Q's about standard trans removal

[bhawk]

94 ranger, 4.0 with 5 spd. standard (Mazda I believe).
I am having difficulty removing the transfer case from the tranny. I removed all 5 bolts holding it to the tail of tranny. With some light tapping and wiggling I can see it wants to separate from the tranny at the bottom and driver side, but on the passenger side near the top bolt it is holding tight. Seems like there is a dowel in that spot.
Q1. Any tips or tricks on separating the two at that location? The cat converters are in the way from me prying there, or even tapping with something.
Another issue-- I think I need to remove the Y exhaust pipe as many have suggested in other posts I searched.
Q2. Do I have to unscrew the O2 sensors from each downpipe or can I just unplug the wiring to them? If the latter, is it hard to unplug the wiring?
Thanks for your time to reply.

 

[Ranger44]

Yes, you would hae the Mazda.

I've always pryed with a screw driver to remove the transfer case.

I would, and I think you have to remove the y-pipe to get the tranny out.

Just unplug the connectors to each oxygen sensor. Sould just be a clip you push down on the tab and pull.

 

[metalmacguyver]

You dont have to remove the Y pipe to get the tranny out. You can but its alot of work. Its also much more difficult to get the tranny out with it in there. So you have to decide between fighting the tranny or fighting the exhaust.

As for that alignment dowel thats holding on to the Tcase, a little heat works miracles.

 

[MAKG]

And the hard part is not the oxygen sensors. You can unplug them, but it's a bit of a contortion (not THAT bad).

The hard part is getting the bolts out of the manifolds. Sometimes, they just come out with a bit of Kroil and an 18 inch breaker bar (with extensions). But most of the time they require quite a bit more than that if they haven't been out before. I prefer the 1/2 inch impact wrench.

You can manhandle the transmission OUT with the Y-pipe installed. It's getting it back in without damaging the clutch that's problematic. An alternative is removing the radius arm crossmember, but IMO that isn't any less work.

 

[bhawk]

thanks for the replies. For the exhaust, I have an impact gun and long extensions so I think I will give that a try. Q. has anyone broken those bolts off at the manifold in trying to remove the Y (this is my biggest fear)
On removing the transfer case, I will try some heat at that dowel and see how it goes. I will report back.

 

[MAKG]

If they look whole, you won't break them.

If they are seriously rust eroded, you might.

If you DO break them, grind the broken end flat with an angle grinder, then drill ALL the way through the broken bolt and retap.

Regardless, put stainless bolts on next time, with a dab of Nev-R-Seez, and you won't have this problem again.

 

[kkjb4x4.0]

All four of mine broke,,I took the manifolds off and rented torches to blow out the bolts. I'm putting nuts and bolts in in the event I ever have to take them out again.

 

[bhawk]

As a follow up, I tried last night to remove the Y pipe bolts, but not one of the four would break loose. I have soaked them in PB Blaster for days and used a 1\2 impact gun, but they wont budge. I even heated the manifold at one bolt until it glowed a bit red with my welding torch, but still it won't budge.
Q--if I break them off by using a long breaker bar, or even cut them off with my cutting torch, how hard is it to remove both exhaust manifolds? Do I risk breaking any studs holding the manifolds to the head?
Your experience is appreciated. Thanks so much.

 

[engdept]

Do what we did on Maurice's (mjones) Bronco II. We cut the y-pipe out just below the transmission and then he had it welded back up. That is what the majority of transmission shops do.

If you have a wire welder, then you can weld it back up easily.

 

[rboyer]

Do what we did on Maurice's (mjones) Bronco II. We cut the y-pipe out just below the transmission and then he had it welded back up. That is what the majority of transmission shops do.

All I know is that if I ever took a vehicle to a transmission shop (not likely to happen anyway) and they cut my exhaust pipe in a half assed attempt to make their lives easier, I would crawl under my truck, remove the Y-pipe the "proper" way, and then throw it right through the front window of their shop. I just did a clutch on a B4000 for a guy about a month ago and the thought of hacking up the guy's Y-pipe never even crossed my mind, I just took the transmission out with the exhaust still attached. In stock form it sucks but you CAN remove it with the Y-pipe in place, if the truck has a body lift it's cake. Actually for what it would cost to add an extra inch or so to your truck it's well worth it when you have to work underneath.

 

[Jspafford]

In the amount of time you've been working on the exhaust you could have had the tranny out and back in with the exhaust still in place.

It's not as hard as some like to think.

 

[Sunk]

It requires some wiggling, but my transmission has been out 3 times, and I have yet to touch the exhaust.