94 TS 3.8 Auto Gearbox Removal

The haynes manual says there is no way to remove the grearbox from this van without removing the engine.

Now these manuals are written by mechanics that do this the official ways.

There are a lot of people here with experience working on the TS so I ask. Is it true that you cannot get the gearbox out without dropping the engine?

And if I did have to drop the engine the manual says you need to drain the AC system remove the hoses from the compressor and then remove the compressor itself. Can the engine be removed without draining the AC by just unbolting the compressor with the lines attached and just tieing it back out of the way.

Several have done it here indeed and as much as I know, they all dropped the subframe (Viala, Tom van Hooft below in 2 separate cases, I do not see signs of the a/c compressor in the first pic...).
http://www.avigex.ca/xport/4T60photo.jpg

...www.avigex.ca/xport/IMG_2042s.jpg
Most obviously, there is no room to pull the transmisison any other way...but I would certainly work to keep the a/c compressor attached to the body...
..waiting for other input..I just rang Tom...

Hi Larkspeed and LMP,

LMP, thanks for your email and the nice :) picture in this thread!

Curently I am very busy with my company, so I haven't done anything any more with my project since!
I will offcourse update as soon as possible. (must be finished at summer)

Anyway:
It is possible to put the car on a lift (we call that a bridge in dutch. Because you drive your car on it and totally lift is up) and than with some Big jacks unther the subframe (not less then 4 and please be carefull) AND an extra hydraulic device to put the rest of the car up. I have never done that so I don't know how much is to unscrew extra!!!!!!!!
So I prefere removing the complete subframe. (Allso because I have no lift)
And yes...I drained the a/c every time. It's more relaxed to remove the subframe then when you unbold the a/c compressor first.
You can service the a/c at that time. Renew all the rubber rings and maybe the accumulator. It's not that expensive. Just look and ask around for a company that will check vacuum for leakage and that refil the a/c for a nice price.

I hope my info is a bit useful to you.
Regards Tom

BTW Sorry for my poor English!! There's no spelling check in here ;)

You can drop gearbox without removing the engine. I have done this two times. You have to built some kind of support for engine. I can take some pictures of support bars that I used. However, you have to drop the subframe, and leave engine hanging in the engine compartment. Here are some scans from 94 Transsport service manual (just the .pdf-files)
http://koti.phnet.fi/~vesamaan/transsport/
Support I used is different from factory support. I take some pictures later.
In figure 48 you see bolt n:o 2 with thread facing right. It is quite difficult to reach, I used 3 extensions and a swiwelling joint

Hope this helps. If you need more scans just ask

Antti

ok now that is definatly interesting.

I knew there had to be a way to do it without having to kill off the AC and disconnect everything else.

What would help if possible would be a clearer picture of the support bar in place.

but if I am reading that diagram right it's basicaly a steel bar that runs from the rear left of the engine bay to the front right, this then has a hook on it that hooks onto the engine to hold it in place.

I'm assuming that this can also be accomplished with something like a 4x4 peice of wood placed in the bay with a chain around it supporting the engine?

That is dangerous and a safety risk!What if that made up jig slips out and falls on you?You can get killed or injured this way.Do it right,the engine and transmission come out from the bottom and that is what the book says to do.Only thing holding the engine up are wires and hose which do not hold the engine up very well.

That is dangerous and a safety risk!What if that made up jig slips out and falls on you?You can get killed or injured this way.Do it right,the engine and transmission come out from the bottom and that is what the book says to do.Only thing holding the engine up are wires and hose which do not hold the engine up very well.
I totally agree with safety issues. But The Book tells you you can drop transmission without taking engine down. If jig is properly made there should be no risk. A piece of 4x4 is not a proper jig, and there is no room for that. I made my support bar from U-beam 35x40x35mm, 7 mm wallthickness. Bolted it to top of passenger side strut and to the beam that goes under windscreen washer. here are some pictures of it http://koti.phnet.fi/~vesamaan/transsport/ (pictures with (large) text in the filename). I have used that rig twice, both times I took transmission down :frown: In these pictures jig is not actually in use, I just put it in place to take pictures.

Disclaimer: If anyone decides to use a rig based to my pictures, he/she will do it compleetly on own risk