Removing Trannsmission *stuck*

[mudtrac]

Hi, this is my first post here and sorry it has to be a please help me post, but after screwing around for an hour last night I cant seem to get the transmission loose from the engine. This is a 93 Ranger 2.3 2wd with a M5OD. Here is what I have done:
1 - removed shifter and all electrical connections
2 - removed the hydrolic line from the slave
3 - removed starter
4 - remove drive sahft
5 - removed all the bolts (even the ones on the top between firewall and engine)
6 - supported engine
7 - supported tranny
broke loose the passenger side of the tranny but the drivers side wont budge.
I think that I removed all the bolts holding it (would be helpfull to find a diagram of the bolt pattern on this bell housing), it looks like it is being held up on the drivers side second bolt from the bottom, but the bolt is out. I cant for the life of me wiggle it loose, even when I lift up on the tranny it lifts the back of the enigne.

Any hints on this and also how to get the bolts from on top of the bell housing back on because it took forever to get them off...

Thanks in advance!!

 

[mudtrac]

Found a good diagram
http://www.supermotors.net/vehicles/registry/media/265755_1
And there are 11 bolts it looks like that hold it on, I have 10 out, but there was one missing to begin with, (top passenger side).

Here is the spot (in red circle) that I am talking about being stuck

 

[rboyer]

You got the one above the one in the red circle? There are four bolts up there on the engine side (front of vehicle) that need removed, two on each side.

 

[mudtrac]

Yeah, there are the 3 around the starter, the 2 on the bottom, the 2 on the right side and the the 2 on the left, then the 2 on the top that take about an hour to remove. Where the red circle is I tried to pry apart with a screw driver but it is denting the dust shield, there are no bolts left in it.. I'm really baffled.

 

[feellnfroggy]

Yeah, there are the 3 around the starter, the 2 on the bottom, the 2 on the right side and the the 2 on the left, then the 2 on the top that take about an hour to remove. Where the red circle is I tried to pry apart with a screw driver but it is denting the dust shield, there are no bolts left in it.. I'm really baffled.

Mine was screwy too, there is one that is reverse mounted, looks like htere is no bolt but there is. look from a different angle if you can

 

[crbnunit]

Yea, seems like mine had one coming through from the front as well.

 

[metalmacguyver]

Your alignment dowel may be stuck too. A little heat sometimes works miracles on those.

 

[mudtrac]

Well between the way the engine and the tranny were supported at a weird angle, and the dowel i got it figured out, just took the right alignment, Yeah there were 2 backwards bolts into the tranny,

Still does anyone have a good solution to the top 2 bolts to put them back in, or just twist my wrist around to get them back? Thanks again guys.

 

[projectnitemare]

Leave the top bolts for last. You will be able to let the trans hang free with no support under it. Crawl under and with a long extension and you might need a universal you will be able to get them in without a problem.

Matt

 

[kkjb4x4.0]

I was able to remove those two bolts through the hole where the shifter mount with an extension. YOu may be able to go through there.

 

[Will]

I, in the dozen times I've had it apart, just let it hang on the mounts and use a few long extensions over the top.

 

[MAKG]

I've done this a few times that way, but there is one potential "gotcha."

Make sure you don't rest the engine on something. The upper intake will rest on the firewall. Some engines have A/C lines on the back of the intake manifold. It's also a common place to run wiring for aftermarket electrical accessories. On my former Bronco II, I ran an ammeter through there. Fortunately, I foresaw enough to fuse that circuit. And I blew the fuse; firewalls are always grounded.

 

[raiper]

just changed one on a 95 or 97 2.3 ranger. easy as hell if you have a pit to work in....if ya dont raise the truck up high enough(i mean high) that tranny still bolted on and the crossmember taken out kinda hangs and tilts the engine backwards into the firewall. yes the intake will hit your firewall just dont pinch anything. if its anything like the one i did you have more than enough room to put those bolts in with an extension and no weird contortions of the arm or put them back in. just for thought

 

[mudtrac]

Thanks for all the help, this site is great. I got the transmission back in, replaced the pilot, TO, pressure plate, clutch, and slave. Took me about 7 hours to do everything , and that was laying under it with just some floor jacks. I didnt have as big of an issue getting those top bolts back in as I did in bleeding the slave, the manual said you did have to bleed it, but the peddle felt very soft and it wouldnt shift, after trying to gravity bleed, I ended up having to do the old bleed in a bottle of fluid trick, Where you hook a hose to the end of the bleed screw and put it in a bottle filled with some fluid, then have a guy pump the clutch, and a guy fill the reservoir, while that is going on you can open and close the bleed screw and you will see the air coming out both top and bottom. also makes it so air cant get back in when the clutch is releasing. A piece of 1/4 vacuum hose works great, you just need a lot of break fluid to do this.