Remove trans, no trans jack or engine hoist? No problem.

[bolink654]

Ok. I been talking about doing this on and off on here for a few months. Also been reading on the various ways people are doing this. My main problem was that my transmission was leaking fluid out around the torque convertor. It started at just a few drops and grew to a quart every 400-500 miles.

Of course if I'm going to have it out, I should do the rear main seal and the axle seals too. Did the trans filter and pan gasket too.

Now I did have access to 2 engine hoist and a transmission jack. But I wanted to see if there was another way, perhaps a cheaper way, you know for people that cant get a hoist or transmission jack. Plus I would have had to borrow the trans jack from a former fellow employee, and my bro-in-law had a engine hoist, and a guy my wife works with has one too. They all offered, though.

My idea was to buy this
http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb...bar-96524.html

And I already have one of these, great little thing to have around.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-qua...ist-67144.html

I was gonna buy some eye bolts and run 'em through that support bar, hook up the 1/4 ton chain fall, and lower the trans out the bottom onto a creeper ( http://www.harborfreight.com/folding...pad-93896.html ) Since I already had 2 of them.

HOWEVER the nearest Harbor Freight is about 45 miles from me. I called, they had 2 support bars. I drove down there... They did not have any and wouldn't have any until a week from today. That blows. But failure wasn't an option. I need the car in 4 days. So I made a trip to a hardware store and $54 dollars later I had this.



Yes it looks like its bending. I did not lay a straight edge on it, so I don't know for sure. Didn't want to know, honestly. I wouldn't recomend this. If I was going to do it again, I'd use bigger pipe, or buy the actual thing from harbor freight. That was 2" OD water pipe.

I do not intend this to be a DIY. There is a full picture DIY here from someone else (not much descriptions though) http://www.pbase.com/kocho/camry&page=1 Just showing what I did and how I did it.

Now did it work? Well lets have some pictures.

Subframe out. You will need 3 jacks to get it back in though.


Chains wrapped around transmission


Hooked to the 1/4 ton chain hoist.


Will it work? Yes it will.
Lowering it down.


Underneath


Another pic underneath while lowering it down.


And it is out




Now can you get it back in the same way? You sure can because its back in right now, subframe is back in too. Also, I did not fool with anything on the passenger side except those 3 bolts on the ball joint, and that axle bearing thing... I pulled the snap-ring out and slid the axle out of the trans. Like the guy in the link I posted did.

[menthol]

how many hours/days did it take you to bring the tranny down? by yourself?

now i'm really anxious as i have an old but working 2ton chain hoist.

[bolink654]

I started yesterday at noon, I quit at 4pm. Started today at 10am, quit at 4pm. Still have some things to button up tomorrow, maybe 3 hours worth. So 13 hours or so. Not bad being that I've only had the transmission out of one other vehicle (97 Dodge ram).

The bad thing about the bigger 2 ton ones (I have a 2 ton as well), is that its bigger... you'd have to raise up the support bar (aka pipe)... then again if one had a place they could hang a chain hoist from the ceiling, that would work too, course you'd have to take the hood off.

Edit: I have one helper, my 64yo grandfather. He cant do much though, except hand me tools, hold a flashlight, and offer a outside opinion. Just like I did for him for 20 odd years.

[bolink654]

Been 5 days since I finished this, have put probably 200-300 miles on the car with no leaks. Imma consider in a complete success. It cost me around $150-$200... I prolly spent that much in trans fluid over the last 6 months.

Car feels tighter now? What's with that? Would having all the suspension apart, and subsequently re-torquing it to proper specs make that much of a difference? One note, the driver side 30mm hub/axle nut came loose with less force than a lug nut normally does, I'd assume bearing wear? I torqued it twice to 80ft lbs, should be 160 (it's supposed to be 159 right?) ft lbs right? I'm kidding, I borrowed a torque wrench for that.

[JimBowNut]

That is so cool to have your grandfather there to help......It really saves a lot of time to have somebody to hand you tools, etc. w/o having describe it in detail, etc.........And that time w you will probably be something he cherishes forever...

[bolink654]

For sure. He actually does have the strength to still do most things, but after having quadruple bypass thus he is on blood thinners... so a cut that would bleed just a few drops for me, makes him bleed all over the damn place, lol!

But yeah sometimes I have the wife help, still better than no helper, but 20% of the time I end up having to get a tool myself cuz she isn't very familiar with tools, ya know.