ready to pull the tranny

Black99GST · #1 07-19-2009, 09:17 PM

how much does the FWD tranny weigh? im ready to remove the tranny from the car, but was thinking maybe i should get someone to help with actually taking it out. i dont want to bust it lose from the engine, lose my balance because its heavier then i thought (guessing about 110lbs?) and end up dropping it. that would F my day hardcore... nothing like saving money by doing it yourself, then buying a new tranny because you did it yourself.... lol

edit: i could get my roommate to help, but he works all the time, so if i can do it on my own, in my own schedule, that would be better for both of us

vanilla gorilla · #2 07-20-2009, 12:05 AM

Do you have the car on a lift or jackstands? I always do clutch jobs on the floor, with the car supported on jack stands. Whenever I pull the trans out the bottom, I support the trans with a floor jack, then guide it out by hand. If you have it up on a lift, your gonna need someone to help you.

Blackcrow64 · #3 07-20-2009, 01:41 PM

Trannys can be a biatch by yourself. The last time I did mine, I got it under the car then crawled under there and pretty much lifted it onto my chest and then benched it up onto the motor. Took me a little bit to get everything lined up but it was scary. I could just see me dropping it and killing myself in the process. I do not recommend doing that unless you got some strength to ya. That was in my prime of lifting too and it was hard but it is possible... I would suggest using the floor jack as vanilla suggested. It'll be easier yourself but just take longer to line things up...

(Now that I looked at this thread again I realized your taking it out not putting it in. My bad. lol... I guess it all works the same for taking it out too.)

Black99GST · #4 07-20-2009, 02:44 PM

it is on jack stands in my garage. where is a good place to put the jack on the tranny? i do not have transmission jack, just a regular old floor jack. i do have blocks of wood though... i just dont want to pull it from the motor, have it slip, and smash into the ground.... break my sh*t.... thats the last thing i need. lol

davebigs · #5 07-20-2009, 02:57 PM

You just need to find a spot where it is kinda balanced, use your wood blocks. It can be a little bit of a pain ding it by yourself. Be sure you have the vehicle high enough off the ground, this will make it easier. Good luck...

Black99GST · #6 07-20-2009, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davebigs

You just need to find a spot where it is kinda balanced, use your wood blocks. It can be a little bit of a pain ding it by yourself. Be sure you have the vehicle high enough off the ground, this will make it easier. Good luck...

lol ok? and how should i go about finding a spot where it is balanced? i guess, once the tranny is off the engine block, its coming out... and the only way to see if its balanced is to take it off of the engine block... and if its not, its a little too late so....

Blackcrow64 · #7 07-20-2009, 04:33 PM

It is mostly balanced on the flat bottom as close to the bellhousing as possible. At least it is for the AWD tranny. Should be somewhere about the same spot for FWD too... Maybe have a friend at least balance on the way down from the top side and you should be in good shape. A little bump here and there on the way down won't break anything. Think about the abuse some drivers put these trannys through when jamming gears... That is worse than having it drop a few inches off the jack on the way down I think. lol

Black99GST · #8 07-20-2009, 06:49 PM

its out! lol thanks guys, i tried to balance the damn thing, and it started falling, so i just grabbed hold of it and lowered it out by hand... it was pretty heavy, but not as heavy as i expected. which restores my confidence for getting it back in after the clutch+flywheel swap... once my clutch actually gets here... i do have a few more questions though:

1) how do i get the axles back into the transmission? to get them out i used a pry-bar and they both just popped out (lucky me, my seals are still good too!!!) but what about getting them back in? any advise?

2) its dirty as sh*t, and as a guy who loves his car, i have always wanted a clean engine bay... so what better time to clean everything up than when the trans is out of the car. so, needless to say, what is the best way to go about cleaning things up? i helped a friend years back clean his engine, and the stuff we used turned his aluminum a nasty looking white... and i definitely don't want that. i though degreaser and a scrub brush or maybe some dawn/water and a scrub brush, but im worried about getting any thing in the drive axle holes... let me know what you guys use, so i can pick some up and get to cleaning.

3) cleaning the engine block, and head? also cleaning and prepping the valve cover for paint would i use the same stuff? (while the valve cover is off the head, i am swapping my head studs out for ARP's)

anything you guys can tell me is great! thanks for all the help so far!

Blackcrow64 · #9 07-20-2009, 07:48 PM

Make sure you plug the holes good. You do NOT want any water getting in your tranny there... If you use a powerful degreaser, it'll strip all the crap right off with minimal effort on your part.

When you go to put your driveaxles back in, you have to put them straight in and not in at an angle or it'll slice your seal and then you'll be dealing with a headache of a leak. When you put them in they will go in fairly easy and then you just need to bump them in by grabbing hold of it and shoving it in straight really hard and you'll hear it pop in. (That's what she said...)

Black99GST · #10 07-21-2009, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackcrow64

Make sure you plug the holes good. You do NOT want any water getting in your tranny there... If you use a powerful degreaser, it'll strip all the crap right off with minimal effort on your part.

When you go to put your driveaxles back in, you have to put them straight in and not in at an angle or it'll slice your seal and then you'll be dealing with a headache of a leak. When you put them in they will go in fairly easy and then you just need to bump them in by grabbing hold of it and shoving it in straight really hard and you'll hear it pop in. (That's what she said...)

Ha, that is what she said....

what do you suggest i use to plug the holes with? and which brand degreaser do you recommend?

Ive got today and tomorrow before the clutch arrives... once its here, i want to already have everything cleaned up. and ready to go back together. im pulling the valve cover off the head in about 10 mins to get to work changing out the head studs... valve cover, engine head+block, and trans are still covered with 10 years, and 66k worth of dirt... i would love to put it all back together showroom clean if possible....

Blackcrow64 · #11 07-21-2009, 04:45 PM

I would just stuff a rag in the holes and then duct tape over them so nothing gets in there and if it does get past the tape, the rags should stop it... I can't remember the name of the stuff I used, but it had an orange and white can I think?...

Black99GST · #12 07-21-2009, 05:37 PM

awesome idea!!!! didnt even think about a rag. NICE! anything else i should look out for or stay away from besides the axle holes?

Blackcrow64 · #13 07-21-2009, 06:39 PM

Don't forget there are breather holes with rubbers on them pointing down so water doesn't get in there. Also where the shift fork goes in... Other than that I think that should be all...

Black99GST · #14 07-21-2009, 07:40 PM

you guys want some pics?

Blackcrow64 · #15 07-21-2009, 08:04 PM

Sure. lol

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