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Pulling the transmission for the first time

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dk7868

Proven Member
57
4
Mar 15, 2016
Clarksville, Tennessee
First some history,
Bought a 95 GST because it was my first car and wanted something identical that didn't need near as much work. I ended up paying 1300 for it because it had a spun bearing. I've gotten to the point of dropping the transmission and now I'm stuck. All just to remove the Crank. ↓↓↓

I'm in the middle of pulling my transmission and have pretty much been following the steps from jafromobile (on youtube but read about him on here). He used a jack to hold his engine up when he separated the transmission from the engine. Is this a MUST? I haven't unbolted the engine from anything. I just don't want to be under the car having a buddy pop the last bolt out and have engine and transmission come crashing down. Coming in like a wrecking ball some might say LOL

TIA for any help or suggestions. This step has been holding me up for about a week.
 
I would not say this is a must but ddefinitely recommended. You should have two motor mounts at least holding the motor in place with the tranny out. Another thing you can do for ease of mind is have a 2x4 or 4x4 rest on your strut mounts and a ratchet strap as an extra support around the motor but that will be in the way later.
 
You definitely want to reinstall the motor mount after the trans has been removed. The hardest part is reinstalling the trans. But I did it on a gravel drive way. It is a must to have your jack under your engine so you don't put to much strain on the motor mount. That's if you decide to leave the one on the drivers side on while dropping the trans. I've done it both ways.
 
Okay. Thanks. My issue with using a jack is my jack stands are the big sturdy ones that are like 6ton. SO the car sits a little too high to put a jack under the engine. especially since I already pulled the oil pan and stuff to get to the crank. Ill definitely use the wood across the struts.
 
I'm going to try and use as many safety precautions as possible. The last thing I want is even more on the car needing to be replaced. So I'll use the wood across the struts, jacks and even more. I have a lot to replace on this. I'm basically redoing the entire front suspension and drive.
 
I have had my tranny out a few times and never supported the the engine. It's been a few years but im pretty the engine will still be supported by the 3 mounts which is more than enough to support its weight. I'm not sure if the GSX is different but this is what I remember on my GST.
 
On an awd you have to support the motor. 3 out of 4 mounts are removed when dropping the trans. I didn't use a cradle/sling/support at the top because it would have just been in my way. Mines wayy up in the air too but I used treated lumber blocks on top of my Jack while I pulled the trans. Then I used 2 jackstands and a treated lumber beam across under my oil pan to hold the motor up. It was very sturdy and easy. It helps to have a bunch of jacks and jackstands.. moving the trans and motor up and down independantly of each other helps with getting it out.
 
Mines A GST. The issue with having to hold the engine up from the bottom is I'm having to pull the crank out in order to go get it turned. So my oil pan and stuff is already off. Because its off it makes me have to reach WAY up. I'd say from the bottom of the engine (without the oil pan on) to my garage floor is 20-24" off the ground. Pay back for being cautious and buying big sturdy jack stands.
 
After you pull the tranny back about 1" from the engine (to just clear input shaft from clutch disk), you'll have to rotate it (along same longitudinal axis as input shaft) to get the diff section to clear the part of the heavy cross member that sticks out. The diff will end up being almost vertical. Putting tranny back in will have same problem.

Being able to vary the engine height/angle separately from tranny height makes all the difference if you're going to leave engine in. I've had my GST tranny out 6 times leaving engine in. Could never do it without being able to vary engine height/angle. The driver's side engine mount was the only mount I left on (I used separate adjustable jacks under engine and tranny which I could very easily adjust both from below as needed). And putting it back in to get input shaft to line up with clutch disk hole properly to even get tranny to go in all the way is a night mare without adjusting engine height/angle. So I strongly suggest using a setup where you can adjust engine height/angle.

Many people don't want to have to deal with all this and just use an engine lift to pull the engine/tranny out the top. They swear it's far easier and after 6 tranny pulls I think they're probably right. However I don't have access to an engine lift... (or want to rent one for the weeks it takes to get parts).

Couple tips:
1) You don't have to remove the axles from the hubs at all. You also don't have to remove ANY ball joints! See: http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/pulling-transmission-tomorrow.316646/#post-151688536

2) Put the tranny bolts in cardboard like this to remember their order: http://www.dsmtuners.com/attachments/tranny-mounting-bolts-2g-fwd-jpg.90081/
 
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I'm going to try and use as many safety precautions as possible. The last thing I want is even more on the car needing to be replaced. So I'll use the wood across the struts, jacks and even more. I have a lot to replace on this. I'm basically redoing the entire front suspension and drive.
If you keep this mentality you will go a long way in getting this dsm to where you want it! These cars challenge us sometime! Congrats on taking the challenge of pulling the trans yourself!!
 
I have had my tranny out a few times and never supported the the engine. It's been a few years but im pretty the engine will still be supported by the 3 mounts which is more than enough to support its weight. I'm not sure if the GSX is different but this is what I remember on my GST.
The OP is 2g so this is not true.
 
definatly alot of good advice given hear so take it to heart. ive been doing this a while now, but my first trans i pulled was on my 92 GSX and i did not use a 4x4 with a ratcheting strap. I chose to strong arm it out and ended up tearing a muscle in my forearm LOL so do NOT do that. Be safe and take your time
 
Run a 2x4 across the top of the fenders, there's a hook by the left corner of the head that can support the engine. This is how I do it on all my cars without a hoist. I also tie the transmission and use a jack underneath it so the weight isn't supported by the input shaft.
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Be glad you have a fwd, your transmission weighs less and has less parts to remove.
 
When you get to putting the trans back on with only jacks, make sure to move the engine towards the front of the car (towards the radiator) as much as you can. I just dropped my trans a couple months ago and i could not for the life of me get the trans lined up when putting it all back together. After 3 hours, I read a post saying to move the engine to the front of the car and bam...10 min later the trans is bolted up.

I was heated...but this is for an awd trans and maybe you can clear your subframe easier. Maybe
 
When you get to putting the trans back on with only jacks, make sure to move the engine towards the front of the car (towards the radiator) as much as you can.

This will help you a lot on minimizing rotation of the tranny and such to clear subframe. I learned this trick working on Evo's. If you dont pull the motor forward its about a 10 hour job with pulling subframe and all. Pull the motor forwards by means of ratchet strap and front rad. support or tow hook and its about 3-4 hours. Take advantage of any room you can get.
 
Okay... back at it again. Finally got everything to hold the engine while I pull the transmission and I have every bolt and mechanical piece disconnected to where the transmission is free to come out, but when I go to pull it from the engine it seems like it is getting stuck on something. I can't get them to separate more than 1/2" to 1"...Is there something that I'm missing.

Sorry for the delayed response, my wife had the baby and it took me out of working on the car for a little bit.
 
Okay... back at it again. Finally got everything to hold the engine while I pull the transmission and I have every bolt and mechanical piece disconnected to where the transmission is free to come out, but when I go to pull it from the engine it seems like it is getting stuck on something. I can't get them to separate more than 1/2" to 1"...Is there something that I'm missing.

Sorry for the delayed response, my wife had the baby and it took me out of working on the car for a little bit.

Double check amd make sure all the bolts are out along with the mount. But its the transmission shaft thats giving you trouble. You'll need a pry bar to make life easy. Just show it whos boss
 
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