After parking on a steep incline a couple of days ago, the transmission has been making a noise in 1st through 3rd. Sounds like a deep rattle-knock, only happens when moving, and stops in 4th.

My guess is that the gasket between tranny/xfer is shot and that too much fluid went back into the transfer case and that the transmission is starved for oil. I sure hope so. I need to get under there and check the filler I guess. Any other suggestions are welcome.

I'd rather not have to put a new transmission in this old thing.

Probably, it's what they do. Luckily an auto swap is just an afternoon away (it's really that easy even your first try).

Seriously though, i wouldn't attempt having it rebuilt and if you're dead set on a manual there are other options but they all involve serious swap action. Best of luck, been there man it sucks.

That wasn't what I wanted to hear at all! Try again! :P

Tell me about the auto swap. Do I have to grab the drivelines too or will the ones I have work? Kickdown cable? If its documented somewhere, it would be awesome.

That sound is normal. Means your transmission is fully broken-in. Time for a long trip!

Sound better? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Get everything attached to the automatic, transfer case, crossmember, shifter, linkages, driveshafts, oil cooler if equipped, kickdown bracket(s), torque converter and flexplate. It is a completely bolt on swap 4cyl to 4cyl or v6 to v6, if you go from a V6 truck to 4cyl you'll need to do a bellhousing and flexplate swap.

And the radiator, too. The a/t makes a lot of heat and the air/oil cooler is not sufficient. You need the primary water/oil cooler in line first, then the air/oil. You can have a water/oil cooler added to your m/t radiator if you wish, and take the opportunity to have your radiator rodded out and pressure/leak tested at the same time, since they have to take off at least the bottom tank to put the cooler in.

Or, I don't find the m/t all that hard to rebuild, especially since I bet all you need is input shaft bearings. The rest of the bearings are pretty stout and hold up for a long, long time, which means in turn that you only have to tear into the front of the tranny (step one in a full tear down) and all that is very simple to do once it's out. If the tranny is quiet in 4th/5th, the mainshaft and 5th gear bearings are probably fine.

It would seen to me to be worth doing it in this order. First source all the a/t parts but do not buy them yet, then pull the tranny and see if the input shaft wobbles around. If so, I'd fix that and put it back together and install a new clutch kit at the same time, regardless of the age of the current clutch. If not the case, then go buy the a/t stuff and install that.

Also get the a/t console...

The console is the same, but the auto control is located differently. You'll lose that little catch-all pocket.

The trim cover that houses boots for the t-case shifter and stick trans will need to be changed out, and you'll recoup some sq inches lost to the auto shifter.

Third option is to follow Jason's thread on the Mixtubishi swap. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

This is all very interesting, and sounds pretty straightforward for the most part. Unbolt, bolt up. Does seem like it would be just as easy to find a donor with a blown motor and buy the whole thing! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

About fixing the 5 speed, eddy: 4th is quiet, 5th has a light whine to it and because of that I rarely use it. in 1st and 2nd, there is no back/forth action typical to the input bearing going out. I wouldn't mind buying a rebuild kit and rebuilding the 5 speed, but I have never done it and have only very basic hand tools.

Assuming I can find all the parts for the auto swap, what should I be expecting to spend by the time I have my truck up and running again?

Thanks guys

If your KM145 is dying it is not too big of a deal to swap it out or have it rebuilt. They are a pretty reliable transmission and they can be made even more reliable by adding a Tuff Pan. From my experience most premature failures are maintenance related. The whole swap can be done in just a few hours. I think my last tranny rebuild cost about $500 to have a shop go through it. They had to replace the fork and few other parts. It should be good for another 300K miles.

I will relate this one more time. My old and sadly deceased a&p mechanic friend, the best natural mech I've ever known, and the most skilled, Roger the Dodger, used Dexron in his km145 tranny in his old mighty max pickup truck. He drained the factory stuff, flushed it with diesel fuel, and then added the dexron. The last I heard, it had well over 300k on the original tranny, and it was tight as a tick. Roger was hard on the truck, and had gone thru about 3 motors and 5 heads, two rear axles, and about 10 front end rebuilds. Roger was no engineer or lubricant chemist, but he was very bright, and retired from the Navy as a Chief Master Machinist's Mate, the most senior enlisted rank, and was one of the wizards who kept the Cactus Air Force flying on Guadalcanal after the Navy sailed off with most of the food, the reserves, and all the spare parts. He went all the way back to the Marine incursions into Nicaragua and Haiti between the wars and snuck into the system as one of the very few "flying sergeants", ending up as a gold stripe aviation pilot before he busted a flying physical.

His mechanical solutions to problems were sometimes unorthodox, but they always worked just fine.

Dexron will take very high pressures and is a very good lubricant, and is a lot thinner than rear lube, so you might pick up a tad of power and mpg, too.

Roger's advice and practice don't follow the factory rec's, and you follow them at your own rish, but if I had a KM145, it would be full of Dexron.

I think I've posted this about a dozen times now, and have yet to find one of you to be that adventurous...