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How to remove a transmission

My main worry was do pull everything or just go for the trans and does it come out the top or bottom and what booby traps would I have to disarm to get the trans disconnected to the engine
 


I'm right in the middle of dropping my trans and I think I have everything unbolted (including the backward bolt) and I'm trying to pry the trans away from the engine but it's not giving. I don't want to use too much force and break something else. Are they going to be stuck together pretty good?
 
did you take the tc bolts off, they tie the flex to the tc. 3 bolts.

and theres a bracket from the trans to the engine you need to take off.
 
I found the bolt I missed. I didn't realize one of the grounding bolts toward the front of the transmission was also a bolt. I thought it was just a stud for the ground wire. After looking at my new trans, I realized it was also a bolt that needed to come out.

Thanks
 
Just got a grand prix that needs a new transmission. I was told that it's not worth doing the swap myself because I'd need to "drop the cradle" (too much work). It doesn't seem like that's the case according to your walkthrough...am I mistaken?
(Yes, I do know what a cradle is...lol googled it)

Thanks!
 


Well Crayola... It's my opinion that most work on these cars is simple. Hence why there was a pattern of the word "ea sy" (without spaces in all my how to posts. If you break things down and say "remove this with x tool, or that with such tool". Reading through a guy can see if there is a tool needed he doesn't have. That's what I've done. If you have the place, the tools, you should be able to do it. Most people find an engine or trans swap, first time around will take 6-8 hours. Which a day of your life vs $500-$1000 to me ...it's worth it.

On the trans, you can swap an HD into a non-hd. Keep in mind that the passenger axle is shorter on the HD and the gear ratio should be corrected in the pcm.
 
I've done a tranny swap in a GMC safari and it wasn't too bad. I don't mind the work if it means I save $1000+
Thanks for the help!
 
BillBoost37 said:
On the trans, you can swap an HD into a non-hd. Keep in mind that the passenger axle is shorter on the HD and the gear ratio should be corrected in the pcm.
Click to expand...

Putting in an HD trans in place of a non-HD will require a tune for the gear ratio change as well. If you wanted a little extra strength without a tune, you could do an HD Differential swap.
 
Thanks for the quick replies! Few more questions.

Based on your illustrations, it seems like you had to remove the engine. Do I need a engine lift (cherry picker)?
 


you dont take the engine out, you want to hang it n place. you can chain a cherry picker to it, aka engine hoist.

or what bill does is lay a 4x4 from the hood latch to the windshield cowl, take the rubber off so it dont get smashed, and 2 short cut 2x4 pieces to put under the 4x4 by the hood latch, then bolt a chain to the engine lay it over the 4x4, then bolt it off to the other side of the engine. this way when you drop the sub frame, the engine will be hanging in the engine bay.

IMG_6941.jpg
 
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BillBoost37 said:
On the trans, you can swap an HD into a non-hd. Keep in mind that the passenger axle is shorter on the HD and the gear ratio should be corrected in the pcm.
Click to expand...
Could you elaborate on this?

Secondly. I have a scanner, but I doubt this sort of tuning can be done with mine so would I need to take the car into a shop to have the gear ratio corrected in the pcm? If thats the case, would I be able to drive the car without any issue to the shop?
 
you need HTP or another pcm programming program to re set the gears in the cars pcm. most shops dont do this, you need a local who tunes, or a speed shop with a dyno type place to do it. like a shop that builds and tunes cars. ( modded cars, not the corner mechanic)

its easiest to just put the same kind of trans that came out back in.
 


You don't need to take the engine out. Just follow Bill's directions and you should be good to go. I followed his steps and it worked out for me.
 
Bandit1228 said:
You don't need to take the engine out. Just follow Bill's directions and you should be good to go. I followed his steps and it worked out for me.
Click to expand...

thanks. my tranny blew christmas night. my luck. im trying to figure out how to do this. my dads helping me.
 
i've done this both ways on two different vehicles that are essentially the same underneath. the first was a silhouette mini van that was done on a lift in a shop-transmission only through the bottom, dropping the cradle.

i did my gtp out the top pulling the engine and transmission with it with a cherry picker.

out the top was easier.

both vehicles 4t65e hd transmission, same cradle, axles, pretty much everything same set up.

we could have approached the cradle method better and utilized the lift better by putting the sub frame down with the transmission still in it onto the floor and just lifting the van up. but without a lift that wouldn't work, really. the cradle is heavy. the transmission is heavy. bolting it back to the engine was no small task, even with the transmission jack. we were standing under it, not lying down. we were noobs and we got it done but it was heavy lifting.

out the top was so much easier. the engine hoist did all the lifting and we didn't have to drop the cradle. unbolted the transmission from the engine out of the car on a workbench while still connected to the hoist. very little lifting at all.

plus, with the engine out you can change gaskets, do tune up, whatever maintenance you want out of the car with no obstruction.

just a suggestion.
 
I drop the engine/trans/cradle as an assembly out the bottom. I built a cradle dolly so I can move the assembly around the shop and over to the tear down bench. I have the benefit of having a shop with a hoist to do the job this way. I would think it would be difficult to do this on jack stands but if a guy rigged up a ATV lift, it would make the job easier.
 
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