How big a job is it to swap out a 5 speed transmission on a 1993 ElectraGlide?

The case on mine is probably fawked (refer to my Exhausted thread), due to some dumb-dumb stripping out one of the end cover bolts. The heli-coil I installed may or may not be the solution.

I can pick up a used 5 speed for around $500, but I know there are a lot of good parts that are going to need to be removed to slap a new gearbox in....

 

Comes out really easy after you remove the motor,primary, and swingarm.

 

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of.....

Like I posted in the other thread: This is what happens when someone else works on your junk.

 

If the bolt is holding proper torque you should be fine, try coating the bolt threads with Hylomar, let it dry 15 minutes before reinstalling the bolt.

If you still want to replace the transmission, your best bet might be a new case (less than 500 bucks), and transfer your parts into it.

 

It's just the end cover (where the ball and ramp are at)?

If so, those aren't high-torque bolts. They just have to be snug. No reason a helicoil won't hold.

I'd certainly give the helicoil a chance before I went through all that would be involved to swap it out.

 

Read below....

It's the end plate for the transmission. 5/16-18 socket head screws.

I put a helicoil in, don't think I got it fully into the transmission case, as it looks like some of it is in the cover. I left the cover in place, as I didn't want to pull the guts out of the transmission. I also didn't want to drill any further, not knowing what was behind. When I tapped (and I mean tapped lightly) the tang off the end, the helicoil tool, went almost into the case, and the remaining oil started flowing out.

I know I didn't drill through the case, because no oil came out. so I'm thinking whomever screwed this up (too long of a bolt and popped the end off the casting?) put some sealant in there, let it harden, and put the fastener on 'finger tight'. When I was checking depth, it felt like a blind hole. Probably just hardened sealant. This explains the oil drips on my garage floor on that side of the bike...

I couldn't get the 1 1/4" (length) fastener in fully, so I put a 1" SS socket head in its place. I coated the fasteners with liquid teflon sealand, and torqued them all to 19 lb/ft. The previously stripped fastener held torque, it isn't dripping like it was, but I'm getting a bit of seepage around the fastner. I'm hoping it's just residual gear lube, as I didn't fully drain the transmission, knowing that I'll want to flush it all out before I fire it up.

 

Here`s a pic of my `89 Softail case, as you can see, you did not drill all the way through anything, the bolt holes are drilled into the outer wall of the case, it is not a flange, except at the top, but no problem if that goes all the way through, Hylomar will seal it.

 

Thanks. I just wonder why the oil started flowing out? Didn't flow out when I drilled. Didn't flow out when I tapped for the helicoil. Didn't flow out until I used the tool to break off the helicoil tang.

This was oil flowing out, like removing an oil plug flowing. I'm wondering if the 93+ ElectraGlide transmission cases are different? The MoCo went to the lower (engine) oil pan that year. So the E-glide boxes are different from the others.

 

It could be that some of the bolt holes on that case go into the oil, but there is plenty of material around that bolt hole, you didn`t weaken the case by drilling into it.

Hylomar will seal those threads no problem, we use it to seal threads on jet engine bearing compartments...

 

Originally invented by Rolls-Royce! Great stuff.