How many of you folks took off the radiator upon RE-installing your transmission? Spent the well 5-6 hours trying to reinstall my damn transmission. It came off pretty easy. Im working with two floor jacks, so i dont know if that could be it.

 

I never take off my radiator. Where's your issue exactly?

 

http://www.evomoto.com/tech_articles..._article_id=27

 

I've never had to remove my radiator when doing it, but doing it with floor jacks is a pita because they don't lift straight up. I usually end up getting it close with a jack and the either benching of lifting it from the top the rest of the way (it can be done I'm only 135 lbs so I'm no heman). But the last time I dropped the trans I tried the method where you drop the subframe and that made it a million times easier/quicker. It sounds counterintuitive because you have more stuff removed from the car but by the time I was done fighting it into place with the subframe in the way I had it on, everything bolted back up, and a couple of beers dropping the subframe.

 

Installing the transmission with the subframe on the car and the engine in it's normal position is almost impossible. The flywheel end of the engine needs to be down and the lower part of the engine needs to be forward. As for doing it on two jacks, all I can say is be careful.

I use a two armed engine hanger, one arm to suspend the engine and one arm to suspend a chain fall hoist for lowering and raising the transmission, a bottle jack to hold up the transfer case so it doesn't fall out and the jack that came with the car inserted between the engine block and the subframe. Yeah, that's a lot of gear but it makes the job safe and easy.

I never saw any need to remove the radiator. Remove the front engine mount bracket on the transmission if you need room.

 

Well.... I will tell you my trick that made a pita install turn into a painless slid right in job. After you get the trans somewhat lined up you will need to raise the rear half of the tranny in order to get the angle just right because floor jacks don't lift it evenly. This is because there is no good spot to really lift or support the trans evenly. What I did, since I had no second person, was tow strapped carefully around the rear trans mount area and around the strut tower bar, I started ratcheting the strap until it lifted the rear section of the trans and gave me the angle I needed. It is ghettofied but it worked like a champ. I was struggling for the longest time, then I decided to try this, and low and behold, within 5 minutes literally it sucked right in like a champ.

 

^^ I more or less did the same procedure as above and I never had to take the rad or subframe off. Just be patient and don't rush the reinstallation

 

if everything actually is centered and straight, it will slide in effortlessly. if your struggling then it isnt 100%, so figure what you need to angle before resorting to just muscling it in. I learned this the hard way.