Transaxle autopsy 1-8 | 9-16 | 17-24 | 25-32 | 33-40 | 41-48 | 49-56 | 57-60

	Adjusting the backlash is a matter of measuring it, then transferring shim washers back and forth between the bearing caps until the backlash value is correct.
	With the front end adjusted and tighted down, it's time to move back to the rear end, to reinstall the rear cover. The cover is more than just a covering. Its other job is to provide the correct amount of pressure on the ball bearings that support the gearshafts. These bearings need to be pressed with the correct amount of force to keep them running smoothly and quietly. This pressure is provided by ring-shaped shims that fit between the bearings and the rear cover. The goal here is to choose the right thickness for the shims, so that they press with the correct amount of force when the rear-cover bolts are tightened to the correct torque. The first step to choosing the shim thickness is to calculate the clearance between the back wall of the gearbox and the rear cover. Here, I'm measuring the shoulder height of the rear wall with a depth micrometer.
	Now the depth micrometer is used to measure the matching flanges in the rear cover. There are three flanges, one for each shaft. The goal is to select shims that will give the same, correct clearance for all three flanges.
	Now it's time to do the math. Subtracting the depth measurements shows how much clearance is available between each rear-cover flange and the corresponding shoulder on the gearbox. The idea is to choose shims that will add up to this clearance value, plus the desired spacing between the gearbox and the rear cover. I used a dial caliper to measure the thickness of the shims that set the clearance. According to the manual, this clearance needs to include the thickness of a gasket, nominally about .006 inch. But again, Jack Lawrence gave me different advice. He suggests omitting the gasket and instead choosing shims that will allow only .002 inch gap between the case and the rear cover. He recommends using non-high-temp Dow Corning silicone sealer to seal the cover to the case, instead of the gasket. Why no gasket? Lawrence explains it this way: if you use a gasket and it fails, you've got a gap .006 inch thick by the length of the break. This is a good-size hole, through which gear lubricant could leak out quickly. If it should leak out before you noticed it, you could ruin the gearbox. Omitting the gasket and setting the clearance to .002 inch makes for a much thinner gap in case of a break. That gap will leak much more slowly, giving you more chance to notice it. And, Lawrence said, simply retightening the rear-cover bolts may be enough to seal up the leak.
	With the shims selected, it's time to reassemble the other pieces into the rear cover before putting it back onto the gearbox. Watch out for this rubber ring and nylon plug! They're easy to lose and very important. They help guide lubricant, caught in the slot above them, into a hole that lubricates the gear shaft.
	Also needing reassembly are these shifter rods. They thread into the case and lock with the nuts shown next to them.
	Here's how the shifter rods look once assembled into the case.
	And here's what they do: Guide the shift forks that slide back and forth to select gears. You can't assemble them this way, though: You have to put the forks into position on the gears, then slide the rods through them as you put the rear cover back on.

1-8 | 9-16 | 17-24 | 25-32 | 33-40 | 41-48 | 49-56 | 57-60