Results 1 to 29 of 29

Thread: how to: itr tranny rebuild and upgrade

  1. #1
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool how to: itr tranny rebuild and upgrade

    I made this for another forum that's more tech oriented, but figured you guys could use it too.

    I don't know where to post it, but seeing as how allmotor cars (like mine) need all the advantages that gearing can offer, this seemed like a good place:

    I'm making this thread because I've done this so many times in the past and using other people's write-ups online + the helms has helped me. BUT I always find myself wondering why people don't post certain things, and realized the only way to have a 'how to' that suits me is to do one myself. I think the majority of enthusiasts don't have readily available access to a lift or air tools, so some of my write-up is specifically for us.

    In this thread I will attempt to show how to remove, rebuild, and reinstall an itr transmission. I will be including as much detail as possible, and all torque specs as well. In this instance, I'm freshening up the tranny with some upgrades: ATS close ratio 1,3/4/5 gears, syncro's (as I had a third gear grind), and possibly anything else that needs to be replaced (bearings, etc). This usdm itr tranny has previously been modded with the addition of an ATS 4.9 final drive and ATS metal lsd.

    *Please don't freak out - YES I'm going to use a close ratio gearset with the 4.9 final drive. Yes, my top speed will be 128mph on 245/50/15's. And no, it's not a concern for me because it's mostly an autox vehicle.* I'm by no means saying that it's simple/ easy, etc!

    The first time I dropped the tranny to install just the 4.9 final drive. I hadn't done much before that other than change the oil and put on a cai and header..... So I popped my cherry with the helms and h-t and I'm glad I did it. =)

    The next time I dropped it (a couple months later) just to install a clutch and flywheel.

    The next time was to help a buddy, and it's just snowballed from there - helping friends, etc when they needed it.

    But I will say that the more you do it, the easier it gets, and the less time it takes. That's why some of those techs at honda are so damn quick.

    I'm typically very slow and methodical with my work though - as it's usually just for my own cars and I don't like to be rushed/ hurried and mess up or forget something.

    My goal is to encourage others learn to do their own work. You get to know the car better that way, and understand the intricacies of the entire car. It really is quite fascinating! I'm hoping that this will help people not make the same mistakes I have, and possibly show some nice shortcuts on how to get it done as well. =)

    The start of the story is when I was just driving along in 5th gear cruising on the hwy after completing exhaust work that would get me dB legal for the autox the next day. The rpm's shot up for no reason and the car started to slow down. I figured the tranny just popped out of 5th gear or something, so I tried to put it back in, but it wouldn't go. Now 4th! Nope. 3rd? Unh-uh.
    So after almost getting rearended 8 times, I coast the car with the hazards on to the emergency lane and have it towed. I suspected clutch failure due to the symptoms.

    I have since removed the tranny and found all of the splines wallowed out on the clutch disc, so that will be replaced. I have pics and will post them up asap along with the write-up, so stay tuned.
    Last edited by Black R; 10-10-2006 at 10:31 PM.


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  2. #2
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    How To prep work:

    Park the car on a level surface. Put chocks under the rear wheels and set the ebrake nice and tight. Break the lug nuts loose on both front wheels. Just a 1/2 turn or so so they will come off easily once they are in the air. Jack the front of the car up as high as you can get it, so you'll have plenty of room for the work involved. I like to jack the front of the car up by the front tow hooks because that makes it easy to put the jackstands under the forward jacking points in the next step. I don't like to jack up under the front jacking point because I'm worried this may crack the welds on a jdm front end equipped vehicle.....
    Now remove the front wheels and put them out of they way.



    Next, you'll need to pop the hood and disconnect the negative terminal on the battery. Make sure you have your alarm and radio codes if necessary. Remove the factory or aftermarket front upper strut tower bar. Now remove the intake elbow and box/ air filter if you have them. I have toda itb's, so I get to skip this step.




    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  3. #3
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    How to (Continued):

    (*I always place nuts/ bolts in order somewhere of removal from left to right along with the parts removed so I know which is which when I reinstall. Optionally, you can use clear tape and tape them to the parts you removed with them.)

