Engine Removal Tips (how do I get this transmission off?)

Lots of heavy wheeling has finally taken out the engine mount perch on the driver's side of my truck, so time to pull the engine and weld some better ones in there.

Any tips on getting the engine separated from the transmission? I'm pretty sure I've got everything freed up, but just can't get the engine to separate no matter how much I reef on it. 99.99% sure I got all the bolts, including the secret 2 on the top.

Also, the part of the harness that extends across the front of oil pan to the starter -- does this pull off somehow? Seems like it should stay with the truck.

 

For the started harness, there are two 10mm bolts holding the plastic casing onto the motor. Did you unbolt the torque converter, or is yours a manual?

 

Ah, guess I didn't see them, it's pretty crusted with mud down there.

I have a manual trans.

 

I’m not experienced with the 5 speed on these but I would check the ENGINE side for “secret bolts” keeping the trans from separating.

 

Ratchet strap the tcase to the rear axle and shake the shit out of the trans. I used my winch and pully to brake mine free.

 

You keep the trans mounted to the frame?

 

No, I removed the crossmember from the frame and transmission.

 

MarMount mod could be an easier solution to your mount. Not sure what failed exactly but I'm guessing the rubber separated. A bolt through the middle will fix it.

 

Ah man I wish but the tabs on the engine perch welded to the frame straight broke off (rubber part split apart too and half the mount was just loose, rattling around the skid plate). Seems to happen fairly often with folks who offroad pretty heavily or have lower gears in their truck. Plan is to finish pulling the engine, cut the old perches off, and weld a beefier set in there.

 

The v6 dowels are notorious for seizing, I often soak the pins with penetrating fluid and comeback and whack the living fuck out of the dowels as best possible.

 

Ah, so I can see the dowels from the back of the bellhousing? Where I took out the bolts?

 

I made a special tool a chisel welded to about a 2' length of pipe.

Tap between the bell housing and the engine going from side to side

it helps if you can have some one pulling on things at the same time alone just takes longer.

just look there might be a harness bolted to the top of the trans on the right side that tends to be missed

 

Ah jeez. Figured out that there are some really small bolts on a manual that hold the lower plate part to the bell housing. Once I'd removed those the engine finally started to move. The bolts are not easy to get to, had to come in from the front with a bunch of extensions.

How are you guys resting the engine on the ground when it's out of the truck? Would like to do valve cover gaskets and I need to get the engine off the hoist. Blocks of wood or something?

 

Old tire works pretty good to rest to engine on.

 

When you say “front”... do you mean engine side? Glad you were able to get it separated! And I’ve always used an old tire as well. Could probably pick one up from a scrap yard or a shop that recycled tires, like pep boys or similar. They have to pay to recycle the tires so you’d be doing them a favor.

 

When I did the lower bellhousing bolts on my truck, I removed the transmission mount and let the whole thing lean towards the rear differential. I used about six feet of extensions to get to it.

 

Old tire is best. Or 2x4's up the wazoo.

 

By "front" I mean from the front of the truck. The head of the bolt faces the opposite direction as the rest, conveniently.

 

Engine Stand

 

If you don't have an engine stand, get four or five old wooden pallets and stack them. Cut out the top one so the oil pan sits down in it and rests on the flange, not the sump portion. Put rubber strip pieces of an old inner tube or something along where the pan flange will sit. Will give you a good work height and shouldn't hurt the pan. If your replacing the pan gasket you could just remove the pan and let it sit on the mating surface. I'd still put down some rubber or something just to keep wood out of the bolt holes.