FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

My gearbox cooked recently owing to a leaking rear seal. So I obtained a 2nd hand box. It jumps out of 3rd and synchro in 3rd is sus. Anyone had a rebuild recently and any idea of the cost??   Moe`t

Mine is in getting overhauled at the moment....not got a cost yet but will have very soon and I'll let you know
Nick

If you buy a Rares kit and DIY, your up for around $300 plus your time.

The workshop cost of time will vary dramatically. Assuming you pull the box yourself, an overhaul is around a three hour job for them... provided it goes right. Labour could be anything from $25-$70 an hour, depending on how much they let the apprentice do.

There are a few places that do swap overs for around $600, though most are only putting a Rares kit through... no guarentees the synchros are not buggered, same as if you did it yourself. I have heard some horror stories of some companies mixing and matching synchro cones... then wondering why they clash after the rebuild.

I am only aware of one place that refaces synchros (Status Engineering), though refaced synchros will nearly double the cost of the parts above. Status had a major fire through their workshop about a year ago. Whilst a boot-load of synchros were saved, I'm not sure if they are back up to refacing them again.

Cheers,
Harv

Wow... ok the bloke from the gearbox place rang me..... $1500 for the gearbox to be overhauled.
I'm just getting my heart rate down to normal.
Im going to pop round next week and see what he has done.
Nick

Been years since I done one but , I don't remember it being that complicated . You will need a shaft to install the counter shaft bearings .I have one cut from an old counter gear shaft . This is in place of the tool 7A2 on page218 of the workshop manual . A piece of flat steel ground to shape will expand the circlip [lock ring] on the rear main shaft bearing . I simply hate paying for other peoples time while they are thinking . Haydn

I can,t see how you can justify 1500 bucks .
250 for the kit from rares
20 hours labour?????

Yeah Nick $1500 sounds pretty expensive, Have they done it yet? If not give me a yell. Dave

If they can't strip, clean and refit a box in a day (8 hours) something is wrong (assuming they didn't have to pull the box out - add another 1/2 day each for remove and refit).

For $1500, they had better be either pulling and refitting the box, or replacing both synchros + fitting a custom mainshaft thrust washer.

Special tools help with the overhaul, but in reality you can DIY with a normal toolbox.

Cheers,
Harv

No it's been done Dave.
By a member of the HOH club!
I'm with you Harv.... I was expecting about 500 bucks MAX. I handed them the box!
Nick

I only just finished selling two of the boxes that I overhauled for the Crashbox Guide - $300 for the FB one, and $400 for the early FX one. If I still had them, you would have been welcome to them.

There was a mob advertising on eBay not that long ago to reco grey crashies for $600. Even if it cost you $100 in freight each way you'd still be ahead by 50%.

Cheers,
Harv

G'day Nick,
Can you get an itemised receipt on the parts used and the number of hours labour?
Cheers ACE  8)

Good idea Chris....I'll talk to them and get and get the bill itemised.
Should have scoured the parts for sale section earlier Harv :(

I went and saw them today.
The bloke could not give me an itemised account as yet cos he couldn't find it.
He did mention that the lay shaft had to be replaced as it would not press on when it was being put together??
Does this make sense.
I'm going back on Friday early to go over it again.
Nick

The "layshaft" is normally the counter-gear shaft. These are a very simple piece of bar less than a foot long, case hardened with a dimple at one end to hold a ball bearing. They are gently slid into the gearbox then tapped in place (interference fit with the casing on the non-dimpled end). The only way it would not go in is if one of the old Rare Spares shafts were used. Rares had a problem where the dimple was not drilled deep enough. If you tried tapping the shaft in, it spat the ball bearing out at you like a rifle shot (I still have the mark  :'(). Rares has since corrected this problem. Take the old-stock part back to Rares and they are likely to replace it with the new-stock for free.

In any case, the layshaft tends to wear out the case hardening over time, caused by friction of the needle bearing rollers. They are always replaced in every gearbox overhaul, and are part of the standard overhaul kit from GMH, Rares and Status engineering. You generally cannot buy them separately... wonder if they reused an old one (sans-case hardening) on yours?

Cheers,
Harv

Not a detailed breakdown of the work done.. He is trying to find it????
work done as per invoice ... with his spelling mistakes

dissemble gearbox clean and inspect machine and resleve both sides of cluster. replace all bearings rollers lay shaft and seals. Reaasemble gearbox and check. no oil in gearbox... $1500.