    Now I have JimFab traction bars on my car (modifed with an integrated skidplate), so this is an extra tedious step in the process..... I unbolt from the front lca's and from the front crossmember area. Some other traction bars don't bolt up the same, so you may have an easier time than I.


    Next step is to drain the tranny fluid while you're down there. Put the drain plug back in the tranny so you don't lose it! =) I always use a new crush washer - but some people re-use it... :crook:

    I have a hytech header and it fits quite snug near some bolts that will need to be removed. I will need to remove it in sections to get the room I need to work those bolts out. So it's a good time to unbolt the header from the cat (or resonated test-pipe in my case). I will also undo the bolts that hold the header sections together. If you don't have an aftermarket header, or your header has enough room, you may be able to skip this step and save some considerable time. I also disconnect the primary o2 sensor at the clip and leave the sensor in the bung on the header. While I'm under the car, I also unbolt the shifter from the linkage and drop the shift rod down. This is easier than trying to wrestle with the bitch-pin under the car (which we'll deal with later).















    Now it's time to go back up top and remove the radiator fan. I'm using a slim fan in front of the header for clearance, but the process is the same - just unbolt and pull it up and out. Make sure you unplug it first! Then set it to the side. This gives me enough room to undo the nuts and bolts holding the header on. Then I drop the header down and wiggle it to get the clearance I need. Since I have already separated the secondaries and collector of the header, I just kind of let it hang down and am able to get to the bolts on the tranny to block brace. We'll get back to that later.


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  4. #4
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    How to (Continued):

    Next, disconnect the plugs to the VSS and backup sensor. That's pretty easy as it's just some plastic clips.

    Then unbolt the clutch slave cylinder and pull it out gently. *DO NOT PRESS THE CLUTCH PEDAL AGAIN UNTIL THE TRANNY HAS BEEN FULLY INSTALLED BACK ON THE CAR WITH THE CLUTCH SLAVE CYLINDER BACK ON!* If you do, it will pop out and you'll have to bleed it, etc - no fun! I take great care not to bend the clutch slave hard lines, and I move it up and out of the way of the tranny - over near the passenger side headlight housing area..... zip tie it there if needed.

    Now unbolt the ground to chassis on the tranny housing.

    Next we're going to undo the cotter pins and 17mm castle nuts on the lower ball joints. Now I like to use a pickle fork and put it next to/ inboard of (NOT ON) the lower ball joint. I leave the handle of it projecting out towards the front of the car. Then I put my breaker bar (3" long steel pipe) over then handle and stand on it... it'll make a loud POP and the lca drops from the lower ball joint. =) Do both sides the same way. Then lift the Hubs up and out of their place on the lca balljoint area and wiggle them out. It helps to have a buddy or bunjee cords to pull them outwards a bit. DO NOT separate the joints of the axle accidentally! While there is some room there, use a big flathead screwdriver or prybar and GENTLY pop the axle out of the tranny. BE CAREFUL NOT TO DAMAGE THE SEALS ON THE TRANSMISSION TO AXLE AREA!

    *NOTE: on the driver's side, you will need to undo the three 17mm bolts holding the intermediate shaft to the motor. Then use the prybar method to separate the intermediate shaft from the tranny. Once removed from the tranny, you can let these hang and bunjee them out of the way. I wrap them with a shop towel to avoid any dust/ dirt getting on them.

    Next, is just a series of bolts. I'm going by memory right now, but it's still pretty fresh in my mind: remove the two 14mm holding the starter on (one short, and one long). Then pull the starter out and up. You should zip tie it or bunjee cord it up and out of the way. Next is three more 17mm bolts on the top and front of the tranny towards the passenger side. I basically break each bolt 1/2 a turn, then go to the next one. Once they're all broken loose, I work my way around removing them. Now is the underside. There is a series of 17mm holding the underside of the tranny from the engine side and through the tranny to block support as well. There are also some 12mm holding this brace, and another 17mm higher up on the firewall side, near the two 19mm bolts going through the big rear motor mount T brace and into the tranny. Remove all of these and set them aside in order.

    Now it's just the tranny mount that's left to undo. I break each of the 19mm 1/2 a turn and then put a floor jack under the tranny with a block of wood to cushion it. Then I finish undoing the tranny mount bolt first, then the two nuts.

