32 replies to this topic

[Terry Haines]

 tower_torque.jpg   357.6K   87 downloads

...this is 'The Bolt'....



 tower_rev_pin.jpg   411.82K   77 downloads


...this is the reverse switch 'pinbolt'....

[Acacetus]

I know this is a bit of a necro post, but i finally have the money saved up to fix this problem for the second time. Yes you read that right, this is the second time, I managed to get by with the tranny fishing for the first one.

Obviously with what I have learned between the first time and this one I will be getting my shifter tower modded. However I do have a few questions first.

Primarily to Terry, but anyone else feel free to chime in:

I did drive the car around a few blocks worth the first time (repositioning, moving so not to get ticketed, pulling into the garage to have it fixed, etc.) and considerably more the second time (all the way across town, probably about 15 miles maybe a bit more). With that information is there any serious damage that I have or could have done to the transmission given that it seemed to run fine until I parked it the final time. If I get this mod done and spend the time and energy (not to mention money) I would really rather not be in a situation where my Trans is ready to bite the big one.

Secondly, for the "Keyed Tower" mod do you offer any prebuilts with a "core" charge type of deal or is it straight modding a tower that I send you.

Thanks for all the great info you have posted here Terry you are by far and away one of the most dedicated people I know.

[Terry Haines]

The biggest risk driving with a broken bolt,apart from the fact you are stuck in one gear and usually have to slip the clutch a lot to move off,is the broken head .This could be punched thru the gear case by one of the gears..It seems you got lucky with yours which is good.
I used to have a lot of cores of the tower but so many 'forgot' to send in the old unit ,even with a core charge,I gave that up.Now the customer has to supply the tower and we mod it.Turnround in a week usually.Drop me an e mail etc..

[Acacetus]

Well thats good news. For the sake of the others I'm going to post this here and get out an email right afterward.

Two more questions:
First, with that bolt in the transmission what is the best way to ensure that I get all of it out of the transmission. I know Im going to have to drop the tranny anyway, so that is assumed.

Secondly, is there any upgrades/swaps that would be a good idea to do while I already have the transmission pulled, such as replacing parts like the flywheel, clutch pressure plate, etc at the current milage (around 130k).

[sav1977]

If anything was damaged, it would have been obvious. Getting a hardened bolt head caught in moving gears results in a pretty distinct and unforgettable sound. I got to hear it in July 2008. The head rolled up between the diff ring gear and trans. case.

[Terry Haines]

If the trans is being pulled to remove the broken bolt head then it should be fully inspected for wear when the cases are open.So much work and cost etc can be saved by having our 'Keyed Tower' mod!!

[SilverBulletCSVT]

Terry Haines, on Mar 24 2009, 05:14 AM, said:

If the trans is being pulled to remove the broken bolt head then it should be fully inspected for wear when the cases are open.So much work and cost etc can be saved by having our 'Keyed Tower' mod!!

Anything preventative that can be done short of removing tower and sending for mod? i.e. DIY while tower still in car

[Terry Haines]

Nope..Some owners change the bolt or roll pin.Neither will cure the fact that the design puts the bolt and pin(on later towers) into a shear mode and after a while it will go again.I could write reams on the shortfalls of 'the bolt' re design etc but that will not cure a bolt set up going again.A key is the only way to go.

[SilverBulletCSVT]

Terry Haines, on Mar 24 2009, 01:40 PM, said:

Nope..Some owners change the bolt or roll pin.Neither will cure the fact that the design puts the bolt and pin(on later towers) into a shear mode and after a while it will go again.I could write reams on the shortfalls of 'the bolt' re design etc but that will not cure a bolt set up going again.A key is the only way to go.

Thanks that is what I suspected. Being my DD I wanted to avoid the downtime required with shipping removed tower for mod. But if bolt ever shears then both downtime and repair cost goes up significantly.

I was also thinking if can't prevent bolt from shearing maybe just prevent secondary damage from bolt head falling into trans with a drilled bolt head and safety wired? Or just JB weld or tack weld a safety wired washer to bolt head so as not to weaken bolt. Not the ultimate solution but at least guarantees you won't blow trans or have to remove and split cases looking for dropped bolt head.

[Terry Haines]

Weld is a waste of time.The lever assy is a PM/Sinter steel..this material is almost impossible to get a good weld on as it is porous and the oil stops any good weld,JB weld will not hold either..lockwire maybe but if the tower bolt breaks 'in gear' you still have to pull the trans as you will not lift out the tower in gear unless you damage the cage of the tower..which cannot be had a spare part from Ford..Trans has to be pulled and split to put gears back to neutral before tower can be lifted out without damage.To be honest,all these band aids are a bit futile and don't cure the issue and don't stop you being off the road or pulling the whole trans..OK so you have to get or send a tower to me...don't have to pull the trans for that!!!

[freedumb35]

so i'm in 4th gear.. I have to remove the trans to get it out of gear then take the tower off..

isn't it easier to just replace the trans if I'm taking it out?.. fords are stupid. this should be a warranty fix.

all because of a bolt / pin.. retarded design. my car is barely worth the cost of repair.

I need this to work out cheap. so how bad is it if I break the damn thing out and wreck the cage? no more parts available.. junkyards. I think I can get a whole trans for $70 if I tear it out myself.

[freedumb35]

freedumb35, on May 14 2009, 09:44 PM, said:

so i'm in 4th gear.. I have to remove the trans to get it out of gear then take the tower off..

isn't it easier to just replace the trans if I'm taking it out?.. fords are stupid. this should be a warranty fix.

all because of a bolt / pin.. retarded design. my car is barely worth the cost of repair.

I need this to work out cheap. so how bad is it if I break the damn thing out and wreck the cage? no more parts available.. junkyards. I think I can get a whole trans for $70 if I tear it out myself.

still downtime

the world is stupid. to buy a trans from a wrecker already pulled has such a huge variance,, $75 up to $1100.. plus shipping.. lol hardly.

so pull it myself is really my only option. kinda a practice round.. plus I guess I need to pull an extra tower... to send to terry to get the keyed mod.

the only question is will it be worthwhile to have the car operate without a modded tower for the time it takes to get it back.. waiting to move into my new house and garage

[Terry Haines]

...some owners have replaced the bolt 2>4 times and it still breaks. Why gamble when a fix can be had, but that gamble is up to you..If it goes on another trans or unmodded tower then just pull the trans again...and again...and again!!