Should have done what Pete Mallaby said initiallly. Get it to one of the mechanics at highway spares... was just trying to give a HOH club member some business.

Looks like he's going to have a gearbox he can sell!
Nick

Hmmm.... might be some time and cash in resleeving the gear. Unusual though for it to destroy the cluster - they normally eat the layshaft instead. It would have been a damn site cheaper (and easier!) just replacing the gear with a second-hand one though... there are a half-dozen gears here you could have had for free  :(.

Cheers,
Harv

Nick i have 4 boxes here and my mate has several in his container ?
Also im picking up a EK van from port in the coming weeks and parting it out ?

Theres one in the salmon fc rocket down the back that has no motor so should be easy to remove and the blue one has a box as well..

Pete

BIG thanks to Pete Malleby for a gearbox in case I have to leave my other one at the shop.
Having asked for a job sheet and breakdown of costs i have recieved this piece of info

Parts list for FC holden crash box
Front prop shaft seal
Front prop shaft housing seal
Clutch gear retainer gasket
Clutch gear retainer
Set screw shift shaft lock ball
Shifter shaft lock ball spring
Special flat washer
Breather screw main shaft ball
Selector shaft retainer gasket
Selector shaft retainer main shaft lock pin
Single row ball bearing assembly
Selector shaft seal
Selector shaft dust seal’
Spring lock washer medium
Transmission cover gasket
Roller bearing
Reverse idler shaft lock pins
Machine and re sleeve both sides of cluster
Lay shaft

Are these part standard for a gearbox kit?
No indication of parts cost or labour costs.
Nothing at this stage to warrant 1500 bucks worth???
Nick

Standard stuff for a parts kit:
Front prop shaft seal
Front prop shaft housing seal (seal my bum... this is a gasket!)
Clutch gear retainer gasket
Selector shaft retainer gasket
Selector shaft retainer main shaft lock pin (assume this is the reverse idler shaft lock pin, the only pin in the whole box... there are no pins in the selector shaft or main shaft...)
Single row ball bearing assembly (hope there were two of these!)
Selector shaft seal
Transmission cover gasket
Roller bearing
Reverse idler shaft lock pins
Lay shaft
Clutch gear retainer (assume this is the clutch gear bearing lock ring, and not the retainer itself!)

Not usual stuff for a kit... and bloody unlikely to be replaced unless lost (IMHO):
Set screw shift shaft lock ball
Shifter shaft lock ball spring
Special flat washer
Breather screw main shaft ball (hmmm... assume they mean "breather", which is the little alloy capped bolt, and "main shaft ball", which is a 2c ball bearing that you normally reuse)
Selector shaft dust seal
Spring lock washer medium

They should also have put in two new synchro cone energising springs, two main shaft lock rings, and a selector lever shaft seal, which are missing from the list.

The odd bit is "Machine and re sleeve both sides of cluster"... as before, cheaper to get a 2nd hand one!

I'd also ask for the main shaft end float, reverse idler gear end float and counter gear end float - all three should have been checked and noted during overhaul (especially the first one, which determines if a new thrust washer is needed, and will make the gearbox crunch coming out of second gear if overly sloppy).

Cheers,
Harv

Thanks Harv
the unusual stuff would not be that expensive so even with a labour costs breakdown it's hard to justify the charges.
Could you tell if it needed machining by looking at it??
Nick

It would need to look really mangled (say run dry), or heavily pitted (sat full of water). I've yet to see one bad enough that I'd sleeve it.

Cheers,
Harv

The second gearbox had a crack in the case and was suspected of being in a bingle and thereofre a bent shaft, hence jumping out of top gear. So they went back to my original gearbox and put a set of bearings etc through it. Total cost $650 for them to remove the box again, rekit the 1st box and fit. Has been going well for 3,000k's now. So I'm happy with that. Twas a bit of a stuff around but that's the chance you take with 2nd hand gear/parts I guess.   Cheers Moe`t

I have 2 of the older ones ( bell housing attached ) if you were in melb id have helped you fit it and if it was good $50.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/port-macquarie-2444/engine-engine-parts-transmission/fc-holden-gearbox-reconditioned/1070331061

he's trying to sell it now

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HOLDEN-FE-EK-RECONDITIONED-GEARBOX-/261684514391?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3ced9cce57

?????