    Once this is done, it's time to drop the tranny. It's hard to explain, but you lower the floor jack a bit and the motor and tranny combo will try to tilt a bit. Make sure the tranny is clearing the mount bracket and the starter as you lower it. You may need to make some minute adjustments here... Now you are going to "wiggle" the tranny off the motor. This can be difficult sometimes, and is easiest with two people. You are basically trying to separate the tranny by pulling it towards the passenger side of the car, but lowering it enough to clear the frame rail in the engine bay. Just wiggle up/ down, left/ right - all the while pulling it towards the passenger side. Some trannies wiggle right off, and some take serious effort. Mine was very hard to do this time - but that is because the splines of the clutch were wrecked and holding onto the input shaft on the tranny.

    Once you see the case start to split from the motor, you can have a buddy put his hand through the tranny case and hold onto the starter hole. Keep wiggling and it'll slide off a bit more and try to drop suddenly. Be prepared with the floor jack and wood. I like to leave a big flat sheet of plywood on the floor so the case doesn't drop accidentally and crack on the concrete. Now slowly lower the floor jack and then gently rock the tranny off the floor jack. It'll now sit on the floor and you can slide it out from under the car. =)

    You are almost halfway there now! =)


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  5. #5
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    How to (Continued):

    Now is the time to look at the clutch and flywheel and examine them.








    You will remove the 6 (or sometimes 9) 12pt bolts that hold the pressure plate to the flywheel in a criss-cross star pattern to avoid warping the plate. Break them 1/2 turn then work your way around loosening turn by turn until they're free.

    Next is to remove the flywheel. It is 8 12pt bolts with very thin heads. Use a screwdriver through one of the holes in the flywheel to brace it while you unbolt them (they are 80ft-lb going on, and often very difficult to remove). Take great care to NOT strip them!

    Now is a good time to resurface the flywheel as well.

    If you are upgrading, installation is in the reverse order of removal, but with some specific torque instructions, and some other tips. I'll update that later - once we have the tranny rebuilt. =)

    Stay tuned!


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  6. #6
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    More pics of the work:






























    WTF, why is this bearing so damn loose? It's normal.


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  7. #7
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    more progress today:

    I went to visit my friend Jenson at Galaxy Machine.

    The countershaft nut came off with air gun thanks to Jenson. Then he got the top bearing off the countershaft with a couple of flathead screwdrivers.....




    Next, the second bearing was a total bitch to come off that way, so it went to the giant press...



    The top bearing on the countershaft comes off without too much effort though. I'll probably replace it anyway, so *shrug*. The 2nd bearing is a 2-piece, with a removable cover. It is a bitch to get off. There are 3 tiny indentations in the shaft where it seats so you can get a tiny flathead or chisel type punch and knock it a bit to get the clearance to squeeze a bearing splitter or gear puller fingers in there..... I'm probably going to replace this as well just to be safe.....

    As for the bearing on the mainshaft... it just comes off rather easily... no muss, no fuss..... just slides off with your fingers and a little elbow grease...

    It looks like I'll probably replace the 1-2 syncro sleeve set as well...

    If you're unfamiliar with the parts, here they are thanks to Len and Baranco Acura:

    http://www.barancoacuraparts.c...Irno=

    http://www.barancoacuraparts.c...Irno=


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  8. #8
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    I stopped by Baranco Acura and saw Len. He hooked me up with all the bearings and seals for my tranny rebuild - as well as the 1-2, 3-4, and 5-R syncro sleeve sets! :thumbup:



    I disassembled the mainshaft (fully in order from left to right):



    Of course I refer to the helms for every detail:





    Next, I disassembled the countershaft in order:



    Helms for this section:





    Then I laid out the ATS gearset next to the components they'll be replacing (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th):



    ATS 3rd gear on mainshaft side (left) vs stock usdm itr 3rd gear (right):


    ATS 3rd gear on countershaft side (bottom) vs stock usdm itr 3rd gear (top):





    ATS 4th gear on mainshaft side (top) vs stock usdm itr 4th gear (bottom):


    ATS 4th gear on the countershaft side (bottom) vs stock usdm itr 4th gear (top):



    ATS 5th gear on the countershaft side (bottom) vs stock usdm itr 5th gear (top):


    ATS 5th gear on the mainshat side (top) vs stock usdm itr 5th gear (bottom):



    One thing I noticed about the ATS gears is that some of them have more teeth - which causes them to be not as thick. They also appear to be made out of a different type of metal... whereas the oem gears are almost of a billet type material. You can kind o see this in the pics. I hope the ATS gears will be able to withstand the abuse that the oem ones did!

