Step by Step: Remove 5.0 with tranny

Before you get started, buy a Chilton or Haynes shop manual. You will need it for the bolt torques and patterns.

1.) Jack up the car front and rear, use jack stands to be safe.
2.) Put a 2x4 wood block under the engine oil pan to support the engine. Jack it up slightly. This prevents damage to the motor mounts when the transmission mount is removed. The oil pan is plenty strong for this purpose. Disconnect the negative battery cable. You will need a couple of extensions and a ½” swivel socket to remove the top starter mount bolt, which is accessed from the front and under the headers. Leave the starter wiring connected unless you plan to change the starter at this time.
3.) Label all the wiring for the transmission before disconnecting it. Disconnect the O2 sensor cables at their connectors. Disconnect the speedo cable by pulling it straight out of the VSS sensor, or by removing the bolt that holds the VSS sensor in place. If you remove the VSS sensor, zip bag & tag it along with the bolt that secures in place.
4.) Remove the drive shaft, the rear bolts are 12 MM. You will need a high quality 12 point wrench for this: do not skimp or you risk rounding off the bolt heads. A helper to step on the brake to keep the drive shaft from turning will be helpful. Use your foot to apply pressure to the wrench to loosen the bolts. Note the yellow markings in the drive shaft and write down their alignment.
5.) Put a catch pan under the rear of the transmission to catch the fluid when you slide the yoke out of the transmission. I recommend that you drain the transmission at this time. There is a pair of pipe plug filler ports on the side of the transmission. Use the lower plug to drain the fluid.
6.) Inside the car, remove the shifter boot and then remove the shifter handle
7.) Remove the H pipe & rear trans cross member. The chassis to cross member bolts are metric, you need a 15 MM & 17 MM socket or wrench. Note the direction and size of the humps on the cross member and write it down. Inspect the rear transmission mount and replace if damaged.
8.) Remove the transmission. You will need a long extension & a universal joint with a ¾” socket. A transmission jack or a helper is almost a must have unless you can bench press 75-100 pounds with ease.
8.) Remove the clutch cable cover and pry the throwout bearing arm forward enough to slide the cable off.
9.) Remove the bell housing using the long extension & a universal joint socket. Note how the throwout bearing rides it the throwout bearing arm, and which end faces the clutch pressure plate. Write it down or make a drawing if necessary.
10.) Remove the bolts securing the pressure plate to flywheel. Be sure to label & zip bag them separately from the rest of the parts. Work in a star pattern to reduce stress on the pressure plate mounting tabs.
11.) Remove the flywheel mount bolts, as you will need to either replace or re-surface the flywheel. Be sure to label & zip bag them separately from the rest of the parts. Tap the locator dowels out of the flywheel with a 1/4" pin punch. Zip bag them together with the flywheel bolts.
12.) Inspect the transmission input shaft where the throwout bearing rides. Replace it if worn or damaged.
13.) Inspect the throwout bearing, throwout bearing arm and ball pivot stud for wear or damage.
14.) Inspect the rear oil seal for leakage and replace if required.
15.) Remove & replace the pilot bearing. A puller borrowed or rented is helpful here. A wood block will be used to drive it home.
16.) Install the flywheel, noting that the bolts are an odd pattern, and it only lines up one way so that all the bolts go in easily. Torque to specs according to the shop manual. Install the locator dowels at this time.
17.) Install the clutch disk with the hub springs facing the rear of the car. Use a pilot tool available for $3-$4 from the auto parts store to line it up.
18. Install the pressure plate, be sure to use the pilot tool prior to tightening the pressure plate bolts. Torque to specs according to the shop manual. Remove the pilot tool when you are finished torquing the bolts.
19.) Install the throwout bearing on the throwout bearing arm, noting the direction of the bearing and it mounting in the arm.
20.) Install the bell housing. Torque to specs according to the shop manual.
21. Install the transmission, have the transmission jack or helper at hand to lift it into place. Watch out that the stub of the shifter does not tear the shifter boot. Some 7/16 bolts with the heads cut off can be used to help support the transmission as you slide it home. It may be necessary to press the clutch pedal to get the transmission to slide the last ½” or so. Remove the guide studs if you used them & torque to specs according to the shop manual.
22.) Reinstall the clutch cable by prying on the throwout bearing arm. Replacement of the stock cable or quadrant is recommended if you haven’t already done so. With adjustable cables, both nuts go on the back side of the throwout bearing arm.
23.) Reinstall the rear crossmember & transmission mount. Torque to specs according to the shop manual.
24.) Reinstall the wiring and speedo cable or VSS sensor if you removed it.
25.) Reinstall the drive shaft, slide the yoke in place. Align the rear yellow markings and install the bolts. A helper to step on the brake to keep the drive shaft from turning will be helpful. Use your foot to apply pressure to the wrench to tighten the bolts.
26.) Remove the jack from under the engine oil pan.
27.) Refill the transmission with the proper fluid. T5’s use Dextron ATF, Tremec 3550’s use GM Synchromesh. There is a pair of pipe plug filler ports on the side of the transmission. Use the top plug as the filler port.
28.) Adjust the clutch cable according the manufacturer’s instructions if you have an adjustable cable & quadrant. Set the emergency brake and use the drag it provides in order to determine where the clutch starts to engage. You should have 1 -1 ½” free play from the top. The cable will not have any slack and will have some preload on it when properly adjusted.
29.) Re-install the H pipe and remaining items.
30.) When you have visually checked all the bolts, fittings and other parts are present and not interfering with each other, then take the car down off the jack stands.
31.) Be prepared to put the car back up on the jack stands to adjust the clutch and tighten up any loose items found after the test drive…

