Just got an NV4500, can't find the oil

[Old57]

Originally Posted by andyh1956

I'm interested in this statement. Are the holes D'd & T'd in the bell housing or the face of the transmission?
I've not measured yet but have been told the 4500 trans input is longer than the 465s.
I would like to do the same thing as you're doing!

On the 92-95 NV4500, the front bearing retainer is the same size as the NV4500, so the bell housing will fit on. The holes are drilled and tapped into the face of the NV4500, which still are on the mounting ears. The 96-up NV4500 has a bigger bearing retainer and needs the AA bell housing. The AA adapter for the transfer case ends up making the 205 sit about 1" longer than the stock SM465/205. You have to cut off a few inches of the output shaft and use a coupler from AA in the kit.

[Old57]

I almost went ahead and got the Amsoil, but I confirmed that the AC-Delco 10-4119 was the factory GM oil, so I went with it.

[andyh1956]

Originally Posted by Old57

On the 92-95 NV4500, the front bearing retainer is the same size as the NV4500, so the bell housing will fit on. The holes are drilled and tapped into the face of the NV4500, which still are on the mounting ears. The 96-up NV4500 has a bigger bearing retainer and needs the AA bell housing. The AA adapter for the transfer case ends up making the 205 sit about 1" longer than the stock SM465/205. You have to cut off a few inches of the output shaft and use a coupler from AA in the kit.

OK then so the bolts protrude thru the bell housing into the trans. (Studs May Be Best)
I guess the holes need to be spot faced inside so the heads of the bolts (Or Nuts) sit square.
My trans is a '94.
Thanks!

[Old57]

Originally Posted by andyh1956

OK then so the bolts protrude thru the bell housing into the trans. (Studs May Be Best)
I guess the holes need to be spot faced inside so the heads of the bolts (Or Nuts) sit square.
My trans is a '94.
Thanks!

The transmission face is tapped and the bolts go through the bell housing and into the transmission. Doing it like this, the transmission and bell housing get installed as 1 unit like some late model transmissions. If you don't want it like that, you'll need to get the stock 94 NV4500 bell with passenger side hydraulic release, or get the AA bell.

[kwmech]

Originally Posted by Old57

The transmission face is tapped and the bolts go through the bell housing and into the transmission. Doing it like this, the transmission and bell housing get installed as 1 unit like some late model transmissions. If you don't want it like that, you'll need to get the stock 94 NV4500 bell with passenger side hydraulic release, or get the AA bell.

There was a write up on using the chevy cast iron bellhousing for the 4500 swap on this website or Pirate 4x. The poster of the article redrilled the cast iron bell and threaded it. It was a real clean job


Finally found it: LockDoc did it http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...00+bellhousing

[mongocanfly]

Which makes me wonder about what kwmech was told by the trans shop..when they said just put 20/50 in it...the synchros are the reason for the special oil...its not a risk I'd be willing to take....

['63GENIII]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Which makes me wonder about what kwmech was told by the trans shop..when they said just put 20/50 in it...the synchros are the reason for the special oil...its not a risk I'd be willing to take....

Yeah, me too. I will say that if "normal" gear oil is used, the synchros WILL be hooped in short order. The PO of my 4500 did exactly that but said it worked perfectly when it was pulled. I quickly found out how to rebuild a transmission after driving it less than a mile. Syncros were glazed like doughnuts.

The Amsoil dealer swore up, down and sideways that their MTL (?) was the right stuff. Also he (and his "guarantee") were easier to find than the guy I bought the trans off of in the first place should something have gone wrong. For me it came down to the cost of the oil vs dropping that 150+ pound brick on the driveway again.

['63GENIII]

Just pulled one of the quarts off the shelf in the garage. One is a clear bottle, the other is silver. Both say "Manual Transmission & Transaxle Gear Lube" SAE 75W-90 API GL-4.

Don't know where I got MTL from. Might have been the stuff in the Denali transfer case. Cant keep track anymore.

