Help: 355 transmission removal

Remove the rear crossmember. I took mine out while the engine was out but I think you got to remove the crossmember.
Others? please confirm.

 

One thing that I forgot to ask you Grant, did you remember to have the parking brake cable cleared out of the way? You don't want it still attached to the support points running along the bottom back side of the gearbox. Go back and double check your triple checks to make sure everything is disconnected, and that nothing is getting hung up.

 

I'm near taking mine out tomorrow. so hope not too tricky, I disconnected everything today, apart from as you say the torsion bar, why that was put in there i dont know, miles above.
but I am just going to take the cats off as well as those are clearly in the way. But then there looks like plenty of room.

 

Just for kicks, remove the torsion bar and see if it gives you some extra room.

 

OK just got mine out and replacement back in.
I think I now see the roll bar argument. the rear of box needs to go up or down to come out. the power train shaft being pulled forward at start to ensure no pressure put on that by way.

I did in end manage to get it out by going down with a lot of jiggery pockery. But it wasnt that easy. it hits the rear cage and doesnt quite clear the studs in the engine. but with some moving side to side and up and down in came free.
so then wondered how on earth will it go back in???

struck me at about 4 this morning that removing the roll bar would enable it to go up at back and ride rearwards far enough to clear studs to then come forward again at front and down and out.
but when i looked again there was also the vacuum tube there and I wasnt that hopeful - or rather couldnt be ***ged to pull all that aprt as well.
what did come to mind was the studs. if they came off that would allow an almost clear route up for getting it back in.
surprisingly they came out very easily with the usual 2 nuts tightened on end trick.
the gearbox went up into position easily enough, but i soon realised the top studs needed to be in place in gearbox side first as there wasnt enough room to insert from g/box side.
with those loosely in place the next try got it lined up easily.
Dont try this without a hoist by way. I also had gearbox on a hydraulic trolley table so had plenty of adjustment options and placed wood underneath it which enabled access to lever up or down at will.
i got the bottom bolts in first and with a little twiddling the rest went in ok. time consuming but satisfactory and easy ish refitting. I now need some new split washers and can get all back on there.

I have done a 348 before and thought this would be the same, but don't ever remember it being this tricky. indeed sure it wasn't. somehow they have made it difficult!!!

 

Thanks for the info Andrew.

 

don't assume it should be in the WSM if they figured out a way to do it then do it your not going to hurt it especially if they have thought up a procedure to get it out.

I have found a lot of ways to do things that were not in shop manuals.

 

to get out i didn't remove sway bar (etc), but can see now how that would help when lifting the rear of box up to get it far back enough to come off the studs. I did it with a lot of messing around and gentle persuasion with rear angled down not up. In end it would probably have been easier to get out by taking off the bar.

to get it back in I removed all the studs from engine, all of them. this allowed it to lift vertically straight up into position. then just a matter of lining up and refitting studs to pull up tight. But where I may have confused you, the top 2 studs need to be passed through the bolt hole in gear box from the engine side, so these needed to be put loosely into place before lifting it up, then when gearbox in place they can just be pushed through and tightened as normal.

 

Not at all I think it's tricky to visualise. When top 2 pushed in they do go all way back with nothing sticking out, but just not far enough to come out from the rear. I then put, on all the studs, 2 nuts tightened against each other to put the stud in, although first I put a new washer and spring washer on so I didnt need to take both nuts off again.

the only trickier bit with top ones was getting room to put the nuts on, sides were easy, so I would do that before you put gearbox in as extra room will make that a lot easier, this all fresh in my mind from last night! Then when stud are in just backed off the rear nut and took that off.

Lining it up was far easier than i thought it would be. you have the two bottom bolts going from front to back, that were very easy. and higher up there are a couple of collars as well as the ridge around the shaft hole, so if near it goes into these and is spot on. the other studs went in straight away. I did just make sure the box was level all the time. and kept the drive shaft itself pulled back to keep out of way until all done. that then easily pushed home.
Hope that helps!
andrew

 

Of course, although by then my brain will have probably replaced all gearbox knowledge with other crap!
I'm getting old one looked at by specialist and hoping not too much wrong with it. we shall see...