If you have a T5, you may be able to remove the trans & re-install it if you can bench press the 75 lbs that it weighs. If 75 lbs is too heavy, don't hurt yourself, get a trans jack. If your car has a Tremec 3550 or TKO, you will need a helper or trans jack because it weighs 100 + lbs. I built a trans jack from 2x2 angle iron, some swivel casters, 2x4's, 2x6's and a cheap floor jack. PM me if you are interested & I will send you the photos (8 MB) with the write up.

While you are at it, replace the stock cable & quadrant if it is still present. When you buy the cable & quadrant and maybe a firewall adjuster, make sure they are all the same make. That way you have some assurance that they work together. I have a FMS quadrant & cable, & have had no problems with it. The FMS adjustable cable doesn't stretch and operates smoothly. The only thing is that you have to get under

Great write-up!!

- Get an a crank type engine tilter form Harbor Freight. They are cheap and make it so much easier especailly when you go to put the motor/tranny back in in one peice.

pulling the two out together is by far the easiest way to pull the motor.

another option would be after you have disconnected all the
accesories and the exhaust is to unbolt the K-member and the front suspension from the chassis. then if you can lift the front of the car high enough the motor and tranny will roll out with the front wheels.

Pulling the engine and transmission out as a single unit is the best method if you are going to pull the engine. I think that it is easier to do than try to stab the transmission output shaft into the pilot bearing while the engine is swinging around on a hoist.

You will need 4 each 24" jackstands and a means to tilt the engine when you try to get the stub of the shifter past the firewall. Clearance between the shifter and the firewall and transmission tunnel is the tricky part. The higher you have the car up on jackstands, the more room you have to maneuver things around.

jrichker said:

Pulling the engine and transmission out as a single unit is the best method if you are going to pull the engine. I think that it is easier to do than try to stab the transmission output shaft into the pilot bearing while the engine is swinging around on a hoist.

You will need 4 each 24" jackstands and a means to tilt the engine when you try to get the stub of the shifter past the firewall. Clearance between the shifter and the firewall and transmission tunnel is the tricky part. The higher you have the car up on jackstands, the more room you have to maneuver things around.

Click to expand...

This may be a stupid question, but couldn't you remove the shifter to give yourself more clearance or are you talking about just the shifter box on the trans? I'm getting ready to pull my engine+trans together as one and was wondering if there were any follow-up step-by-step instructions that were posted as to how to do this? Thanks!

Be sure also to have plenty of room in front of the car to maneuver the hoist with the engine+trans in the air around your car to it's resting place. Also have a hoist with a boom that gets the engine+trans in the air enough (while not exceeding proper load constraints) to clear your upper core support & fender when it's all up in the air. Moving the hoist while it's loaded like this can be tricky so make sure the floor area is clean and clear and you have a friend to assist you. The engine and trans will start swinging around and can be dangerous. My boom IIRC is rated at 1/2 ton while extended to it's 48" position which should be plenty.

Good luck

You can remove the entire shifter assembly and it will give more clearance. However, depending on if you have something other than a T5, you may find it difficult to get to the front mounting bolts on the shifter mount when you reinstall the engine/transmission.

For those who have pulled their engine, what's the best way to rig the lifting chains? I think from the factory, 302's came with a lifting hook (bolted to the head?) on the passenger side, closest to the firewall. Do you need another hook on the driver's side, towards the front of the engine for balance purposes?

Has anyone used the lift plate that bolts onto the lower intake (after removing upper)?

What's everyone's strategy/preference?

I got a 60"long 1,300# rated chain from ace hardware and pulled my accessory bolts out and used them to bolt the chain to the front of the driver side head and back of the passenger side head. Works great for engine only removal. For engine with trans removal I suggest the load leveler to angle the engine and trans.

Nice pictures, thanks!

Last time my eng way out was in 02-03? I dident have a eng hoist then but I had a steel beam and a really old chain hoist. To get the the eng and tranny out togethern.the radiator has to come out and you will need someone to guide it so it dosent scratch the body. Like they said jack the car up as high as you can so when you lower it, the eng is still in the air as the car is lowered. I dident have a eng leveler when I did mine but it would have helped a lot

... I think I used exhaust bolts on opposite sides to attach the chain

Here's a couple of pretty good video's showing how it's done. Between the two videos you should get a good idea of what's involved.


This video they only pull the motor but they go through the process of what to disconnect. They're using a Harbor Freight 2 ton hoist, it's the same one I have and it works great and is often on sale and gets excellent reviews along with their 1 ton engine stand.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKKin-EpaD0


You can see how this guy pulled his. Removed up intake and bolted a lift plate onto lower intake manifold and then picked it with tranny and long tubes still attached. I know it's a 1996 but same idea.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXudJVGlXLg

YouTube has some great helps for Mustangs. I am really surprised at all the DIY videos that they have available.

Great stuff. Thanks!