    In my infinite stupidity, I forgot to order the needle bearings for this rebuild... so I went ahead and did that.

    My only other concern is replacing the mainshaft seal and bearing in the case... Luckily they pop right out from the back side with hand tools.


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  9. #9
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    I finally took some time today to get it back together and try to finish up.....

    Here's the pics:


    parts


    assembling countershaft with ats 1,3,4,5 and new syncro set:






    using the butt of the hammer to get the gears all the way on:




    using a socket to make sure the gears are all the way on:


    mainshaft assembled with the ats 3,4,5 gears:


    assembled and mocked up to see how the ats gears mesh together:


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  10. #10
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    Some up close pics of the gears assembled:


    countershaft (1/ 2 syncro set)








    mainshaft

    (5/ r syncro set)


    (3/ 4 syncro set)


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  11. #11
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    Another local buddy (AJ) brought his expanding bearing puller and slide hammer combo to help me get the bearings out of the case:










    And a quick pic of the ATS LSD:




    *note: make sure when you install the new bearings that you only touch the outer casing. Also make sure to install the letter side up on both bearings. =)





    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  12. #12
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    I have a couple pics to share of the little work area and press at http://www.mainstreamperformance.com that they let me use:

    gears pressed on and countershaft nut secured at 80ft-lb + staked:


    press:


    mess with schlode of oem honda tranny parts:



    Anyway, I'm on the home stretch: double checked clearances today with the help of a friend:

    mainshaft seal + countershaft and mainshaft bearings pressed into the case with letter sides facing up:


    checking clearances between 2nd and 3rd gears on the countershaft:


    checking clearances between the shim and 1st gear on the countershaft:


    checking clearances on the shift forks:


    I'd have the case back together right now BUT it looks like I need to replace the 3-4 shift fork and 5-r shift fork. =(

    the helms has all of the acceptable clearance specs, which I can post if you like.

    but basically, there is an acceptable thickness for the shift forks. this is a tranny from a 98 itr and it has seen its' fair share of miles. although it had previously been freshened up with a 4.9 final drive and new ats lsd + new diff bearings, we noticed at that time it would need to have the shift forks replaced the next time it was opened up.

    sure enough, mic'ing it revealed that the 3-4 and 5-r shift fork would indeed need to be replaced. they are at or beyond the 'service limit' thickness in the helms. another good rule of thumb is to see if there is scarring on the shift forks where they touch the selector rings. if the wear is visible, but can't be 'felt' with a fingertip or fingernail, then it is ok. these had enough wear that you can feel it and the micrometers don't lie. since i'm replacing just about everything else in the tranny anyway, i'm going to replace these couple of shift forks. =)

    I order from baranco acura's online site, and pick up from Len.


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  13. #13
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    parts from Len @ Baranco:


    old shift fork on the left (5/r) and new shift fork on the left - along with new spring pin to hold the reverse shift piece:


    old (left) vs new (right) - see the groove on the old one?


    what the helms says about clearances on the shift forks:


    using a 5mm punch to get the spring pin out of the old fork so I can reuse the reverse shift piece on the new fork:



    somebody requested more pics of the ATS LSD, so here's a couple more quick ones:






    and here's the part that concerns me - the gears don't line up just exactly perfect with each other. I don't know if they're suposed to be 'perfect' or if it'll be better once the case is together and the mainshaft is pushed down on the spring washer a bit more..... :crook:



    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  14. #14
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    I have one major concern with this gearset, and it can only be explained by the photos below - please have patience as they look similar but are not all the same.

    I've got everything back into the case.

