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M47 preventative maint before a swap?

A

autoloclys

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2016
Location
Boston MA
I have an m47 sitting under my desk at work, waiting for me to have all the parts, time and nerve to start the swap from an aw71 in my 92 wagon.

As long as the thing is sitting around, not under a car, are there any 'best practices' i should follow to prep the tranny to go back into service? I have no reason to think there are any issues with the trans, BTW, just trying to give this 5 speed the best shot at a happy new life. Best estimate is that the trans has around 150k miles on it.

thanks
 
autoloclys said:
I have an m47 sitting under my desk at work, waiting for me to have all the parts, time and nerve to start the swap from an aw71 in my 92 wagon.

As long as the thing is sitting around, not under a car, are there any 'best practices' i should follow to prep the tranny to go back into service? I have no reason to think there are any issues with the trans, BTW, just trying to give this 5 speed the best shot at a happy new life. Best estimate is that the trans has around 150k miles on it.

thanks
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Check closely for leaks, check the torque on the bell housing to gearbox bolts since it sucks if they loosen up later. Check that the clutch fork ball joint is in good shape and properly mounted. Make sure the drain and fill plugs are in good shape and not cross threaded, seized and the heads aren't rounded off. May as well change the fluid too, it's easier to fill the thing up outside the car. It's pretty hard to properly test the gearbox but you can at least shift into each of the gears and listen for any really unhealthy noises when you spin the shaft.
 
i just went through this a little bit ago. pull the top plate and the lockout adjustment and have a look at the internals. look for any chips on the teeth and play in the shafts.
 
If you're really ambitious I'd pull the bellhousing off and take off the tailshaft and 5th gear pieces until you get to the bearing preload shims and perform the measuring procedure for them, then shim to spec. You'd be surprised how far off they might be, and I can't help but wonder if this contributes to the 3rd gear problems these gearboxes are known for. The M47 II greenbook has the info you'd need. A couple of the tools are somewhat specific but I think it's worth it, especially if you're going to be aggressive with it.
 
IMHO The best thing to do would be to take off the bell housing and throw the trans in the garbage and the pick up a ford v8 t5 and adapter plate. You'd have a proper transmission with decent gear ratios that will be a nice foundation to any power upgrades you have in mind for the future.
 
M47s are a lot quieter than the T5 trans are. For a daily thats not pushing big power the t5 isn't always the best answer.
 
I would go through it with a fine tooth comb, like as mentioned above: Check preload, inspect bearings, double check fasteners for proper torque, check for leaks, then change the gear lube. Finally, once you're ready with all the needed parts, yard that old 71 out and install the 47.
 
For a daily driver I'd rather have a nice M47 than a T5. I like to keep things all original whenever possible, or at least all-Volvo. Makes it easier down the road when I'm trying to figure out what clutch kit or mount or whatever I need and everything fits nicely.
 
i swapped in a turbo clutch in my car tonight to replace the na clutch. i replaced the input and output/shift shaft seals. Darn output shaft seal leaks. i used corteco seals except on the output shaft seal and it was a national with a metal outer ring unlike the factory polymer coated seal. used OE!
 
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