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Comment by Kevin F Smith on December 22, 2018 at 8:26pm

Here is my Go Fund Me.  Thank you Postman.  

Comment by postman on December 22, 2018 at 8:22pm

I dont know? I cant get to your campaign, probably just me not knowing what I am doing.

Comment by Kevin F Smith on December 22, 2018 at 4:26pm

Thanks Russ.  I'm out of options, sitting in the middle of the Florida Panhandle in a small RV park in a small town called Cottonwood.  I have no idea what to do next.

Comment by Russell E Johnson on December 22, 2018 at 2:37pm

Dang, Kevin, that just stinks. Wish I still had my MH, you could have gotten it. 

Comment by Kevin F Smith on December 22, 2018 at 1:01pm

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.  

Comment by Kevin F Smith on December 20, 2018 at 8:23pm

Still no leaks from the Jeep differential!  I must have fixed it correctly...lol!  The drive shaft shop said all the parts came in, so they are making the shafts today.  The U-Joints are supposed to be delivered to them tomorrow, so more than likely I can pick it up tomorrow or Saturday.  It rained all day today, so I will fix the transmission leak tomorrow.

Comment by Kevin F Smith on December 19, 2018 at 9:00pm

We love coming to visit you Jimco and Lydia!  It is the highlight of our travels!  Miss you guys and can't wait to see you guys this summer!

Comment by Jimco_W001 on December 19, 2018 at 5:51pm

Hey Kevin. Nice talking to you on the phone. Please keep us up to date on your repairs.  And hope to see you guys in person here next year.

Comment by Kevin F Smith on December 19, 2018 at 5:43pm

So the saga continues.  After running all over to 4 different auto parts stores to get all the parts to fix the transmission leak (when did Dextron transmission fluid get so expensive?  It cost me 40 bucks for 6 quarts!), I stopped at a gas station near the RV park, and the rear differential on the Jeep was leaking!  What the heck!  I determined that it was leaking from the pinion shaft seal, and since I never changed one of those before, and wasn't sure if the pinion bearings and races were any good, I went to the local auto parts store and bought a new Ford 8.8 10 bolt gasket, the oil seal, the bearings and races, and 6 quarts of gear oil.  I then drove back to the RV park, and fired up YouTube to learn how to replace the seal and bearings.  It was a MUCH easier job than I thought it was going to be...just unbolt the driveshaft yoke from the 8.8 pinion output plate, unbolt the pinion nut, use a puller to get the yoke plate off the pinion shaft, remove the old seal, check the bearing and race, replace if necessary, install the new seal, and top off the gear oil.  I didn't have to open the transfer case at all.  

What made changing that seal easy, and the problem that caused the seal to fail in the first place, was that the pinion nut was loose, as was the yoke plate on the pinion shaft!  I was able to unscrew the nut by hand, and pull the plate right off.  After removing the plate and seal, I removed the flinger plate (a small flat round washer about the same size as the bearing...which I almost forget to put back in), and the outside bearing.  I cleaned it and inspected it, and it still looked good, but I was going to replace it anyway...and opened the box of bearings, and it was the wrong size.  So I greased up the old bearing, and installed it, the flinger plate, and the seal.  I then cleaned the pinion nut and the pinion shaft threads with brake cleaner, and used red locktite on the threads (which is why I think it came loose...there wasn't a trace of any thread locker on those threads, which is supposed to be there).  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 test drive to the parts store, to get my money back for the parts not used.  So the repair on the Jeep was only 28 bucks total...YAY!!!

I ran out of daylight, so I'll have to fix the RV transmission leak on the next nice day...since it is supposed to rain tonight here in Cottondale, FL, and on and off all day tomorrow.

I called the drive shaft shop this morning, and they found and ordered all the parts needed, so now we wait.

Looks like we are spending Christmas in Florida!

Kev

Comment by Rich Thomas on December 19, 2018 at 10:58am

Prayers to you and your family Keven.I hope all this leads to a better 2019 and you have a Merry Christmas where ever you are.

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