    Here's the lower gears on the shafts:



    Here's a good pic of 2nd and 3rd:



    Another slightly different angle of 2nd and 3rd:



    Another angle with me taking measurements:
    (the alignment is off by 2mm lower on the countershaft for all gears EXCEPT 4th - BUT when the snap ring grabs the countershaft bearing, everything will align perfectly - EXCEPT 4th.)



    (4th gear is 16mm thick at the teeth)



    Cleaning off the case with a razor blade before putting it back together with hondabond:





    Now if I pull up on the countershaft to simulate how it will sit in the case with the snap ring aligning it properly:



    Notice how everything lines up PERFECT, EXCEPT for 4th gear!



    Another angle of what I am describing:



    I'm applying a thin layer of hondabond:





    I slide the case on and wiggle it down so everything fits - careful to align the top ring on the mainshaft (under the top bearing) with the tabs on the inside of the case. Then I tighten up four bolts at the corners to hold it in place. Then I spread the snap ring:





    You can see the four bolts:



    Now there's two ways to do this last part:

    You can either pull up on the nut and top washer with a screwdriver to make the countershaft move up a bit into the snap ring:






    OR you can turn the case over and listen for a 'click' that tells you it just slid on from the weight. This latter method works well, and has gone off without a hitch from the last two times I've worked on bseries transmissions.

    Then you simply tighten up all the case nuts in a cross pattern and torque them all to 20ft-lb. =)

    Also, pics of the comptech flywheel which I had turned at napa's machine shop for $46:





    My biggest concern is the misalignment of 4th gear. I suspect because I have an older ats gearset, that this is the reason people were breaking 4th gear. In measuring, I noted that it was off by 3mm at the bottom and 5mm on top - for a total of 8mm of the surface area of the respective main and counter parts of 4th gear. What does that mean? That 1/2 of the total area of the teeth for 4th gear aren't touching. =( This sucks, because I bought this gearset brand new (although it was mfr'd a long time ago) from a member of this board.

    In emails with yasu @ ats-usa, I have found out by telling him the part #'s, that he thought 4th gear was the one that would break on my set. *shrug* I can't very sell it with good conscience. And I need to get this tranny back together asap. So I'm going to risk it. I expect with a good beating, 4th will eventually fail. At that time, maybe I can get a partial replacement discount from ATS for a faulty part or something... :crook:

    If I had more time, I'd disassemble the transmission and take the countershaft part for 4th to a good machine shop and have them cut 3mm off the bottom of the gear and then I'd put it on the top part by sliding it on or having it welded on. That would clear up the any clearance issues... at least I suspect. Wait a second..... let me hit up Jenson @ Galaxy Machine!


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  15. #15
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    pic for reference:





    Unfortunately, that spacer is a sleeve and spacer combo that rides on the mainshaft with needle bearings between it and the gears (inside of them). Besides, even if I were to spacer the 4th gear up on the mainshaft - that would present a problem because the teeth on the bottom of 4th have to mesh with the syncro and sleeve set...

    No, it appears that either ATS requires a different sleeve on spacer for 4th and 5th gear - OR just that 4th gear on the countershaft is very wrong somehow.....

    I have emailed Yasu @ ATS/ ACROSS and await his reply.....


    Here's what he says:


    That gap is I think normal.
    The old 4th had a slightly different dimension. The gap between 4th
    and 5th was 4.2mm for the old model and the gap for the current ones
    is 1.2mm.You can run them, but as I mentioned the old 4th is not strong enough.
    I would suggest to purchase a new 4th which is reinforced with temper
    shot and which is slightly different dimension.

    Best regards,
    Yasu


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  16. #16
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    I got a chance to swing by Galaxy Machine and my friend Jenson helped me out there.....

    First we checked the oem 4th gear on the mainshaft side (left) vs the ats one (right).
    Now it is clear to see why ats decided to redo the gear and have a new part number... the clearances are totally wrong for this thing... :crook:



    fwiw, the new ats 4th gear has a gap to 5th of 1.2mm versus the 4.2 that you see here. :crook:


    Next you can see the countershaft side ats 4th gear on the left vs the oem itr 4th gear on the right... the dimensions are almost identical. Just a different number of teeth makes the ats 4th gear have a more agressive ratio:




    Even though 4th gear on the mainshaft side is the part that's wrong, there's really nothing we can do to it without screwing up clearances somewhere else... so we look to the countershaft side 4th gear piece and see if we can't modify it to make up for the problem...

