T-20......Need Advice

[bdorr]

I am very new to the 6x6 world, and my knowledge is slim to non. So please bare with me as I try to describe my issue.


Just bought a MAX IV on saturday, got it running decent last night and went for a cruise around the yard. About 5 minutes into my cruise I lost all of my right side drive. That side will not go into reverse or forward anymore.

From there I pulled it into the garage, pulled the motor, and jacked it up so I could watch the wheels spin as I manually tried to engage the transmission in all different scenarios. No matter what I do, or what combination I try, I cannot get the right side to engage.

The diamond shifter plate (????) appears to match the other side as far as alignment of that goes.

My question is do you guys think I broke a band, or what do you think happened. I want to say that I heard a pop when I lost that side, but that could have been my imagination.

Next question, how much are bands? Or does anybody have a T-20 for sale?


Thanks,
Bryan

[amphibious drew]

If diamond is moving you may have sheared a shifter pin. I would pull the diamonds out and check the pins. if they look ok put them back in and give it a try could have popped out of the groove.

[micmac]

Bryan,

Probably broke a shifter pin. It's eay to check. Especially if you already have the motor out. Take off the plate that is on top of the suspect diamond shifter. Remove the linkage attached to the diamond shifter. The shifter then should lift out of the case. You may need to pry it out but be careful not to damage the aluminum case. On the other side of the sifter there is a plunger with an oring (or two can't remember). At the bottom of the plunger there is a pin that actuates the transmission F - N - R on that side. This pin will sometimes wear out or break. Some people replace the pin or replace the shifter as they aren't too expensive. Replace the orings and reinstall the shifter. This may not be the issue but its easy to check fix first before going into the T20.

Good luck, welcome to the sport and let us know how you make out.

Mike

[micmac]

Drew is fast!

[bdorr]

Thanks for the quick replies. I plan on working on it tonight, so the first thing I will do before I try and pull this thing apart is look at those shifter pins.

[JoeMeg]

This is what the shifters will look like if damaged,

I'm looking for a pic of an intact one now,
O well,here is another damaged one

Sorry I cant find a good one but, yhe pin should be nice and round and protrude aprox 1/4" out of the body.

Joe.

[bdorr]

Awesome..... thanks for the pic.

[JoeMeg]

Your welcome. And,welcome to the site,you've come to the rite place. Also,be advised,there is a right and left side diamond shifter,they are not symmetrical(look at the pic with the two,just "reorient" them in your head,you will see the pins on "oppisite" sides of the body[the part with the o-ring]). Hope this helps,

Joe.

[bdorr]

Thanks I will keep that in mind when working on it tonight.


Here's my next question or issue. When I was screwing around with it last night I think I push the plungers in to far and they won't pull out (well they might, I have pulled that hard on them), but what would be catching on these holding them in?

I was playing with them for hours, then toward the end I pushed them in pretty far to see if that made a difference and now they don't want to pull back out. Am I going to need to split the cases to fix this?

[JoeMeg]

Are you refering to the diamond shifter "plungers" or the ones connected to the u-channels/popsicle sticks?

Joe.

[bdorr]

The ones connected to the U-channels in the front of the tranny facing the drivers seats.

[hydromike]

You likely pushed the plungers in too far, and the O-ring has expanded on the inside of the case. You can pull them back out, but it'll tear the o-rings and they'll end up leaking. The only way to fix it the right way is to split the cases, remove the drums and the band anchor pins from the plungers, push the plungers out the front side of the case and replace the o-rings. The only real safe way to install the plungers is from the front of the case. Either that, or you can live with the constant leaking and carry a quart of ATF with you. Sure makes a mess of the machine's insides, though....

[bdorr]

Thanks for the advice, I now feel like an idiot for pushing those in that far. haha.

I suppose everything in life is a learning experience. I guess I will add tearing the apart to my list of things to do tonight.


Thanks for the help.

[hydromike]

Thanks for the advice, I now feel like an idiot for pushing those in that far. haha.

Nah, I still end up bumping them the wrong way once in a while, but I make sure all the bad bumps are on the uppers where they're not submerged in ATF. If I could count all the goofups I still make, it'd take more time out of my day than I care to admit.

Why not pull them out to he normal position and see how bad they leak? If you can live with it for a little while (or if you run into the 1 in 100 situation where they don't leak), and you can get other things in line and save the T-20 repair for a miserable winter day?

[micmac]

2x what Mike said. Pry the uchannel out and possibly the orings didnt get too buggered up. Throw some fresh ATF in (Not Gear Oil!!!!!!) see if she leaks. You can always pull it later just keep an eye out for any leaks. Don't beat yourself up too much I've had to redo a T20 after it was nice and sealed cause' some idiot (me) forgot a fiber washer inside. Then I nicked an oring after I put it back together a second time. Three times a charm