Transmission not coming off - 88 2.9

[Seahawk]

Hi everyone, I've got my friends 88 Ranger back in my garage, now with a failed slave cylinder. I'm trying to get the transmission off of the engine but not succeeding.

I've removed the 6 trans to block bolts, transfer case, slave cyl line, drive shafts, starter, shim plate bolt. I've removed the shift lever, but not the thing that the lever bolts into. Does this need to come off?

I've tried all angles of jacking up the trans and can feel it wiggling but can't seem to get it to slide back! What am I missing?

Thanks.

 

[Earl43P]

6 trans to block bolts


Might have missed one bolt?
There are locating dowel pins that get corroded up.
Pry and wiggle if you have all the bolts out.

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/ManualTransmission.html
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/AutoTrans.html

Every one I look at, I count more than 6 bolts....

 

[Seahawk]

Thanks for the reply. There are only 6 bolts bolting the transmission bell housing to the engine block.

I did get it off finally, just took another beer, some louder music, a few expletives, and a lot of wiggling.

 

[adsm08]

Once you have the shafts and all the bolts out more force is almost always the answer.

I weigh 175 lbs. I was taking my trans out while the back end was up on stands. I literally threw the trans back and forth so hard trying to rock it off the pins that I threw the rear of the truck off the stands. While I was under it.

 

[Seahawk]

Yikes! not good! Hopefully your truck isn't lowered!

I called it a day yesterday after getting the trans separated and lowering the back half so the remainder of the fluid drained out. I must have missed the step where I was supposed to drain the tranny fluid, that was fun to clean up from the garage floor after I got the transfer case off.

I chose not to take the y-pipe off because I am sure something would have broken trying to get the bolts off at the collector. Now I have to push the bell housing up and over the lower section of that pipe (hopefully).

The fun part will be getting the trans back up in there. Hopefully it's lighter than my all-wheel drive Subaru transmission, that was a back breaker.

 

[keebler]

I learned a trick to getting a transmission back in after taking it out. You can loosen or unbolt the body mount bolts and jack up the body a few inches. That gives you alot more space to clear that damn exhaust pipe that is directly under the bellhousing. Something else we can thank ford for doing. If you have air, do that. You wouldnt believe how much easier it is. GOod luck.

 

[-Nathan-]

^ or you could just remove the exhaust pipe. I managed to show my tranny who's boss and man-handled that son of a whore by myself

 

[keebler]

Damn straight!!! Sometimes you just gotta man up and prove that you can do it no matter what.

 

[Seahawk]

Hell yeah! That's exactly what I did.

I think I will be removing the y-pipe before trying to get that bish back in there, along with hammering down that stupid body seam.

 

[keebler]

I always hammer that stupid ass seam up. I guess it wouldnt be so bad, if we could just take the whole body off the frame like they do at the factory!!!! Maybe I will try that next time!!!! A few beers and everything is possible, AT THE MOMENT!