[Old57]

Originally Posted by '63GENIII

Just pulled one of the quarts off the shelf in the garage. One is a clear bottle, the other is silver. Both say "Manual Transmission & Transaxle Gear Lube" SAE 75W-90 API GL-4.

Don't know where I got MTL from. Might have been the stuff in the Denali transfer case. Cant keep track anymore.

Is this on the Amsoil? After everything I've read about the horror stories of using the wrong oil, I wanted to make 100 percent sure I got the right stuff!

['63GENIII]

Originally Posted by Old57

Is this on the Amsoil? After everything I've read about the horror stories of using the wrong oil, I wanted to make 100 percent sure I got the right stuff!

Yessir. Both Amsoil. Bought at different times, hence the different bottles. Same snake oil though.

I did look up the use of motor oil and ATF. There was one guy who did use both at different times. He really didn't post a "result" so to speak.

Im kinda OCD and tend to lose sleep over things like this. Really not trying to scare anyone off of whatever you're gonna use.

[mongocanfly]

("Cant keep track anymore...")

I know what ya mean genlll...I've started using a sharpie to write on stuff in my cabinets to what it belongs to....

[Old57]

Here is a little more info I got from a friend of mine today that works at the parts counter at a Dodge dealership. I asked him about the NV4500 oil, Mopar P/N 4874459, which has been discontinued. He told me the P/N 68218057AB is what Mopar substituted for the discontinued oil. He said it was $5.99 qt. This oil is ATF+4. This was told to me by a Mopar dealership employee. I can't say I'd be comfortable trying this fluid in my NV4500, but it sounds like this is what Mopar is putting in them at the dealerships. I know some manual transmissions do use ATF. Has anyone else tried using this?

['63GENIII]

You first.

When I had a truck with a ZF 5 speed, I was amazed that it called for ATF. So yes it is used in manual transmissions.

Have I ever heard of it used in the 4500? Not yet. If it is the hot ticket though, its gonna save some money on those oil changes!

From memory, Im pretty sure that the 4500 oil and the ATF are fairly different viscosities. If Im not mistaken, most of the concern was use of the correct oil for the synchros which I was told were faced with Kevlar. I think that many automatic transmissions run Kevlar frictions in them these days. No?

[Old57]

I agree, I'm sure the ATF+4 is good on the synchros, but I'd be concerned that it wouldn't be so good on the gear teeth faces. Yes, that would be a cheap fluid change. I think I'll wait to hear from someone that has about 50k on an NV4500 running it though, before I try it

['63GENIII]

Originally Posted by Old57

I agree, I'm sure the ATF+4 is good on the synchros, but I'd be concerned that it wouldn't be so good on the gear teeth faces. Yes, that would be a cheap fluid change. I think I'll wait to hear from someone that has about 50k on an NV4500 running it though, before I try it

Just read back to see you got the GM stuff. Ill sleep ok tonight now...haha

[Feel the 'Pane]

Yep, I made the same tool & used loctite as well but the cap screws still came loose. I don't abuse my truck but still had the problem hence my post.

I guess the person packing up my kit wasn't paying attention as the kit came with extra metric & not enough SAE fasteners.

FtP

[Old57]

I'll keep an eye on them and see if they stay tight. There was 8 metric bolts for the tall housing, 8 SAE for the figure 8 to round transfer case adapter, and 6 SAE for mounting the adapter to the tail housing. I opened everything when it came, and the parts list matched everything I received, but the instructions jumped around in the steps and left out several items, but I already knew how everything was supposed to get installed. I mainly just made sure that I had all the parts that it was supposed to have in the kit.

[Feel the 'Pane]

Back in 2014 when I got my kit, it came with 8 bolts for the T-case plate and the rest were metric & 2 did. lengths. I didn't get upset until I found out the seal was the wrong size. Throw in the weak t-case shifter bracket....

FtP