The trip from hell! Now the drive shaft ended up on the highway!

[Froggy1936]

I put the yoke plate back on and I tightened it up by feel, making sure there was no in our out play or wobbling, but not too tight, sort of like I would do with a wheel bearing.  I topped off the fluid, reconnected the drive shaft, cleaned up and put away my tools, and took it for a .  Hmm Different story from original.. If the second description is accurate no further tightening is required, But if the first description is more accurate then you can expect problems down the road !   You decide  Best Wishes  Frank

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Well crap.  The new drive shaft was ready yesterday, so I went and picked it up.  490.00!  OUCH.  But that isn't the bad part.  I went to replace the oil pan gasket and vacuum modulator on the TH400 transmission today...and discovered that the transmission CASE is cracked!  Not repairable!  We are dead in the water, running out of money, and I just can't see a way out now.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

[ClydesdaleKevin]

[ClydesdaleKevin]

[ClydesdaleKevin]

[ClydesdaleKevin]

[ClydesdaleKevin]

[ClydesdaleKevin]

[Rickf1985]

Holy Crap dude!!!! I have never seen a 400 break there before. That had to be a result of the shaft letting go, was it the front shaft the went? No matter, you need a new transmission. Good part is that 400's are all over the place, bad part is that they are very desirable for racers so prices are not always cheap. I don't know what to say at this point, I don't have any easy answers. You should be able to find one in a junk yard for a couple hundred bucks, it will not be a 475 model unless it is in a RV or a larger truck but the only difference is straight cut gears in low gear. A regular 400 will work fine and you can swap the stuff from the old one later.
I would guess the transmission mount is gone also and that is what allowed this to happen. The shaft whipped everything around.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I found two in the Pensacola area...one with a transfer case attached for 400, and a regular one for 300...and both are around 120 miles from here.  So I could spend the last of our travel money, pick one up, HOPE it works, change out the tail cone and whatever else I would have to swap out, install it, and HOPE I didn't just spend the last of our money on a bad transmission.  I would also have to buy a thick piece of plywood and a rolling floor jack just to do the transmission swap...and then PRAY that the torque converter wasn't damaged, and that whatever exploded the transmission so violently didn't do any damage to the 454 engine.  All the while wondering what is going to break NEXT on this 30 year old motorhome with over 160,000 miles on it. 


I don't know man.  I don't know what to do.

[Elandan2]

Wow, that really sucks. Thinking about how that could happen; maybe you should check your engine mounts. If the rear U-joint failed, I would think that the carrier bearing would absorb most of the flexing from the bad joint. But if the engine mounts were allowing flexing, it may have put stress on the transmission case. Just a thought...

[ClydesdaleKevin]

At this point?  I'm thinking it is time to replace this 30 year old RV with over 160,000 miles on it.  And I am at a total loss right now how to make that happen.  Total loss.  I have no idea.  We can't work if we can't travel...and without money to fix or replace the rig, we can't travel to make more money to fix the rig the next time.  So we are dead in the water.  First time in my life I ever felt even remotely helpless.

[Froggy1936]

Wow. When it rains it pours, The TH400 I took out of my Winnie That was a perfectly working trans I could not sell Took it to 3 Transmission shops < Nobody wanted it Took it to the scrap yard , Got $10.00 in scrap , Cant imagine them being so expensive now They are pretty much obsolete !  What a way to ruin Christmas   Best Wishes  Frank !

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Its all good Frank.  God will provide.  He always does.  I just don't know HOW this time around...lol!  Christmas is never ruined.  I'm holding out for a Christmas miracle...and hedging my bets by searching Craigslist for other options...lol!

[Rickf1985]

Kevin, stay away from the 4WD unit if you can because you will have to also change out the output shaft. That means a complete teardown. Is the transmission mount broken? If it is and there is evidence that the transmission whipped to the side then that is what broke the case. You can start the engine even with no oil in the transmission, just don't run it more than a minute or so and put a pan under it because it will empty oil from the convertor. You want to preserve the innards since I don't think they are bad judging from the color of the fluid I can see. That will tell you about the engine. The engine kept running after the shaft let go didn't it? Was there any shrapnel in the transmission pan? If not then the transmission did not lock up and take out the shaft in which case the convertor should be fine.

[Rickf1985]

I put some feelers out on my military vehicle forum to a couple guys in Fla. and Louisiana to see if they have anything or know of anything. I know of a guy that actually owns an RV park on the Georgia border but you are quite a ways past him already. I will try to contact him but he is hard to get hold of. If you want to PM me your phone number t will be a little easier to get hold of you if I find something.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks Rick.  At this point, I am at a total loss.  I never expected this combination of bad luck to leave us decimated. 


I'm going to try.  You all that don't know me don't realize how humbling this is to me.  I never ask for help and have never felt this helpless in my life.  [/size]https://www.gofundme.com/manage/get-siege-the-day-back-on-the-road

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I'm going to try.  You all that don't know me don't realize how humbling this is to me.  I never ask for help and have never felt this helpless in my life. https://www.gofundme.com/get-siege-the-day-back-on-the-road&rcid=r01-154552794827-ac3b1658e927423b&pc=ot_co_campmgmt_w

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Please help. https://www.gofundme.com/get-siege-the-day-back-on-the-road

[tmsnyder]

https://dothan.craigslist.org/ptd/d/ozark-7000-original-miles-chevrolet-454/6776910308.html


did you see this one? out of an rv


Another one, I think?  Hard to tell but it sounds like he's selling the tranny:


https://tallahassee.craigslist.org/pts/d/perry-chevy-454/6769569884.html


Where are you located?

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks tmsyder.  Both are close to us, so I'll look into them...just not sure I want to spend 350-500 more on a transmission for this very old and tired rig.

[Rickf1985]

Kevin, I do not want to sound like the doting dad giving advice but keep in mind that anything you look at to replace the one you have is still going to be used. You need something that is going to go many miles and tow a LOT of weight so you are best served by something heavier, and newer, than a P30 chassis. You should be looking for a bus chassis motorhome and they do not come cheap. You should also be looking at a diesel for both fuel mileage and longevity reasons. Again, not cheap. For these reasons you may want to consider fixing what you have for now until you have funds for a newer and heavier unit. Basically you get what you pay for and you certainly do not want to buy into another money pit!
Just my honest opinion.
Rick

[Elandan2]

I agree with Rick, devil you know and all that. Although this has been a huge breakdown, the rest of the rig is still very serviceable. A replacement may end up digging you in deeper. Not that anyone selling anything would try and deceive the buyer!! Rick

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Advice noted guys.  I found a couple of diesel pushers on Freightliner chassis in the 10-15K range.  So I'm going to keep looking and hope for the best.


The ironic thing is WHERE we broke down.  This was ground zero for Hurricane Michael...so in this area all the more affordable RVs are being used by folks that are fixing their houses and roofs, etc.


Kev