1999 TJ has a fluttering / clacking sound in drive and sometimes in park

H_E_H said:

Back in town and have resumed the removal. Flyinfish, THANK YOU for you input, time and effort. Line wrench set. I'll try to get those today! Thank you

I suspected I wouldn't have to diassamble much in regards to transmission cable and shift linkage. Justin didn't appear to have to do much and I'm terrible with reassembling stuff that appears delicate and adjusted to a certain extent. (I'm terrible when it comes to tune a chainsaw throttle or bike derailers, etc. That transmission cable looks like a prime culprit for such a delicate adjusting!) Thanks.

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It's really not. Sounds like you may have already got it off, but just in case... there are two brackets stacked on top of each other. The top one is black and has a ball joint snap in type fitting that connects it to the TV cable. Don't worry about the adjustment, you do that from up top. There is a hex bolt on one side and a square nut on the other that holds it from spinning while you loosen it. It's a 12mm I believe. slide the bolt out and lift the bracket off the shaft. It will only go back on one way. Then do the golden bracket which connects to the shifter cable. This one I never disconnect from the cable. It has a similar bolt/square nut, only it's 13mm and facing the opposite direction. Remove it the same way and slide it over the shaft. It too will only go on one way when you reassemble do don't sweat it.

As far as changing the pump seal, it can go one of two ways. You can use a seal puller and hopefully pop it right out. Or you can have my experience in which it just bends but doesn't come out, and you have to remove & disassemble the pump and drive it out from the back side. IF you get to that point, we will have a ton of guidance for you. I hope you've been a good boy.

Also, when you reinstall everything, BE CERTAIN to lube up the seal & the torque converter shaft. That is, unless you found this to be so much fun that you want to do it again in a few days.

The area I've circled in red needed a wrench on it as well so you could break the flare fitting loose. There's two fittings there and all you're doing there is turning the fitting that's screwed into the transmission and twisting the Transmission line.

These are the little things that you learn with experience.
How far did you twist the transmission line 1/4 turn? Did you twist it back at all?

H_E_H said:

This second flare nut isn't coming off and I crimped the line. Not salvageable at this point, yeah?
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I believe at one point I saw documented that there are at least 3 different types of fittings used...glad I don't have that type. I'm able to unscrew the big brass fitting no prob. I find the hard lines to be a pain, and I'm just waiting for a reason to replace them with soft lines. This would be enough reason for me.

Also be prepared that no matter how much fluid you've drained, you're still going to get a lot from the holes once you get the lines out.

H_E_H said:

@ flyinfish - I had felt so defeated... YET was able to twist the line back into shape by reversing the nut! LOL
Thanks for the photo attention to detail - I didnt even notice the second fitting!

So, getting this connecting off - I have a second wrench in place, but the nut isn't budging from it. I'm hesitant to spray anything on the nut.
I have this penetrating grease stuff (it comes out looking like spray-on house insulating foam,) but don't want to use it and possibly get it into the transmission fluid system.... legit concern?

* also is it a concern to use a blow torch to loosen nuts on vehicle undersides? I've used a torch to loosen nuts, but never under a vehicle with flammable liquids/oils

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The issue with twisting a hard line and then turning it back to where it was prior is the fatiguing and possible splitting of the tube wall.
That being said, even if the line holds pressure when you're done it should be replaced so you don't have the line fail down the road.

The fittings by design are liquid tight together at the flared ends of fittings and not the threads. You can see corrosion between the line and fitting due to electrolysis so there's definitely corrosion inside that fitting on the backside of tubing flare. You could try a good penetrant like kroil or other high quality penetrant, it may be just enough to break it loose.
If you're going to replace the line then it's as easy as cutting the hard line and unscrewing the two fittings together. You can use linemans pliers to cut the line and it will pinch the line closed and you'll be able to leave it in the hole until you get a new fitting and line. If you do it this way, clean the area around the fitting where it screws into transmission so when you remove the fitting there's no debris that gets into the hole.

H_E_H said:

Thanks for the reply and advice, flyinfish. I resumed work this month and the transmission project has been on pause. Resumed today. The spray-lubricant I used didn't help much with loosening the connection.

Transfer case removed! What an absolute sense of progress and accomplishment

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That's great! You're getting it done!
Keep track of your hardware and separated in whatever method works for you. Labeled zip-lock bags work good as sometimes it's a while before reassembly and so the hardware doesn't get lost. Also, taking pictures before removal may help you.

flyinfish said:

That's great! You're getting it done!
Keep track of your hardware and separated in whatever method works for you. Labeled zip-lock bags work good as sometimes it's a while before reassembly and so the hardware doesn't get lost. Also, taking pictures before removal may help you.

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100%. I'm normally quite lazy on this front, but I was diligent about labeling parts when I had my trans out/apart. The baggies were a life saver. Oh, and also photos/video of everything you're even slightly unfamiliar with. How tight was it before? Was it flush or recessed? Did the big one go here or here? Which direction did it face? Maybe you can remember all that, but how certain are you that you will remember the details when the time comes? Half the time you didn't even realize a thing had an orientation when you took it off.

In the service manual on pages 21-144, 21-145 and 21-168 there's some limited information on the shift linkage and the cables.
The cables should have a clip or keeper at the end that should be able to be removed to get them unhooked. The cable housing usually either slides out of the metal bracket or has plastic ears that need to be manipulated to release from bracket. I've worked with many other transmissions but not the 30/32rh.

If we’re talking about the transfer case, you can use a flathead acewwdriver to pop the metal nub out of the rubber/plastic grommet.

The transmission itself has two brackets that slide over the shift selector shaft. There’s a bolt on one side and a square but on the other that stays in place while you loosen the bolt. Both brackets come off the same way although the bolts are on opposite sides. The top bracket is the throttle valve cable, and it’s connector can also just pop off with a screwdriver. Then the bracket just slides right off. It only goes back on one way, the slot is cut like a ”D”.

The bottom bracket is the shift selector, and it also slides off. I’m sure the cable comes off, but I’ve never been willing to try hard enough to get it off. I normally just let it hang there. It’s also keyed to only go back on one way. I don’t think it matters what gear stuff is in; I’ve never been careful about it. But if you don’t move the shifter once it’s disconnected you’ll be fine.

H_E_H said:

So if I'm to purchase replacement transmission coolant lines, are the fittings a separate purchase? I don't see fittings in any pics of coolant line assemblies in my searched results. Thanks, guys.

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You'll have to buy the fitting separate.

H_E_H said:

Thanks for confirming. So the fittings - they're just like a standard type of fitting?

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The end that threads into transmission is probably 3/8" pipe thread and the line side of fitting is a flare connection. That's a guess so you'll want to match with the fitting you have.

flyinfish said:

The end that threads into transmission is probably 3/8" pipe thread and the line side of fitting is a flare connection. That's a guess so you'll want to match with the fitting you have.

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I posed a thread about this about a month back…this is what I found. And then somebody complained that I was trying to find pipe fitting sizes at a hardware store. YMMV.

hear said:

I posed a thread about this about a month back…this is what I found. And then somebody complained that I was trying to find pipe fitting sizes at a hardware store. YMMV.

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Unfortunately most auto parts stores have stopped carrying bulk items like brass fittings. Napa is the only one I can think of that carries a limited supply.
On the other hand, we do have some very large Ace hardware stores that carry about any fitting you'd need.