune to correct the shifting problems that he said he had, he didn't do the tail shaft mod, and had no trans cooler, though he does have a hi stall converter.

thats why his trans ate shyt

 

[v8only]

I was kinda thinking that, but I was unsure if the tune would just make it shift bad,and be just a headache, or if it will cause actual problems that could ruin the trans.

I told the guy after he got the gears that he better take care of the trans too, and he just brushed off the idea. My trans is all original at 106k miles, but it good shape, and I can't afford it to blow up, but I can't turn this car down, as after I part it out, I'll get all my money back plus the parts off it that I want.

 

[SATURN5]

Buy it and save that Mark from the idiot that currently owns it.

 

[driller]

Buy it and save that Mark from the idiot that currently owns it.

I agree... the trans died due to the stall converter with 4.10s and no transmission cooler...

along with a loose nut somewhere.

 

[v8only]

Buy it and save that Mark from the idiot that currently owns it.

Maybe...now he's claiming he may have blown out the head gasket. The guy got the car for nearly free, and he's been racing it at the track and in general. Nothing wrong with racing the car, but he doesn't seem to do the correct supporting mods.

He "claims" the car has been in a big accident before and that the frame is bent. I'll buy the car since it's only going to cost me $500. If I feel it's savable I may attempt to save it, but if it's got frame damage and a toasted trans and a bad head gasket, I'm parting it out. I want the rear chunk with gears, the spring conversion package, torque converter, and the control arms and suspension if it's newish. The rest I'd put up for sale here, so every piece of it would stay within the community. I used to do this with fox mustangs when they were unsavable

 

[zmt325]

IMHO you need to jmod it and put a secondary trans cooler before you put the gears in.. the jmod is a must for longevity. if you do not want it to shift hard just leave all the springs in the trans. the trans cooler is just extra insurance, if you put that stall converter in without proper rebuild there may be some shavings or trash in it. nice find on the 4.10s

 

[Chris_Murder]

IMHO you need to jmod it and put a secondary trans cooler before you put the gears in.. the jmod is a must for longevity. if you do not want it to shift hard just leave all the springs in the trans. the trans cooler is just extra insurance, if you put that stall converter in without proper rebuild there may be some shavings or trash in it. nice find on the 4.10s

If he reused the same converter on all 4 failures then it should be fairly obvious why it failed. Unless the converter has been referbed 4 times, which at the point buy a new one lol.

 

[Buckeye68]

Sounds like a bunch of a mess

 

[JDS353]

sounds like a couple of probs lack of knowledge about racing and lack of wanting to gain said knowledge. there are a lot of guys running 410s and 456 that have not blown their trans so sounds like he got it cheap rode it hard and stabled it wet.

 

[chris2523]

4.10s = heat
high stall converter = heat
no trans cooler = heat
heat x 3 = dead transmission

 

[driller]

I ran 4.10s with my stock tranny with a Baumann recal kit and a smallish B&M trans cooler for a long time and made hundreds of passes at the track with no transmission issues.

Don't let the least common denominator scare you away from gears.

The torque converter will need to be opened up and inspected.

Depending who installed the gears, I would at least remove the cover and check the gear pattern and backlash before I installed them.