How to tell if you need tranny rebuild?

[Rabbit929]

Just bough a 94 max II, I'm pretty sure bands are out of adjustment a bit and one plunger is a bit sticky.
I sprayed plunger with lithium grease really good, drained the GEAR LUBE out, (owner said it wasn't run much with it in it) and it came out gray in color.

Overfilled it with dextron II, ran it up and down the block, and drained again.

How do I know how bad the bands are? I really don't have a lot of money to play with after tires, chains, diamond shifter cuz it's stuck in forward, ect. But will do what I gotta I guess.

How in over my head am I? It seems to drive fine aside from riding on 3 flats. image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg

[hydromike]

Hey Rabbit,

I'd start with a band adjustment to see where the plungers sit from a wear standpoint. You really won't know the overall condition of the bands (potential delamination, for example) unless you split the case halves and have a look at them. I've drained gear oil from some transmissions that have responded well to a couple fluid changes, so all might be fine. Unfortunately, you don't know for sure until something goes wrong inside and the band starts chewing through the drum. You can always split the transmission and have a look for peace of mind. Run it for a little while and see how it responds to the fluid change.

[Toys4Me]

Hydro is spot on. From my personal experience I open every trans when I get them and check everything (bearings, seals, bands, drums...).

[Rabbit929]

Ok because I'm really worried about damaging the drums. I saw what they cost. D:

[hydromike]

Ok because I'm really worried about damaging the drums. I saw what they cost. D:

T-20s have been made for about 45 years. There are plenty of used drums sitting around in folks' inventory. Post a wanted ad here on the Site if you're ever looking for parts. It's far too easy for people to get completely priced out of this hobby buying brand new parts as a first resort.

[Rabbit929]

Cool man I appreciate it. And I doubt I could be priced out of the hobby, I've always said I wanted to make my own little tank. I realized these things existed and decided they were the perfect freak machine I've always been looking for. I've barely drove mine and I'm already addicted and considering burying my head in debt to get a max IV so I can bring groups with me. Lol I really do love the idea of these machines. I wish they were more popular where I'm from.