Removing transmission

I've never removed a transmission before but would like to do it myself when the time comes, probably in the spring. I've only seen one post that detailed the process in this section. The one where a piece of pvc pipe was used to raise one corner of the front. Do most people just put the car on jack stands? How high up will I need to get it so I don't have to mess with it once it is raised? Is it ok to raise just the front? Does the exhaust have to be disconnected? This will be for either a 94 or 96 RMW.

Edit: I did read the FSM and it does not seem difficult although loosening anything with the exhaust causes me a lot of concern. I don't have air tools. I guess I'm looking for reassurance that a non-mechanic, mechanically inclined person can tackle this job with relative ease.

You must clamp a "cup" over the tailshaft of the trans before trying to remove the trans. If you do not, there is a good possibility (it is for sure) that you will spill trans fluid everywhere (about a gallon to two gallons). You need to lift the car at least 18 inches, but if you are using a transmission jack, add the down height of the pad to the 18 inches. I would recommend using the trans jack, because the trans is fairly heavy when full of fluid (it is when empty as well). You can raise just the front, but make sure the tailshaft is capped before you do, or you will have trans fluid on the floor (see above). It is a lot easier to raise the whole car, because the trans jack thinks you are going to have a level installation. You may be able to rent the trans jack for a day when removing and installing the trans to minimize the cost. Harbor Freight sell them reasonably priced as well with their 20% off coupon.

Removing the exhaust parts is not all that bad, even with hand tools. The parts will be partially removed, just enough to get the trans out. Most of the bolts and nuts will be rusty. If you need a power tool, you can get an electric impact wrench from Harbor Freight for about $50 (get the coupon for 20% off). You must use a heavy duty extension cord for the impact wrench if you need extra distance. You can also use your regular 1/2 inch six sided sockets, if you are careful. Do not use extensions/universals/adapters, unless they are designed for an impact wrench. If you make more than one trip to Harbor Freight with the discount coupons, you can get the sockets discounted as well.

Also, make sure the correct year trans. is going back into the car if doing a replacement. Each year has some different variations.

you can leave the exhaust alone on an LT1 car,.

Haze, tell us what year car it is. Unless it has had exhaust mods, a 91-93 will need some of the exhaust pipes removed. Note that on those years that they are single pipes not duals, and have a crossover pipe that blocks a direct drop of the tranny.

""This will be for either a 94 or 96 RMW.""

When I pull a transmission, I generally let the engine/trans combo (still bolted together) tilt downward in back with a catch pan underneath the tailhousing so that it can pour out all it needs to. I then take care to not allow it to tilt further back than that while I'm removing it. I have varying levels of success with this method. The better way is to have a spare yoke sitting around that will fit the transmission in question. Then you simply install that yoke into the back of the transmission and you won't have a spill.

v8440 wrote:

When I pull a transmission, I generally let the engine/trans combo (still bolted together) tilt downward in back with a catch pan underneath the tailhousing so that it can pour out all it needs to.  I then take care to not allow it to tilt further back than that while I'm removing it.  I have varying levels of success with this method.  The better way is to have a spare yoke sitting around that will fit the transmission in question.  Then you simply install that yoke into the back of the transmission and you won't have a spill.

Make sure you secure the yoke to the trans so that it will not slide out.

That's true. Coincidentally, I worked on pulling the transmission out of mine today. I got everything off but the bellhousing bolts. I couldn't find a socket extension long enough to get to the top and middle ones, so I decided that would be a good place to knock off. I tilted mine back and drained a bunch of fluid out, as described above. I probably won't have to tilt it that far back when I go to pull it, so hopefully I'm good. I'll still keep the pan back there to catch any that does decide to come out. Mine is getting a normal rebuild, but with a new sun shell in it since that's a common problem. I might get a higher stall stock replacement torque converter from some other gm application, I dunno.

Make sure you support the trans when you remove the bellhousing bolts, it will be free to slide off. Push the torque converter back until it stops to clear the end of the crank.

Yeah, I will. I'll be lowering it with a floor jack.

You may find that a floor jack is not stable enough for a trans. It does not have the side to side width to compensate for any out of balance in the loading.

It was fine, I dropped it a couple hours ago. I've been doing it that way for roughly 20 years, and I've learned to eyeball where to place the jack. I actually have a transmission jack, but it sits high enough that I need to REALLY raise the car up to use it. My big jackstands are under the front of a diesel at the moment, so I just did it this way.

I would build a cradle for the transmission and screw it to the jack horn. Use a 1x6 teated board with zip ties or ratchet strap. My youngest son did this out in a gravel driveway for a Mercury GM. I did it for the rear end of my 2006 Trailblazer EXT.

Chris

Haze5736 wrote:

The one where a piece of pvc pipe was used to raise one corner of the front

I used the pipe as a ruler to make sure I could clear the frame, not to jack up the car!

I borrowed the harbor freight 69685 from a co-worker. It made removal and more importantly the reinstall a breeze. We had that trans back in within 20-30 minutes. The ability to tilt the trans to any angle made it super easy.

Also I saved the output spline from a junkyard driveshaft and used that as a plug to keep the fluid inside the trans.