    Solution: machine it down at the underside of the gear where it's really just a spacer anyway... THEN space 5th gear on the countershaft to line up again once 4th is at the correct height.

    So here's 4th countershaft piece getting material removed from it:



    See the tiny carbide bit?


    Grinding:


    And now the spacer is going to get made from some steel stock:




    Machining the spacer now:


    Removing burrs from both pieces:





    And since we had to disassemble and reassemble it several times to check clearances, it kept getting easier to do...

    Now what? Well it's still not perfect like I'd like it, so I may have another go at it. Total material that needed to come off was 3mm. I think only 2mm came off because the measurements on the machine were thrown off... why? Well the gear is so hard that it actually eats up the bit. This throws off the measurement on the machine. We had to have a couple of tries to get it this right. It's better to take off too little than too much and have to space it back up.

    Here's how it sits now:


    I'd estimate that 4th and 5th will still be a bit off once the spring clip pulls up on the countershaft when it's in the case. I'm going to double-check the clearances again and we'll have another go at it to get it perfect. =)

    We're getting there though - and if worst came to worst I could get it all back together and drive the car like this. But of course I want it dead solid perfect!


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  17. #17
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    Oh, here's the ratios of the gears if you're curious:

    1st = 3.077
    2nd = 2.105
    3rd = 1.652
    4th = 1.308
    5th = 1.033

    1st -> 2nd = 0.684
    2nd -> 3rd = 0.784
    3rd -> 4th = 0.792
    4th -> 5th = 0.790

    0.784 * 8500 = 6664 rpm

    rpms will be between 6600 - 8500 the whole way (except 1st -> 2nd)

    actually, the rpm drop will be moved to a higher window - as the rev limiter is 9500... A 9200 shift point should land it around 7200 in all of the upper gears.


    Compare this with the jdm and usdm gearing...


    usdm itr:

    1st 3.2310
    2nd 2.1050
    3rd 1.4580
    4th 1.1070
    5th 0.8480
    final 4.40


    jdm itr:
    1st 3.2310
    2nd 2.1050
    3rd 1.4580
    4th 1.0340
    5th 0.7880
    final 4.7860
    Last edited by Black R; 10-10-2006 at 10:37 PM.


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  18. #18
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    More progress:

    Machining the 4th gear another mm or so:





    Measuring the inner ring of 5th gear on the countershaft side for a custom spacer...



    J, making cnc program to do a new snap fit spacer to keep the correct distance between 4th and 5th:









    Then he sets up the cnc machine and the bits that will be used:



























    Custom spacer done (17-4 stainless steel):





    Checking the fitment:



    Final once-over on the gear to get the burrs off:



    Finished:



    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  19. #19
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    Here's some more info on the tranny and gearing + costs.....

    B18c5 tranny with ATS final drive and ats 1,2,3,4,5 gearset:

    Gear Ratio Final MPH @ 9200 RPM @ 80 MPH

    1 - 3.077 - 15.18 - 42.2 - 17423
    2 - 2.105 - 10.35 - 62.0 - 11879
    3 - 1.652 - 8.13 - 78.9 - 9334
    4 - 1.308 - 6.46 - 99.3 - 7410
    5 - 1.033 - 5.08 - 126.3 - 5827
    Axle ratio - 4.929
    Tire diameter - 23.44" (I did this with a 205/50/15 tire as an example.)

    ATS gear ratios can be found here:

    http://www.a-t-s-usa.com/ats-p...shtml


    Here's an online calculator, so you can do your own comparison's:

    http://www.xse.com/leres/ss/calculator.html


    Cost, iirc was something like ~$800 for the gearset from a 'reputable' individual seller; but I couldn't use 1st because it was for a 4.4 final. So I had to buy a new ats 1st gear for 4.9 final ($350) and I also had to machine the 4th gear down and modify it. My buddy did those modifications for free, but I gave him a few $ for his trouble anyway. New, the gearset is in the $1200 range iirc, but then again MFactory sells a similar gearset for a lot less $. I'd look into that if I had it to do all over again.

