NV4500 Removal and Reinstall

Red Sleeper

Red Sleeper

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Aug 11, 2009
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My cousin has a 98 4wd 12v with NV4500. We replaced the pilot bearing, throw out bearing, and flywheel about two years ago. He said 5th gear now makes a terrible sound. He addressed this issue years ago but sounds like it’s back.

Last time I removed this trans, I had to spread the frame rails with a bottle jack and 4x4 to remove the crossmember. What is the proper method or best route for removing the crossmember? I’m without a shop manual for 2nd gen.

No I’m not YouTubing this to find how Bobby the buck tooth fool does it.
 
I believe technically they can be driven up and they loosen up to be removed. But then it's a pain to reinstall with trans there when trying to hammer it down.

We just use a porta-power and spread rails so it falls out and then repeat to install.

And I'm sure you're aware but 5th gear can be repaired in the truck. Its sometimes easier to get that bastard nut torqued when in the truck.
 
Jack the trans up and Remove the trans mount. Tap the cross member up and back. Comes right out. Reinstall the same way. Use a rubber dead blow hammer and it's pretty easy.
 
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Thanks guys. Will remove the trans mount this time and try that method. Just can't believe it's a wedge fit. My 91 and 05 trucks are a simple bolt on cross member. Typical Dodge.

I know 5th can be fixed without trans removal. As I stated this has been fixed before, so not sure what is going on this time. He just said it is making a fair amount of noise going into 5th. Going to remove the trans and inspect.
 
Is it not just the 5th gear nut coming loose? You can fix that without dropping the trans. Just remove the tail housing and it is right there. Tighten and tack that b1tch with a mig and be done. :D
 
Red Sleeper said:
Thanks guys. Will remove the trans mount this time and try that method. Just can't believe it's a wedge fit. My 91 and 05 trucks are a simple bolt on cross member. Typical Dodge.

I know 5th can be fixed without trans removal. As I stated this has been fixed before, so not sure what is going on this time. He just said it is making a fair amount of noise going into 5th. Going to remove the trans and inspect.
Click to expand...

That wedge fit is a PITA, last time I had mine out I smacked the ends in just a hair more and now it slides in and out easily. First time they come out is the worst :bang

I've removed the really stuck ones by fishing a ratchet strap all the way around it, and when you tighten the strap it pulls the ends in just enough to break it free.
 
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Try removing them in junkyards, like I do!
Typically, I follow Jeremy"s way of doing it, but I go forward on one side at a time, then once one side drops past the mounting pad, bring it down and out.
If you look, you'll see that the frame tapers up and forwards where the cross member mounts.

I've dropped transmissions where I could not remove the crossmember before, which means you have to take the transfer case off, with the transmission in frame, to get the trans to come out.

Talk about wishing for a sawzall! :hehe:

Mark.
 
Welp, we once again used the bottle jack and a 4x4 to spread the frame rails. This time was much easier to remove the crossmember, but we also had the transfer case out of our way.

Getting to the issue at hand, 5th gear. The nut didn’t back off, it’s actually double nutted from the original fix. 5th gear split along the shaft. But why? The truck is not used for towing at all really, runs empty most of the time with maybe 1,000lbs in the bed on occasion. Stock power engine, not driven hard by the owner.
We are not sure what to think.

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2 things I see possibly happening there.
A gear that fractured all by it's lonesome, and/or something went through the teeth.
Look to see if all the keys are in the synchro assemblies, or something not from the gears is lying in the bottom of the case.

Mark.
 
Cozze44 said:
That wedge fit is a PITA, last time I had mine out I smacked the ends in just a hair more and now it slides in and out easily. First time they come out is the worst :bang

I've removed the really stuck ones by fishing a ratchet strap all the way around it, and when you tighten the strap it pulls the ends in just enough to break it free.
Click to expand...

This is what I do on every cross member I mess with. Makes them wayyy easier to install and remove if needed afterwards...
 
It says something about the reliability of a transmission design, when people are worried about the ease of REPEATEDLY pulling their crossmember out. LOL

Typically once should be enough, but not with a Dodge!

Mark.
 
I cut the crossmembers straight across above the bottom bolt holes. It makes R&R so much easier.
 
Mark Nixon said:
2 things I see possibly happening there.

A gear that fractured all by it's lonesome, and/or something went through the teeth.

Look to see if all the keys are in the synchro assemblies, or something not from the gears is lying in the bottom of the case.



Mark.
Click to expand...



We will definitely conduct further investigations. After we saw this, we quit for the night. And came back the next day to continue pulling the trans.

Initial thought why 5th gave up the ghost was the nut backed off. So we removed tail housing while trans was still in truck. No dice on that one.
 
And it gets better.

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This old south bend clutch has at least 150k on it. Two missing springs that are absolutely no where to be found. I mean, nothing! Just dust. Chunks of hard plastic were in sitting in the bottom of the adapter plate. Yet the clutch felt fine when driving.

Once we found this, tools were cleaned and we started trimming trees instead.
 
I had contacted Eaton before concerning broken springs when we had a handful of the Peterbilt’s having issues with them falling out, we’d of never known if the springs hadn’t been getting stuck between the friction and intermediate plate. they said it’s from abuse such as dropping the clutch, taking off in gears that are too high ect. So I’d guess it’s probably just from taking off in 1st and not low. Those springs save the gears from the explosion pulse from combustion, they’re the nice little cushion that’s saving grace on compression ignition engines drive train. Likely after they failed, poor little 5th gear is too small of a gear to have enough material to absorb the pulses and eventually the teeth started to hairline and come apart. One tooth probably didn’t have a clean exit and split the gear.
 
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