Tech Tip - Automatic Transmission Removal-Then Install
06-14-2002 | 03:11 AM
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Track Day
Joined: May 2002
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Tech Tip - Automatic Transmission Removal-Then Install
The following is how I am in the process of replacing my auto tranny(not the final drive) in my '86 944... backyard style.
1. Blocked front tires, jacked up rear of car and placed car on jack stands.
2. Put on my safety goggles.
3. Removed both shifter cables from the tranny by removing or loosening clips.
4. On the rear of the tranny there is a big chunk of aluminum that appears to protect the hoses and rear of the tranny. This is held on with 2x8mm allen bolts. I used allen sockets, not allen wrenches. Cleaned the end of the bolts out and then tapped in the allen socket so they were fully seated. Attached breaker bar, swiftly broke them loose, and removed both.
5. Removed the upper rear muffler clamps, 2 bolts(above the rubber hangers).
6. Then removed the 4 bolts holding the heatshield in place above the muffler and got it the hell out of the way.
7. Down to 4 nuts that hold the tranny on....and at least one is a pain in the a$$. The location of the nuts are pretty easy to locate, but I'll give a visual. The nuts are located in a square pattern, but tilted to the left a bit.
8. The lower two are easy. Box end 13mm wrench. Broke them loose and pretty much removed with fingers.
9. The upper driver's side nut is a pain but I used the same wrench and got in just above shifter cable bracket. I was able to break it free and slowly spin it off. Thank the German gods that all four studs are short.
10. The upper passenger side nut is a freekin drag. I'm going to save somebody about 6 hours of cussing and wasting gas going to Sears(makes ya wanna grunt like Tim Taylor don't it?) trying to find the right combination of offset and angled wrenches to fit in the most retard designed location of a nut ever created. Forget using a socket, it won't fit. If a person had a 1/2 in. or 13mm "L" shaped wrench(the tool end being about 1.5" long) they'd be in like Flynn. Since I didn't have that, I bought a 13mm-2" long wrench looking tool that has a hole for a 3/8" drive ratchet from Sears (grunt). I put 2-6" extentions together with the wrench on one end and a breaker bar on the other. Using a little extended mirror from the passenger rear wheel side to locate the nut, I came in on the back side, above the tranny, and got on the nut that way. Broke it loose and crammed my arm up there and slowly removed the nut. IMPORTANT FEEDBACK NEEDED... I have no freekin clue how I'm going to get the s.o.b. back on there. Any help is accepted.
11. At this point I supported the tranny with a floorjack. I placed a triangle drain pan in front of the floorjack to catch the oozing tranny fluid(I didn't drain the fluid beforehand cuz I like livin' on the edge.... and it makes good hair gel after laying in it. Turns the NASCAR chicks on...least that's what the commercial says).
12. At this point I discovered that a person is thoroughly screwed due to **** poor designing(confirmed by a local Porsche mechanic shop). As i lowered the jack and pulled back on it, the tranny hits the spare tire housing.
Done for the night.
I've already made my plan for tomorrow. If you are a diehard Porsche restorer you will not want to read the following... you've been warned!
Last chance!
On the spare tire well I eyeballed from side to side where the tranny location is and scribed two lines running front to rear. I then looked up on the front side of the housing and scribed a line from side to side about 3" or so up from the bottom of the housing. Tomorrow I'm going to empty the spare tire well down to the metal and I'm going to take a cutting wheel and cut the pie-shaped section out. This should give me the room to remove the tranny. Once I install the new tranny and figure out how to get that damn nut on, I'm going to cut a cardboard template out, following my cut lines overlapping the cutlines by about 3/4". I'm going to lay it out on some sheetmetal, cut it out, bend to shape, use some roofing tar as sealer, and self-tapping screw that sucka back in place. Heck, I might even just use 1 1/2" strips to fasten the original section. Might even spread some tar over the outside of the housing, throw some dirt on the tar so it will match the rest of the undercarriage. That way if anybody had cardiac arrest while reading this, they won't have a 2nd heart attack if they are, for some unknown reason, crawling around under my Porschuh!
