Engine & Transmission Install Question: One Unit or Separately?

[scotts90ranger]

I've only done them separated, but I'm almost always by myself and only working on one at a time... a 2.3L is tight enough coming straight up, doing it together sounds harder to me...

 

[fastpakr]

I've only done them separated, but I'm almost always by myself and only working on one at a time... a 2.3L is tight enough coming straight up, doing it together sounds harder to me...

There are some significant character marks on my core support from installing the 5.0/4R70 as a combo.

 

[pjtoledo]

when I put the engine in my 2000 last summer I suspended a chain hoist from the hydraulic hoist.
the control chain dropped all the way down to under the engine so I could operate it while under the truck.
chain hoists can move in very small increments, less than 1/16" easily.
and they allow you to swing the engine around for alignment, something a hoist doesn't do easily.

 

[bobbywalter]

Well....my engine trans and t case are 1100 pounds...

So....pulling the front clip is easier.



Even just the engine....or dropping the trans.....Nice to just stand there and undo the engine to trans bolts...

 

[don4331]

One piece... no thanks, hard pass on that. I will wrangle them separately any day of the week.

Trans is easy from below if you can buy or borrow an ATV/mower jack or a transmission jack.

Manual transmissions are a LOT lighter than autos. I am guessing an A4LD or C5 weighs at least 50lbs more than any of the manuals that were available in our trucks. I can set a manual trans on my chest, roll under on a creeper and stab the thing without a jack... wouldn't even try that with an auto.

The Toyo Koygo 4 spd manual weights under 70lbs/the 5 speed just over. The A4LD weighs 150lbs dry. I couldn't stab the M5ODR-1 by myself, but all I needed was my 10 year old daughter's help - I provided muscle, she added the finesse. The 5R55E or anything larger gets a transmission jack.

The slickest one I did, I removed the box, undid the cab and tipped it back on the frame, then had all kinds of room for the engine/transmission swap. Reversed the process when engine was in place. I wasn't working on a concrete floor/had unlimited vertical clearance (aka great outdoors).

 

[bobbywalter]

The Toyo Koygo 4 spd manual weights under 70lbs/the 5 speed just over. The A4LD weighs 150lbs dry. I couldn't stab the M5ODR-1 by myself, but all I needed was my 10 year old daughter's help - I provided muscle, she added the finesse. The 5R55E or anything larger gets a transmission jack.

The slickest one I did, I removed the box, undid the cab and tipped it back on the frame, then had all kinds of room for the engine/transmission swap. Reversed the process when engine was in place. I wasn't working on a concrete floor/had unlimited vertical clearance (aka great outdoors).

My tq converter weighs 70 pounds

 

[gaz]

Without a body lift, I prefer they are together, up on the big jack stands, with a transmission jack or hyd jack ready to level underneath.

Sounds like you will make better time putting the engine in when ready then the transmission after the rebuild is complete.

 

[bobbywalter]

 

[Bronco648]

OK, separate it is. I can handle the engine by itself with a hoist (and leveler, perhaps). I'm leery about the tranny (due to weight) but the proper lifting tool would make things easier (and provide a little peace of mind).

I've been keeping an eye on Sarah and her grandmother's Ranger. I'm pretty jealous of her set-up out there in Tucson. A lift makes things so much easier. I suppose, if I had to, I could roll the chassis outside so I wouldn't have to worry about the garage ceiling being a limiting factor. Tipping the cab onto the rear portion of the frame is intriguing. I had planned to remove the bed for several reasons (clean-up, rust proofing, axle flip, paint the frame, sway bar install, etc.). With the cab tipped back, I wonder if it would still fit in the garage. And, I could replace the cab isolators at the same time. Hmm.

Thanks for all of the thoughts/ideas.

 

[scotts90ranger]

For the transmission, I've used two ratchet straps draped over the top of the frame rails then hooked underneath (since it's a C frame...) to ratchet it up, or even use cinch straps and try to lift one end then the other and cinch in the strap... with the truck on ramps or jack stands it should be enough, I like the stability of the suspension so sometimes I jack rigs up then put ramps under the tires, then you can put them on backwards so they aren't in your way, and you don't have to play silly games getting too short of jack stands to work...

 

[Bronco648]

I like that idea @scotts90ranger !

My thought, without doing much homework on it, was to fab some sort of bracket for the top of the tranny so I could use a come-a-long. I'd also need to fab a small gantry that would fit in the cab. The come-a-long would be horizontal and there would be a pulley on the 'gantry' so the horizontal come-a-long cable could transition from horizontal to vertical (to drop thru the floor opening in the cab to attach to the tranny bracket (that I fabbed). Anchor the come-a-long on something solid outside the cab (like the hitch on my Expedition) and then use that to lift the tranny.

One immediate concern would be that the fabbed tranny bracket would need to be located such that the tranny would be balanced/level to facilitate installation. The more I think about it, the more I like the two ratchet strap over-the-frame idea.

I wish I had this truck already, I'm itching to get going.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I've heard of people doing similar to that with a ratchet strap around the trans and a 8' 4x4 post through the doors and a comealong or something going through the floor plate...

In my younger days I've just muscled M5OD's in place or set them on a floor jack at the balance point and just balancing with a helper running the jack handle... Now I have one of the scissor jack transmission jacks which leaves some things to be desired but does work better... it would work better if I didn't acquire it used and pre bent... I still gotta figure out how to straighten those links...

 

[RumPunch]

Just did this on my BII spend the time prepping the rigging so you can cant the trans back I had to flatten the front tires (on dollies) for clearance I left distributor in but it was CLOSE

 

[RumPunch]

FYI I pulled separately due to ease but was working off the ground and didn't want to take the TTB support apart. Pulled trans through engine bay by hand. All in all was pretty easy.

 

[RumPunch]