Understanding ORTHAPEDIC STRUCTURE when setting up OVERDRIVE SELECTIVE and INTERMEDIATE SHAFT End Play in the Dodge RE units

Doctor Doctor...It hurts when I shift!

Understanding ORTHAPEDIC STRUCTURE

when setting up OVERDRIVE SELECTIVE
and INTERMEDIATE SHAFT End Play
by Randall Schroeder

in the Dodge RE Units

urgeons are faced daily with

time restraints in the operating
room (shop) that can produce
problems if overlooked. To complicate
these issues, sometimes the most basic
procedures get over looked or streamlined to where they create to repeat
lubrication and durability issues. Lets
look at an example: A patient (Truck)
comes into the surgery center with over
200K hard towing miles; a routine old
age failure in seals has caused it to
need reconstructive surgery (rebuild).
During tear down and inspection, the
tail housing components (OD Section)
looked good. Since none of the hard
components were replaced, a decision
to save time was made by the surgeon
not to check for proper tolerances in
the intermediate shaft and OD selective
shims.
Is this the right build procedure?
(The thing we do know is, everything seemed to look good).
Bad Move: Over time, accelerations and decelerations, especially
when towing, typically cause stress,
movement and wear on the entire gear
train, includes the intermediate shaft.
The areas that wear are typically on the
top splined seat of the OD planetary
(figure 1); the splined seating surface of
the intermediate shaft, where the selective spacer rides (figure 2); and even
the spacer itself.
There is only one way to assure
that the overall gear train end play is
within specs, and the lineup of lube
oil return, which enters through the
rear cooler line and passes through the
intermediate shaft, is set properly. This
requires the surgeon to take the few
moments and measure the intermediate
10

Figure 1

Figure 2

shaft shim properly, so that during the

final assembly, the overall gear train
end play (measured at the input shaft)
is set to specification.
When the first 42-46RH transmissions was introduced, the fact is, proven

durability and quality of the TF6 and

TF8 transmissions simply had a transplanted overdrive unit installed into the
tail/adapter housing. To allow the direct
clutch and overdrive clutch assemblies
in the output housing to be separated
GEARS March 2008

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Understanding ORTHAPEDIC STRUCTURE when setting up OVERDRIVE SELECTIVE and INTERMEDIATE SHAFT End Play in the Dodge RE units

from the 3-speed front gearbox, they

designed a split output shaft.
Even though the intermediate and
output shafts are split; the overall gear
train measurement remained the same
as the earlier, single output shaft (from
the front pump bolted to the case with
front and rear drums installed, to the
overall selective shim for gear train
end play).
In this issue of Doctor, Doctor,
were going to look at proper endplay
adjustment in the tail housing of the
Chrysler RH/RE transmissions. Some
doctors have developed alternate ways

to set up the OD selective shim, but

the factory settings are so simple that it
hardly seems worthwhile.
Setting up the two selectives components in the tail housing requires two
special tools:
Miller 6311 - straight edge
Miller 6312 gauge bar
The straight edge (Miller tool 6311)
is used for both settings (OD Selective
Spacer and Intermediate Selective
shim). The gauge bar (Miller tool
6312) is only used for the Intermediate
Selective shim.
Lets keep this simple: The straight
edge, tool 6311
is 0.500 thick.
Knowing this, you
can actually use
any straight edge
(figure 3) to do
the job, as long as
you know that you
may have to add
or subtract from
your
measurement based on the
thickness of your
straight edge.
For example,
the straight edge
we all bought back
in the 70s to check
the Ford AOD
overall end play
and intermediate
clutch clearance,
and for the Ford
ATX transaxle to
check gear train

end play was a 0.700 thick straight

edge. You can still use this straight
edge, as long as you subtract 0.200
from your measurement before comparing it to the Chrysler OE specs.
The gauge bar, Miller tool 6312 is
5.500 long. Your best bet is to use the
factory tool here but, there are alternatives if youre creative.
When assembling the direct clutch
assembly, youll also need an alignment
tool to align the splines of the OD planetary with the splines of the OD roller
clutch inner race. These have to line up
in order to insert the intermediate shaft
during assembly.
If you have an extra intermediate
shaft lying around, you can cut a tool
to help you assemble and measure for
the selective shim. Simply, leave a shim
on the shaft, measure from the shim up
and cut the shaft to an exact length of
5 inches long (remember the gauge
bar is 5.500 long). Once we have the
measurement all we have to do is look
at the selective charts for proper shim
selection. There are 4 different shims
available (figure 4). (Wow, this sounds
too simple!) If the straight edge happened to be narrower than the 0.500,
add the difference to your measurement. It is much easier if you actually
use the proper tools so that there is no
adding or subtracting from your actual
measurement to determine the correct
shim setting.
Be sure you get an accurate reading, there shouldnt be any weight on
the output shaft once you have the
tail housing assembled (figure 5). The