This is just how I'm doing it. Not preachin' to nobody and I don't endorse what I'm doing. College would be less expensive than this adventure of Porsche ownership. I shall not cry in my Dextron III though, for now I know, next time I will buy a rolling chassis 944Turbo and drop the *gasp* stroker LT1 motor in that bad boy and have something that is worth the money invested in this not-so-lucrative hobby that I enjoy so much bitching about.....LOL!
Until the next installment on Fantasy Island...
Lata Porsche Dudes and Dudettes
Well I just got my baby back together. I must say it is much easier to re-install that sucker. I did exactly what I planned. I went to Harbor Freight, bought a 3" cutting wheel. Put a long sleeve shirt on, my safety goggles, covered my face with a shop rag, crawled underneath the back of my baby and cut out the piece that I scribed last night on the spare tire well. Nothing like sparks flying around the old gas tank. Now you see why I said last night I do not endorse my methods. After removing the piece, I lined my jack under the tranny, as I guided it from underneath I had a buddy pull back and lower it right on outta there. Pulled it off the jack put the new tranny on the jack, pushed it under the car and reversed the process. Did run into one small glitch when re-installing. I could not get the tranny to go all the way on. A gap remained of about 1/2". After many cuss words and brute strength, I crawled out and looked at the shifter lever on the old tranny. It was up one click from the rear or right, in the park position. When I crawled underneath the car, the new tranny lever was clear to the right. I'm assuming that was in the reverse position. I clicked it up one notch, gave it a push and it nearly seated all the way. I put the 3 easy nuts back on, had my buddy, who has a skinnier arm put the evil nut back on. I then tightened all the nuts, rotating from one to the other so it would go on straight. Then I got the crap scared out of me when a loud POP sounded. I thought I broke a flange or something. What it was though, thank goodness, was the tranny seating itself fully. I then tightened all the nuts, using my frankenstein tool described previously to tighten the one "not-so-wicked-anymore" nut. I'm taking a midnight break right now, writing this novel, and in a few minutes, I'm going to go re-assmble the components that I removed to do this task, change the fluid, filter, gasket, and take a spin in her to reward myself for the backyard job well done.
If you have any questions about my ramblings or my methods, feel free to e-mail me or post. I check this sight out several times a day because it is the only sanity in my Porsche insane world.
Lata PorscheHeadz!
Levitan
1. Blocked front tires, jacked up rear of car and placed car on jack stands.
2. Put on my safety goggles.
3. Removed both shifter cables from the tranny by removing or loosening clips.
4. On the rear of the tranny there is a big chunk of aluminum that appears to protect the hoses and rear of the tranny. This is held on with 2x8mm allen bolts. I used allen sockets, not allen wrenches. Cleaned the end of the bolts out and then tapped in the allen socket so they were fully seated. Attached breaker bar, swiftly broke them loose, and removed both.
5. Removed the upper rear muffler clamps, 2 bolts(above the rubber hangers).
6. Then removed the 4 bolts holding the heatshield in place above the muffler and got it the hell out of the way.
7. Down to 4 nuts that hold the tranny on....and at least one is a pain in the a$$. The location of the nuts are pretty easy to locate, but I'll give a visual. The nuts are located in a square pattern, but tilted to the left a bit.
8. The lower two are easy. Box end 13mm wrench. Broke them loose and pretty much removed with fingers.
9. The upper driver's side nut is a pain but I used the same wrench and got in just above shifter cable bracket. I was able to break it free and slowly spin it off. Thank the German gods that all four studs are short.
10. The upper passenger side nut is a freekin drag. I'm going to save somebody about 6 hours of cussing and wasting gas going to Sears(makes ya wanna grunt like Tim Taylor don't it?) trying to find the right combination of offset and angled wrenches to fit in the most retard designed location of a nut ever created. Forget using a socket, it won't fit. If a person had a 1/2 in. or 13mm "L" shaped wrench(the tool end being about 1.5" long) they'd be in like Flynn. Since I didn't have that, I bought a 13mm-2" long wrench looking tool that has a hole for a 3/8" drive ratchet from Sears (grunt). I put 2-6" extentions together with the wrench on one end and a breaker bar on the other. Using a little extended mirror from the passenger rear wheel side to locate the nut, I came in on the back side, above the tranny, and got on the nut that way. Broke it loose and crammed my arm up there and slowly removed the nut. IMPORTANT FEEDBACK NEEDED... I have no freekin clue how I'm going to get the s.o.b. back on there. Any help is accepted.
