Fool-proof guide to pulling the auto tranny

Alright so I've done this a couple of times. Don't remind me. Gonna try to set up a 1-2-3 guide for you...

This guide does not entirely apply to the manual trans, this is made for the auto one, alright? It's a bit different.

Firstly, and I'll call these preparations because they're kinda obvious: Remove the hood completely, it'll save you a paint job and will also give you more light inside the engine bay so you'll be thankful for it. Just remove the bolts in the hood itself, not the bolts to the chassis. Also remove the 'shocks'. Then remove the battery, the radiator fluid container, the battery plate, the air intake (by the boot that's fastened to the intake manifold, not the manifold itself). Finally remove the four plastic covers on the side and underside of the engine bay (a bunch of 10mm bolts). Now you should be good to go.

1. Drain tranny fluid then jack the car in the front pretty high so you'll have lots of space underneath to crawl around. Then remove front wheels. In the centre of the wheelhub; remove the cotter pin and the cap, then the driveaxle hub nut (32mm) [Fig 1]. Best is to use air tools but if you can't then use a prybar on the wheel nuts (that means screw them back without the wheel) to keep the hub still while you're loosening the hub nut. It'll probably be very tightly fastened so give it all you got.

Fig 1

2. Remove the steering arm from the wheelhub (cotter pin and 19mm) [Fig 2], then the three bolts on the underside of the wheelhub (17mm) [Fig 3] to free the hub from the control arm. Then just pull the wheel hub against yourself with one hand, and press the driveaxle inwards with your other hand to slip it out of the hub. If done right you should have the driveaxle separated from the hub by now. That goes for both sides :-)

Fig 2
Fig 3

3. Crawl under the car and look above the exhaust pipe where the right driveaxle goes by. You should be looking at the support bearing of the driveaxle. It's a large round shaped thing that the driveaxle goes through [Fig 4]. The axle is bolted with three 12mm bolts that's a real bitch to remove, but it's possible so do it. When you're done just slide the driveaxle out and be gentle with the splints. As for the left side just take a firm grip of the axle and pull. Don't go too hard on it for starters but start gentle and increase power. That's because there's a small circlip at the end of the axle (only left side) [Fig 5] that otherwise could be lost inside the tranny - NOT good. So pull carefully but decisively.

Fig 4
Fig 5

4. Now remove the starter (12mm for the positive cable, a plastic connector for the negative and two 14mm bolt/nut for the starter itself). Then remove the two hoses to the fluid cooling (goes to the radiator, remember it'll leak oil). Also disconnect the plastic connectors on top of the tranny (5 connectors) [Fig 6 & 7] and finally the shifter wire on the back side of the tranny. Then go underneath and find four mounts. They are black and there is one for every corner of the tranny [Fig 8 & 9]. They all sit with three 14mm bolts each. Don't start loosening them just yet.

Fig 6 & 7

Fig 8 & 9

5. Now get some tranny support. An overhead crane with straps are to recommend. (If you don't have anything else just put a trolley jack underneath it, but it's gonna be hard reaching around under there). Make sure the straps are stretched so that the tranny won't pinch and damage the engine mounts when you start loosening it. [Fig 10]

Fig 10

6. To be able to remove the two engine side mounts you'll have to remove the 12mm bolt to the exhaust pipe, then the two 14mm nuts to the metal piece (have really no idea why that's mounted there but I'm sure it's for good use... ??). If you managed to remove the studs with the nuts then you should be happy, if not then use the two-nuts-pinch-practice. Basically just install two bolts and wrench them real hard together so they'll form a kind of temporary bolt head [Fig 11]. When removed you should get a metal plate in your face. Lovely isn't it? Well you should need a brake by now anyways. :-P Wait, just kidding, back at it! While down there, remove the bolts that goes through the flexwheel to the turbine, there are four 14mm very short black bolts [Fig 12]. To reach them all, use a 27mm ring key (or whatever) on the crankshaft pulley bolt and just turn the engine over until you see the next bolt and so on [Fig 13]. Oh, and for safety turn the engine so that the pulley bolt gets tightened, not the other way. It'll probably take a lot more to loosen that bolt but it's best to be on the safe side.

Fig 11
Fig 12
Fig 13

7. Now remove the two mounts, as I said they all sit with three 14mm bolts each. Start with the chassis side mounts. The front one is easy to remove, just remember to remove it completely. The back side one is worse. There are the standard three 14mm bolts but there's also a sort of arm going out on the inner side of it that's almost impossible to reach. I usually just remove the bolt that goes though the two parts of the mount and the arm then pull the bolt backwards and simsalabim - the whole thing is free. But still remove the main mount from the chassis or you won't be able to get the tranny out.

8. Lastly, remove the five 14mm bolts to the turbine housing. The ones mounted to the engine, the bolts are on the top side [Fig 14]. When that's done you should see be able to wiggle the tranny out of there. Take it slow and careful when lowering it though, there might be a cable or mount or whatever forgotten so move around and look from all angles when lowering or you'll probably mail me soon with an 'oh poor me I destroyed the kickdown electronics' -topic ;-)

Fig 14

Well there you go! You're done!

WARNING!!! When you install the tranny again, be very careful to get the turbine all the way in before attempting to mount it back on. Reason being the turbine pulls the trannys oil pump and if the turbine won't go all the way in you'll put too much pressure on the pump, causing it to eat itself through the tranny housing. It'll still work for some time but will eventually show in a pretty loud grinding noise. This is sort of what happened to me, not because of a faulty install but due to a faulty oil pump service... I've nailed the guy who did it though. He had to pay me back every cent.

Safest way of installing the tranny is to measure the distance from the turbine mounting point to the tranny shell mounting point [Fig 15] and the opposite mounting points on the engine side. The tranny side measurement must be equal or greater! Got it? Great.

Fig 15