how tight should new clutch packs be on an a518?

[sloppy2nds000]

so when building up a set of front and rear clutch packs should there be any air gap in the clutch pack? in other words how tight should they be? how hard should it be to get the retainer rings in?

is there a spec on this? i googled it and found nothing helpful.

[DodgeFreak]

Yes there is a spec for front and rear clutch pack. lll get it for you when i get home if Ellis doest

[cmann250]

Front clutch: 0.067"-0.134"
Rear clutch: 0.032"-0.055"

Both assume you're using 4 frictions.

[BC847]

Be sure to presoak the clutch discs in ATF before setting things up.

[sloppy2nds000]

soaked them overnight and part of the day. same with bands.

so the front is way too tight, the rear is probably spot on.
yes, they were both 4 plate packs

so could this be the reason i creep fwd when in park, stand still (bound up) in reverse, and move forward in neutral, and have normal drive in any of the forward gears?

[DodgeFreak]

how tight is the front?? also when you check the front clutch, insert a feeler gauge between pressure plate and waved snap ring to measure maximum clearance where snap ring is waved away from pressure plate. The rear you check by having an assistant press down firmly on the outer pressure plate, then insert a feeler gauge between the plate and snap ring. I've always done it my self. and seemed to work good.

[cmann250]

The front clutch is applied in R, 3, and 4. The rear band and direct clutch are also applied in reverse.

I think if you're moving more than a few inches in park, the pawl isn't put together right. If it creeps forward a bit, stops, and loads the engine, then I'd believe the clutches are not disengaging.

[sloppy2nds000]

the pawl wasnt working but i got it to now. it had too much stress on it. im guessing the clutchs are loading everything up. now that ive got the pawl to work, it locks the drive line out like it should and the engine labors like its in drive with the brake on, thats for sure.

im almost certain now that the reason for my creeping/driving in all gears is because the clutchs are incapable of disengaging.

so my next question is do i pull the tranny back out for a 3rd time and remove the new frictions and steels and put in the old ones or can i just let it sit there and idle under load for a bit then shut it down and repeat until things wear out/in enough to start working and plowing again?

is option 2 even an option? it was for my dirtbike clutch pack which is essentially the same thing.

[DodgeFreak]

if you let it wear out like that its going to run trash through everything and create heat and glaze them....don't cut corners on autos it will bite you in the a$$ later. Did you check clearances on the clutch packs when you assembled them???

the last trans I done for my cousins 99 47re I couldn't get the clutch pack to work with the napa kit for that trans, but I had a set of clutches for a 92 that were thinner so I swapped them out and got the pack with in spec. so just because the kit is for that trans doesn't mean the clearances are going to be with in spec.

What did you torque the valve body bolts to??

[sloppy2nds000]

i probably should have measured that stuff, but i figured oem spec replacement raybestos parts would be good to go.
never assume.

torqued the vb screws to 40"#s
torqued the vb to case bolts to 105"#s

at this point i dont care about glazing. i just want it to run and plow snow thru easter

[DodgeFreak]

live an learn you should be getting good at pulling that trans now lol.

[PToombs]

Isn't the clearance set with the snap ring? It was on my 47RE on the front clutch pack, meaning the one closest to the front, can't remember which it actually is right now. I'm glad I got an extra trans with the truck, I rebuilt the extra, then robbed the snap ring from the one in the truck when I swapped them.

I'd say pull it again, it will be cheaper and better in the long run. You can put in a worn old one or several to give some clearance if you need to.

[DodgeFreak]

I'm not sure how close raybestos are to factory specs but when your talking .067 difference on the front and .023 on the rear, if each disc on the rear was .006 thicker you could be out of specs.

[DodgeFreak]

Isn't the clearance set with the snap ring? It was on my 47RE on the front clutch pack, meaning the one closest to the front, can't remember which it actually is right now. I'm glad I got an extra trans with the truck, I rebuilt the extra, then robbed the snap ring from the one in the truck when I swapped them.

I'd say pull it again, it will be cheaper and better in the long run. You can put in a worn old one or several to give some clearance if you need to.

the rear clutch pack you can change snap rings to get proper clearance don't say on the front one. I was able to swap clutches since I had them to get with in specs.

which you have alittle more leeway on the front than the rear.

[sloppy2nds000]

it still took me 4 hrs to bolt everything up after i got the tranny and tcase bolted up. i got them in in like 45 mins.
i could probably start pulling it now but really dont feel like being out here till midnight again. last night was like 145ish. brutal.

i plan to totally rebuild this 518 this summer with all new guts. like 2k worth of crap. just need to limp it thru the rest of plow season