Figure 3

Figure 4

12

Figure 5

GEARS March 2008

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Understanding ORTHAPEDIC STRUCTURE when setting up OVERDRIVE SELECTIVE and INTERMEDIATE SHAFT End Play in the Dodge RE units

weight of the assembly needs to ride on

the roller bearing snap ring that is used
to retain the output shaft bearing in the
housing (figure 6). Over time, the snap
ring groove widens with movement of
the gear train and effects settings, since
it is in the aluminum housing.
Thats why you should use a holding fixture while assembling the unit;
it keeps all of the weight off the output
shaft, to make sure youre getting a
proper measurement. If you do not have
a holding fixture, a simple alternative
is to use an old drive shell from a TF8
(figure 7) with the sun gear removed
(be careful balancing the housing on
the shell).
Now, lets look how simple setting
this endplay can be:

Setting Up the
Intermediate Shaft
Selective

1. Balance the tail/adapter housing on

your holding fixture so there is no
weight on the output shaft.
2. Insert the gauge bar Miller Tool
6312 (5.500 long) or equivalent
through the direct clutch sun gear
tube and rest it on top of the over-

Figure 6

drive planetary.
3. Tap it lightly to make sure it is
seated against the planet carrier.
4. Lay the straight edge (Miller Tool
6311 (0.500 thick) across the flat
surface of the
tail/adapter
housing.

5. Measure from the top of the straight

edge to the top of the gauge bar
using a caliper or depth micrometer (figure 8).

If you do not have a holding fixture,

a simple alternative is to use an old
drive shell from a TF8 with the sun
gear removed (be careful balancing the
housing on the shell).

Figure 7

14

Figure 8

GEARS March 2008

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Understanding ORTHAPEDIC STRUCTURE when setting up OVERDRIVE SELECTIVE and INTERMEDIATE SHAFT End Play in the Dodge RE units

6. Compare your measurement to the

selective chart (figure 9).
7. Install the correct shim onto the
intermediate shaft and set it aside
for assembly.

End Play
Measurement (In.)

Spacer
Thickness (In.)

Manufacture
Part #

Thats all there is to it; no adding

and subtracting, its that simple with the
correct tools. If you happened to use an
alternative straight edge, remember do
the math!

0.7339
0.7506
0.7676
0.7856

0.158 0.159
0.175 0.176
0.193 0.194
0.211 0.212

4431
4431
4431
4431

Intermediate Shaft End Play Spacer Selection

0.7505
0.7657
0.7855
0.8011

916
917
918
919

Figure 9

Setting Up the
Overdrive Selective Shim

You can usually save time by making both measurements at the same time,
since you already have the straightedge
on the housing. To set up the overdrive
selective shim:
1. Remove the bearing from the top
surface of the direct clutch housing
(figure 10).
2. Take four (4) measurements around
the surface that the bearing will be
sitting on (12-3-6-9 oclock positions).
3. Add the four measurements together and divide the total by four (4)
to get an average setting. If needed,
use a calculator.
4. Check the selective shim chart
(figure 11) and install the proper
shim onto the overdrive piston.
5. Reinstall the bearing onto the direct
drum.
Again, if you are using any straight
edge other than the factory tool (0.500),
you will have to add or subtract to from
your measurement before checking the
chart.
With both these settings set aside
and done, reassemble the unit and make
sure that the overall gear train end play
is set to specification. As surgeons
(builders) we dont want to overlook
something so simple that we cause or
build into it, a failure of OD shift qualities and lubrication failures.
I read a quote recently, and it made
a ton of sense: The best way not to fail
is to be absolutely positive that when
you do it, youre going to do it right.
That says a lot, and truth be told, its
simple to do. Until next time, keep
those transmissions in good working
health.
The Doctor

Figure 10

Overdrive Thrust Plate (Selective Spacers)

End Play
Measurement (In.)

Spacer
Thickness (In.)

Manufacture
Part #

1.7500
0.7650
0.7800
0.7950
0.8100
0.8250
0.8400
0.8550
0.8700
0.8850

0.108
0.123
0.138
0.153
0.168
0.183
0.198
0.213
0.228
0.243

4431
4431
4431
4431
4431
4431
4431
4431
4431
4431

1.7649
0.7799
0.7949
0.8099
0.8249
0.8399
0.8549
0.8699
0.8849
0.8999

0.110
0.125
0.140
0.155
0.170
0.185
0.200
0.215
0.230
0.245

730
585
731
586
732
587
733
588
734
590

Figure 11

16

GEARS March 2008

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