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Conflicting stories...

A

aaron1009

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Location
Birmingham, AL
Hi guys, help me sort something out here. I posted a thread a week or so ago about having some transmission issues. I was wondering if the TH400 in the M1009 could be swapped for a non-4x4 transmission and just swap the tailshaft. The consensus was that it's not worth it since the torque converter and springs are different. Ok, so I drop the truck off at the shop. Here is what ensues after the mechanic crawls underneath the truck in the lot:

Mechanic: "Your sprag is twisted up"
Me: "Oh..."

Mechanic: "And it's a salvage tranny. It's not the right color and has stock numbers written on the side"
Me: "Oh..."

My mother is friends with the guy who sold this truck to me. He is ex-military and reportedly sells many of them. I've personally met him and he seems to be a stand-up guy. The mechanic calls me back the next day.

Mechanic: "Not one thing in this tranny is right. Not even the right torque converter."
Me: "Well...ugh." :-x

I call my mother and let her know what's going on. She contacts the guy who sold it to me and he goes on to tell her that the TH400 didn't even use a sprag, that the transmission came straight off an AFB and that my mechanic is trying to take me for a ride.

So, help me out. Does the TH400 use a sprag? Wikipedia wasn't much help. The numbers written down the side of the tranny...could they be military stock numbers?

Thanks all!
 
mikew

mikew

Member
454
8
18
Location
edmond, ok
The TH400 and I think most automatics use "sprag" clutches, it allows gears to free-wheel in one direction but lockup in the other.
 
A

aaron1009

New member
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Location
Birmingham, AL
The guy I bought the truck from told me the sprags are used in the 2.5 tons and up.



Edit: Spoke to a guy who has been working on transmissions for over 40 years. Says the TH400 used two sprags, a front and rear. The numbers on my tranny are 41-7-52.
 
Last edited:
jpekarek

jpekarek

New member
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Location
Vancouver, WA.
Most T-400 trannys do indeed use a sprag. It is for the intermediate gear or 2nd gear. When the sprag goes out you will have no 2nd gear. Some T-400's made in the mid 80's don't use one. They use a roller bearing clutch instead. You can get rid of the sprag assembly and use the roller type bearing, but the late-model sprag has 34 rollers or that make contact, while the early model roller clutch only has eight. Besides that, the late-model intermediate sprag has a much wider race than the old roller clutch design and is much stronger. Any of these can be upgraded to the late model 34 roller sprags type assembly.
 

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southdave

southdave

Active member
1,986
6
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Location
ripley, oh/TDY Lordstown,Oh
DUDE RUN GET YOUR CRAP AND RUN........fyi i have sprag gas meter on my house lol I assume spage is the company that manufacture air to mech. equipment.. and it is slang term for this type of equipment
 
Barrman

Barrman

Well-known member
5,229
1,712
113
Location
Giddings, Texas
He is saying that your mechanic is trying to bs money out of you. As proven in a few post above. A TH400 does have a sprag in it. You can't tell it is bad by looking at the outside though. Only by tearing it apart and maybe driving it and connecting the problem with a specific part. Not by as you wrote above, crawling underneath and telling you the sprag is out.

The color of the transmission should be normal aluminum. Therefore, any color is suspect, there is no "wrong" color. Or right color. No paint is correct.

There are numbers stamped or molded into the side of a stock TH400. Post up what your guys says they are and where they are.
 
A

aaron1009

New member
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Location
Birmingham, AL
I'm picking the truck up tomorrow and having it towed to a different shop. I spoke with a guy at another shop and he started laughing when I told him about the sprag deal. He said, "I don't care if I do the work for you or not, but I'd get your truck away from there ASAP."

So, it seems like perhaps both guys are full of it. The guy that sold it to me says there are no sprags, and the guy working on it says he can see the twisted up sprag from crawling under it.

What happened to honest work?

The "salvage stock numbers" that the shop guy mentioned are 41-7-52. I assume they are in a paint marker. I've been under the truck several times and never noticed them, however. Although, I've never actually just set out looking for numbers on my transmission.
 
rnd-motorsports

rnd-motorsports

New member
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Location
Evart,Michigan
The turbo 400 uses a sprag! yes they can be run without one but only in race aps the sprag can fail in 2 ways it can break and you loose 2nd gear, or it can freeze up and you loose 1st gear! The color and markings on the side of the case could have been put on there when the trans was rebuild in the milatary my last 1028 had a rebuilt transfer in it and was painted green the truck only has 15000 miles on it so anything is pos with these trucks! Unless the case is broke you can't tell by looking at it still in the truck that there is a problem with the sprag!
 
cjtroutt

cjtroutt

CW2 26 BDE HHC S6
Steel Soldiers Supporter
756
4
18
Location
C.G. JMTC MICHIGAN
Sounds like they are trying to rip you off.
Do you have Amoco Or Cotterman Transmission shop by you.
Or better yet Call those Boys In Boiser City, La
PATC just google them I buy all my Hard parts from them.
Alto Red Eagle Clichés & Kolene steels
and many other Good hard parts.
Hope it helps.
 
cjtroutt

cjtroutt

CW2 26 BDE HHC S6
Steel Soldiers Supporter
756
4
18
Location
C.G. JMTC MICHIGAN
Hi doghead yes PATC great people to deal with.
I built 5 trans 2 th400 for m1009 2 m1008 th400 and my trans in my M1028A2 TH475 -NP205 and works very well with my Cummins 6BTA.
 
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