Tranny Removal help

i just yanked mine to do a t-5 swap....

are you doin this by yourself or do you have a lift/someone to help??

it's a pain, your going to need some tools........before you start and an impact gun is definatly nice to have along with various sae and metric sockets and extensions.....a couple floor jacks, a tranny jack or one big floor jack, atleast 4 jack stands ( to be safe) etc.......

if it's anything like the t5 removal... it goes as follows

drop DriveShaft... there are four 12mm 12-point bolts holding it to the pinion shaft that can be a little tough to break open, use a floor jack or a wrench extension to do so

drop midpipe of exhaust, undo header bolts and catback connection bolts, slide out of exhaust hanger.

support back of motor with another jack while you undo the crossmember bolts, undo all of them and let the jack suporting the motor down a little bit. undo various connections attaching tranny (electrical stuff, shifting linkage, im not familiar with AOd so thats up to you)

undo tranny-to bellhousing bolts, and slide the tranny out. if AOd's are as heavy as t5's, it shouldn't be a problem for you to slide it out and get it out from under the car by yourself. someone hopefully will chime in with these unknowns.

good luck, i also have no idea about the torque converter and what not, but id highly recommend picking up a haynes manual for this kind of thing. 16.95 at autozone to prevent loads of oopses and oh ****s

This all sounds good, but beware of the AOD's weight. It is much much heavier than a T-5. You will need a floor jack to lower it down. You need to remove the dust cover to expose the flywheel and TC to unbolt the flywheel from the torque converter. I think it's 4 bolts. Remember all the good stuff about adjusting the TV cable when you reinstall. Overall it is a very easy process. The hardest part was unbolting the Driveshaft. Just write stuff down so you remember what bolt goes where and go to town. We'll be here if ya need more help!

yeah their heavier.......t-5 weights about 75 pounds the aod probably atleast 100.......getting it out is one things it's getting it back in thats probably the bigger pain.......with out help or a tranny jack.....or atleast a floor jack with a large saddle

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.
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.
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..

This should walk you thru it.

http://www.lincolnsonline.com/tech/00048.html

foxstang9050 said:

Now are those instructions for a manual transmission??? Because im putting the flywheel in an AOD

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The process is very close except for the clutch. The auto has the trans cooler lines, shift mechanism & TV cable to be disconnected.

Just be patient with the bolts on the bellhousing. They are a pain in the ass on the top side to get a socket on, but the angles are there. It helps to loosen your motor mount bolts a little to make more room.

If I were you I would get AT LEAST one other person to help you get the tranny back in. You may even want 2 for the Aod. The first time I helped a buddy with his aod it went alright, but when i helped another friend with his, we had a third, which made it EVEN EASIER, ten fold.

I would recommend that you drain the transmission fluid out before removal. On the AOD, you have to unbolt the pan on the bottom. Just do it slowly and let the fluid drip out. There are no drain plugs on the side like the T5. When you tilt it back, the fluid will still drip out the tailshaft but not as much. Don't forget that there is a bunch in the torque conveter as well when it comes time to remove that. Make sure your drip pan is big, as there is a lot more fluid in the AOD than the T5 and your motor combined.

Another suggestion is to purchase one of those transmission jack adapters. They are like $20 on Ebay. Not as good as an actual trans jack, but much cheaper. I have used mine a couple times and would not go without it.

foxstang9050 said:

I need to know what to disconnect... please help.... i know all the bellhousing and the driveshafts off the fluids drained but before i do the xmember and bellhousing bolts i need to know what to disconnect

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1. Did you disconnect the tranny oil coolant lines? they are the two aluminum lines on the passenger side of the AOD.

2. The crossmember can be easily loosened by unbolting the single bolt on each far end of the crossmember. Once you pull these out, the tranny will fall down so get something ready for it.

3. I don't know how you took the one suggestion, but make sure you put the pan back on before you drop the tranny! Otherwise your gonna end up with a bunch of crap in the tranny that you don't want.

4. All that shift cable and crap you just need to unhook. Nothing overly complicated about it. It's easier just to unbolt the bracket that the cables run through.

Hope this helps a bit. I'll be on all day( until 5) if you get more confused!

5.0 con-vert said:

3. I don't know how you took the one suggestion, but make sure you put the pan back on before you drop the tranny! Otherwise your gonna end up with a bunch of crap in the tranny that you don't want.

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Thanks. After reading the response, I realized I forgot to mention that. In addition to debris, valve body damage would be almost a certainty!

Man you are better off having it done somewhere. It's a pain. not to mention you have to get your TV pressure adjusted when you are done, which you need special tools to do or you could burn up your clutches in about a mile.