928drvr86.5

This winter i am thinking of pulling my motor, regasketing, intake R&R, vacuum lines, and upgrading to S4 type cam cover bolts. With 130K miles and the TT and converter bearings have never been done AFAIK, it's about time. I am wondering... with the motor out of the car will that make the TT job much easier? Will i still need to drop the rear susp. and trans?

RngTrtl

With the motor it will be a piece of cake.

Bill Ball

Well, not exactly a piece of cake, if you leave the rear crossmember and suspension in-place. You will have limited access to the rear upper TT bolts and the TC cover bolts. The only thing engine removal will make easier is swinging down the front of the tube, again, if you leave the rear crossmember attached.

I have done the TT and TC bearings with the engine and rear crossmember in-place. With the engine in-place, the bellhousing must be removed. Even with the engine out you will need to loosen the tranny mounts, remove the shifter and Bowden cables and slightly reposition some of the tranny fluid hoses (no need to detach them or drain the tranny), remove the parking brake cable brackets from the rear crossmember and pull the cable out of the way so you can slide the tranny and TT back a couple of inches. Tilt the front of the TT way down and get to the rear upper TT bolts (tight!) and then use some very short Allens to remove the upper TB cover bolts.

If you are dropping the rear crossmember as well, then the engine out has no bearing on the job.

RngTrtl

yeah, i agree with Bill in retrospect. I did this as Bill did withe the Engine still in the car and it was rather difficult and long to do, even with the engine out it wills till be a PITA, but not nearly as bad with the motor in.

928drvr86.5

So having the motor out will only make the TT/Conv bearing job fractionally easier? Ok, i was just wondering, it's all getting done regardless.

Bill Ball

Yep, but none of this matters if the pull the rear suspension, crossmember and tranny/TT out, which is the tradtional method for replacing the TT. Access to the upper TC cover bolts is going to be problematic if you leave all the rear end stuff in-place. Requires some uncoventional tools, but it is doable, and, for my money, leaving the rear end and tranny in-place is worth the trouble. Others will say just drop the whole mess. (Edit: Yep. See Erkka, next post.)

Vilhuer

I would drop engine, TT and gearbox all in one piece and then split them on the ground.