Eaton Fuller 18 speed behind a C15 6nz 475hp Cat. W900 Kenworth. Not seeing a real reason for the broken bell housing, wondering if there is a gremlin i should be looking for that would cause a repeat performance. Just picked up truck at the auction, found numerous issues, considering maybe it was in an accident?
Rear of trans supported at all? Usually with that much rear section, there would be a leaf spring or rigid mount with insulators. You got any of that? Are your joints in phase? How about suspension, does it have those awful stamped/welded garbage elephant ears? Are the axles being held in position or are they floating around? Is ride height correct? Any damage to clutch? Did the center plate break a lug? So many what ifs. The question that you'll never get answered is, was the diff lock or power divider locked in? With only the top snapped off, I'd say your lacking rear support.
^X2
That happened because the bell bolts got loose at some point, someone tightened them but the crack had all ready started by that time. It's not uncommon for the later aluminum bells to break or crack, the aluminum bells on 9513's were prone to breaking. JMHO. It was probably found when the clutch free play suddenly changed.
It has the rear spring support, yes the clutch discs are broken, I don't know about the driveshafts I arrived on the job after the rears were removed and driveshafts were removed. I thought it may have been rebuilt from an accident, as a lot of hangers are not attached and the cab is painted. I have had broken bell housings on other wrecked trucks. But maybe loose nut behind the wheel?
I've replaced a lot of Allison MT housings for the same thing, usually the top bolts work loose and the crack will start at 10 o'clock or 2 o'clock. Once that happens...
Is there a heavy duty option?
No, and being a cast iron bell it's probably non halo.
Non halo?
Oiling system for the front bearings.
Ok, never heard of halo, so tube around input shaft resembles a halo, this is what I found, looks like either grey iron or aluminum could be a halo system. So this trans should be a halo being newer than a 2000, and 475 cat should be over 1650 torque they mention. http://www.roadranger.com/ecm/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dID=270222 So.... Would a western star transmission bell housing be stronger, being the rear engine mount?
Some of the early cast iron bells were halo but Eaton went to aluminum halo bells early on. Eaton makes a plug kit to install a early none halo bell. Using the type of bell with rear mounts is not necessarily a stronger bell except for the fact the weight of engine trans is better balanced. The standard bell is plenty strong and really no need to change it.
Is there a clutch that anyone prefers over any other. A buddy of mine swears by the Eaton Easy Pedal. In the past i havent got to picky in buying clutch packs, pretty much purchased what our local Napa store had available.
Eaton #308925-20 easy pedal 1860 torque manual adjust.
Look close at the pictures. Part of the fracture is dark colored ( old ). Driveline vibration can be a problem also as others pointed towards.
Hell that thing could have been cracked for years, if a drive line vib could cause a bell to break it had to be running 2 inches off center. And at that point I doubt the driver had any teeth left in his head. JMHO
That's right. Usually the flywheel housing breaks. I saw a 366 GMC driver said it just stopped running. No noise lights or anything. He was put in another truck. I was the apprentice under the engine builder at the time. Ended up it had dropped a valve but driver kept driving it. The piston was completely destroyed and in the oil pan. He continued to drive it until the wrist pin wore through the cylinder wall. Coolant in the oil caused the crank to seize. The driver when the first fracture happened may have had that experience?
I don't know, I can't remember any drive line vib's ever causing a bell housing to break. But I suppose anything is possible. Crap some 8 years ago we had a grain truck pull into the shop driver was complaining of vibration-the center bearing went to hell-sawed it's way through the center bearing hanger/yoke, drive line fell down on a support for the lift axle and he drove it twenty some miles that way. Just a whapping around. Never broke the bell or power divider.
I replaced a cracked Flywheel housing in an AutoCar about 30 years ago. The new one cracked within a month. I ordered another one and applied for warranty. The dealer told me customer XYZ has this happen fairly often. It is never warrantied. Always blamed on driveline vibration but we will file it. Someone called and asked a lot of questions. Expected nothing but the dealer sent me a credit. Have experienced several transmissions coming loose but never saw a bell break there myself. Could have even been dropped off a jack on the floor before? That is some of what I based my reply on. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Clutch Bolts, can you pick out the problem in this picture?
One metric
That's no big problem, impact will drive it right in. Crossed threads act like loctite.
Metric....
Its nice to know other people have seen my work.....
I get so tired of finding standard stuff that idiots jammed into a metric hole. Some days I want to find them and strangle them. Mixing fasteners is one of my biggest pet peeves. Morons that cant see the difference are not far behind...
I like to throw in one or two metric or british threads to keep my projects inclusive..
So you're the one...
That's actually small taters, wrong bolts -ruined threads. Wait til your removing a transmission and find that someone welded the clutch arm to the cross shaft. **** ants.
Seems anyone can can call themselves a mechanic. After 25 years I almost cringe when an owner/operator says I work on my own equipment. Not that all are trouble, but homeowners do things to a different level than a professional technician does. They don't know what they don't know. Now before I get hate mail, I have met drivers that were decent wrenches, and mechanics that shouldn't touch a wrench.
Well that is in any field you take a good look at. Doctors that shouldn't be doctors, judges that shouldn't be behind the bench, and business owners that shouldn't own a business. The real question is-is one a driver or a mechanic, or both because the job requires it. Or he's just a wanna be at both.
Yeah, I get drivers that want to supervise, They get a free ride to some other place than mine. Usually I ask them why they don't have the entire truck rebuilt.
I had a unit I pulled up on with an oil filter I didn't recognize for that application. Looked in the catalog and the thread pitch was similar but the diameter of the center hole was metric on the filter and 3/4 on the machine. It stayed on but it sure was loose on the threads. If the guy had tightened it on properly it probably would have stripped. Lucky it didn't fall off or leak. Sometimes I wonder how people come up with this stuff.
We just got five new 2020 Columbia gliders and so far I’ve driven two and written up a paragraph on each and bot of these are still under 10000 miles with major oil leaks loose belts and leaky wheel seals these are not my assigned truck they belong to other drivers