11. At this point I supported the tranny with a floorjack. I placed a triangle drain pan in front of the floorjack to catch the oozing tranny fluid(I didn't drain the fluid beforehand cuz I like livin' on the edge.... and it makes good hair gel after laying in it. Turns the NASCAR chicks on...least that's what the commercial says).
12. At this point I discovered that a person is thoroughly screwed due to **** poor designing(confirmed by a local Porsche mechanic shop). As i lowered the jack and pulled back on it, the tranny hits the spare tire housing.
Done for the night.
I've already made my plan for tomorrow. If you are a diehard Porsche restorer you will not want to read the following... you've been warned!
Last chance!
On the spare tire well I eyeballed from side to side where the tranny location is and scribed two lines running front to rear. I then looked up on the front side of the housing and scribed a line from side to side about 3" or so up from the bottom of the housing. Tomorrow I'm going to empty the spare tire well down to the metal and I'm going to take a cutting wheel and cut the pie-shaped section out. This should give me the room to remove the tranny. Once I install the new tranny and figure out how to get that damn nut on, I'm going to cut a cardboard template out, following my cut lines overlapping the cutlines by about 3/4". I'm going to lay it out on some sheetmetal, cut it out, bend to shape, use some roofing tar as sealer, and self-tapping screw that sucka back in place. Heck, I might even just use 1 1/2" strips to fasten the original section. Might even spread some tar over the outside of the housing, throw some dirt on the tar so it will match the rest of the undercarriage. That way if anybody had cardiac arrest while reading this, they won't have a 2nd heart attack if they are, for some unknown reason, crawling around under my Porschuh!
This is just how I'm doing it. Not preachin' to nobody and I don't endorse what I'm doing. College would be less expensive than this adventure of Porsche ownership. I shall not cry in my Dextron III though, for now I know, next time I will buy a rolling chassis 944Turbo and drop the *gasp* stroker LT1 motor in that bad boy and have something that is worth the money invested in this not-so-lucrative hobby that I enjoy so much bitching about.....LOL!
Until the next installment on Fantasy Island...
Lata Porsche Dudes and Dudettes
Well I just got my baby back together. I must say it is much easier to re-install that sucker. I did exactly what I planned. I went to Harbor Freight, bought a 3" cutting wheel. Put a long sleeve shirt on, my safety goggles, covered my face with a shop rag, crawled underneath the back of my baby and cut out the piece that I scribed last night on the spare tire well. Nothing like sparks flying around the old gas tank. Now you see why I said last night I do not endorse my methods. After removing the piece, I lined my jack under the tranny, as I guided it from underneath I had a buddy pull back and lower it right on outta there. Pulled it off the jack put the new tranny on the jack, pushed it under the car and reversed the process. Did run into one small glitch when re-installing. I could not get the tranny to go all the way on. A gap remained of about 1/2". After many cuss words and brute strength, I crawled out and looked at the shifter lever on the old tranny. It was up one click from the rear or right, in the park position. When I crawled underneath the car, the new tranny lever was clear to the right. I'm assuming that was in the reverse position. I clicked it up one notch, gave it a push and it nearly seated all the way. I put the 3 easy nuts back on, had my buddy, who has a skinnier arm put the evil nut back on. I then tightened all the nuts, rotating from one to the other so it would go on straight. Then I got the crap scared out of me when a loud POP sounded. I thought I broke a flange or something. What it was though, thank goodness, was the tranny seating itself fully. I then tightened all the nuts, using my frankenstein tool described previously to tighten the one "not-so-wicked-anymore" nut. I'm taking a midnight break right now, writing this novel, and in a few minutes, I'm going to go re-assmble the components that I removed to do this task, change the fluid, filter, gasket, and take a spin in her to reward myself for the backyard job well done.
If you have any questions about my ramblings or my methods, feel free to e-mail me or post. I check this sight out several times a day because it is the only sanity in my Porsche insane world.
Lata PorscheHeadz!
Levitan