    Bearings, syncro sets, seals, and shift forks, etc, ended up costing me over $1k by the time it was all said and done.

    The ats 4.9 final drive and ats lsd I already had from before I blew up the clutch. So if you wanted to have a full ats tranny like this, you're looking at a lot of $ retail.

    Is it worth it? Probably not. :P


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  20. #20
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    update:
















































    well it's done! Right after finishing the install, I went to fire it up and check everything and noticed the radiator was squirting out a little fluid...

    So I got hooked up with a new radiator from MainStreamPerformance.com and installed it.

    I adjusted the clutch throw (by adjusting the cable) and nearly had a heart attack when it wouldn't go into any gear..... luckily I just needed to adjust the cable a little tighter. *whew*

    Well I drove it 60 miles that evening... in lower rpms the drop between shifts is only 500 rpm's.

    I cruised home at 70mph (5150rpm).

    I'd say it's not *that* agressive.....


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  21. #21
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    i'll try to go back and put up the final pics as well as all the thanks to Craig (AssPenny) for the picture hosting through http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com, Galaxy Machine for the machining of the gear, Len @ Baranco, Mike and Charles @ http://www.mainstreamperformance.com, Ben (IN VTEC) for his support and help, and of course Willard and everyone else here who contributed.

    I've had a chance to daily drive the car for a while and rip on it down the hwy with some friends, street tune it a bit, autox an event, and even take the motor to ~10k...! It's safe to say that it's working well!

    I'll refine and get a final version up with torque specs in a bit. :thumbup: and thanks again!


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  22. #22
    Because I eat RICE RiceBoy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Posts
    2,244
    Rep Power
    25

    Default

    very nice write up...

  23. #23
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Default

    just for kicks, here's a quick vid of 3rd gear from the dyno last night:

    http://www.we-todd-did-racing....5NTQx


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  24. #24
    Dirty Fingers ATLtech's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Age
    41
    Posts
    103
    Rep Power
    20

    Default

    Amazing Writeup! I'm a Tech for Honda, and I even learned a bit. I love the ITB's btw.

  25. #25
    rubbin' daily HeLLo iM iZzY's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Posts
    9,284
    Rep Power
    32

    Default

    +1 for some helpful shit.
    BUY MY HATCH <--click the link, cuz.

  26. #26
    under construction Da_unknown's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    BK ALL DAY
    Age
    42
    Posts
    5,168
    Rep Power
    27

    Default

    +1 for u ken.. good stuff..
    GECKO SQUAD MEMBER
    MSS RACING REPRESENTA.....
    the saga continues....

  27. #27
    Khris H. Photo EJ_Allmota's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    MYOB, Ga
    Age
    39
    Posts
    4,807
    Rep Power
    32

    Default

    tight ass writeup homie.. had no idea you got down like that... Much respect..

    want me to post one of the pulls??
    GECKOSquad
    NIKOND7000 Shooter | flickr

  28. #28
    DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN!1 Black R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ATL represent
    Posts
    1,585
    Rep Power
    24

    Cool

    yes if you have a decent vid (with no #'s please! ), i could use it..... how's the sound?

    you wouldn't think I could rebuild a tranny, eh?

    especially when I can't even get a strut tower bar on by myself.....


    Quote Originally Posted by Tasuki_Civic
    i woke up to the feeling of someone cutting my clothes from my pants to my bra. all in one cut

  29. #29
    Mountain man green91's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Dahlonega, Ga
    Posts
    8,975
    Rep Power
    46

    Default

    Damn ken thats a nice write up. Ive always been a fan of your EF. I bet that short gear set really keeps that car in a nice powerband.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
About us
ImportAtlanta is a community of gearheads and car enthusiasts. It does not matter what kind of car or bike you drive, IA is an open community for any gearhead. Whether you're looking for advice on a performance build or posting your wheels for sale, you're welcome here!
Announcement
Welcome back to ImportAtlanta. We are currently undergoing many changes, so please report any issues you encounter with the site using the 'Contact Us' button below. Thank you!