I have an aluminum cased A833 OD tranny that has stripped out threads where reverse switch would go. I don't have the reverse switch for it, either.

The way I'm looking at it I have two options.

1. Buy an original style reverse switch and hope there's a thread repair kit for that size.

2. Find a different reverse switch with larger threaded area and tap the case for that one.

I asked Brewers but they said the only fix was replacing the whole case and offered pricing on the two different style casings.

I was hoping to not have tear the whole thing apart or spend a bunch of money, so that's why I'm asking the Pros!

At the very worse I can just plug it, right?

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Scott - waywardgarage.com
Why is the rum always gone?

You can plug it, there shouldn't be any ill effect other than no reverse lights, and none of mine have worked anyways

You may find that some thread locker will get it to stay too.

~RDE~

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1984 D100 Shorty Custom
Certified Auto Appraiser - RevItUp Classic Appraisals
President - Cherry City Bombers CC
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

You could clean up the hole real good, and apply a thin layer of epoxy or any other 2-pack glue that is oil resistant, to the remaining threads in the case. If you follow the curing process, you then very carefully screw in the switch when the glue is almost cured - just on the brink of hardening, but still soft enough to be threaded into. Do not tighten the switch but screw it far enough in to make threads most of the way. The threads on the switch should be cleaned free of any metal residue from the case, then apply a liberal coating of oil or grease to the threads of the switch, before screwing it in place to make threads in the glue.
There are also different metal fillers on the market, and they often do a surprisingly good job. You can also make new threads, but then you need access to the inside of the case to clean out the shavings.

If you use some kind of gasket cement that get hard or semi-hard when you screw in the switch the final time, and tighten extremely carefully, it should be good for years.

Olaf.

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Aspenized

If they don't have a kit for it, you would have to bush it and rethread.
Most people end up plugging it with some metal and a plug and a through bolt...

The possible problem with using epoxy/JBweld, etc... is how the reverse switch is activated in this tranny...when you rack the lever into reverse it
throws a straight cut gear into position and there is a "hammer" on a pivot that slams to the rear of the case to contact the "ball" in the end of the switch...constant punishment of this item "snapping" down on the contact may fatigue the epoxy and the switch would probably fallout or you'd end up with a leak that would end in a very noisy box that wouldn't shift...

It's too bad there isn't an easy work around so you could plug it and use a microswitch for the reverse shift lever...

-D.Idiot

If you're serious about a repair that will last you can use a TimeSertsolid thread repair and it will be stronger than original. I know it's not an unusual thread as I plugged mine in the race car with a bolt and spark plug washer.

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Joshua

You are absolutely right, DusterIdiot, i didn't consider the mechanical forces applied to the switch, and although most epoxies are good, some of them are brittle when hardened, and none of them are perfect!

In other cases where there is no such forces involved, it is an OK method, I have used it many times over the years. With perfect timing regarding the cure of the epoxy, the last turns on a screw will form an epoxy collar on the inside of the wall, which prevent the epoxy 'bushing' from being pushed out when fully cured, even if the adherence of the glue in the hole should lessen over time. That way it can also take some internal pressure, but not much mechanical stresses.

BTW, if plugging the hole, there is not a big problem to rig a pushbutton on a bracket near the shift levers on the steering column or the tranny, to engange the back-up lights.

Olaf.

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Aspenized

Josh, the TimeSert kit is exactly what I'm looking for and they even have a dealer (Fastenal) here in town.

I'll give them a holler and see what a kit goes for.

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Scott - waywardgarage.com
Why is the rum always gone?