Following the results of my recent poll (http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=523702), I’ve been thinking of a clever way to get all my remaining engine work done with the least frustration.

What I came up with is to pull the tranny! I should then be able to have easy access to rear exhaust studs from the side instead of the bottom, I’ll be able to slide out the oil pan without resorting to the removal of the crossmember, and can get the rear main seal replaced at the same time since its also leaking.

Here is my parts list so far:
oil pan seal (2)
rear main seal
front main seal
retainer gasket
driver side axle seal
passenger side axle seal
rear exhaust gasket
exhaust nut (6)
exhaust washer (6)
exhaust yoke (6)
exhaust stud (6)
y-pipe crush ring (2)
y-pipe to Cat. Gasket

Comments, opinions, suggestions? Even though I have to drop out the tranny, it seems like the easiest way to get all that work done, especially the rear studs.

 

IMHO,If you are going to do all that work,it would be easier/less time consuming to just pull the engine..

 

it takes less time to pull the engine than the tranny?

 

No,what i mean is if you are going to all the things listed in your first post,then yes imo it would be less time consuming and much less back breaking to have the engine out of the car,assuming you have the correct tools to remove the engine..If not you might want to invest in a engine hoist..

This is just my opinion of course,you can do all the stuff you have listed with the engine in the car..

 

yes, less of a PITA to just have the engine out of the car.

 

So the options remain...

I) Buy engine hoist and stand to pull the motor. Far more money, and not without its headaches. I could clean a lot though.
II) Buy tranny jack, and work slightly more aquardly.

A big hassle either way, I still prefer II though because I would rather suffer a bit more save the cash. Thanks for the input fellas.

 

Try to rent or borrow an engine lift.

 

Renting an engine hoist is almost as much as buying one, that is why I own one. Renting was almost $200 for 5 days and I bought one for $125 on sale.

Pulling the engine/trans as an assembly will be more efficient and easier in the long run. You will be happy that you did and any money spent will be worth it. Also once you get it all out you will probably want to detail the compartment.

 

Autozone guide says this as well: "It is recommended the engine and transaxle be removed as a single unit. The engine and transaxle can be separated after removal."

If they stay together then that seems like extra work since I would still have to take off the axles, and then remove the tranny later anyway to get at the rear main seal.

I'm still not convinced that this is the way to go. Its now more work and more equipment costs. Keep in mind the broken rear stud (only one) I'm going after is the one closest to the tranny, if its out I can just sit upright directly next to it and have easy access.

 

It would be silly to change only the broken stud,you need to do all of them or you will be back there again in 6 months/year to replace another broken stud..

 

Oh yeah I'll change them all just like I already did on the front, but I dont need to drill them all, just used the 2-nut method and get them out.

 

Just pull the engine/tranny together. Borrow/rent an engine stand from some one, not a business. Thats how I got about half my money back on my engine lift. I bought the lift for $150ish and the load leveler for $35ish. Go to harbor freight or a discount tool place and it should be about that much.

I have to do the rear main seal, studs, oil pan, valve covers etc etc, so I'm just going to pull the engine/tranny together and do all that work out of the car. Plus then I can clean everything.

Think about it. The only things tieing the engine to the car are the tranny (and its associated parts), the exhaust, the ps pump, ac pump, 2 mounts and some wiring and misc hoses. The VG is actually pretty simple compared to the other cars Ive worked on. If your pulling the tranny, that takes out half the work any way. The axles, shifter and mounts. Not much more work, and it makes it that much easier/faster with it all out of the car.

I just went through the same thing with my 240, and I just pull the engine/tranny together. It takes me about an hour and I have the engine/tranny out ready to be worked on.

~Alex

 

Wow just an hour? I havent made up my mind either way though, this repair isnt happening until about 6 weeks from now.

 

Yea Ive done plenty of work on it so I know exactly what to do and exactly what tools I need.

The maxima would take a little longer but its not that much harder.

~Alex

 

(This is from the perspective of a mechanically inclined person that doesn't have a whole lot of experience, but a lot of ingenuity.)

I have pulled the engine and tranny in order to do a major overhaul, it probably took 12 hours (I did it right in order to remember where everything went, including the multitude of electrical harnesses.)

I have dropped the tranny by itself a few times, and it only takes an hour or two- depending on how motivated you are.

Considering the components that you want to replace, my 2 cent opinion is that you just drop the tranny.

Not to mention that you better have some extra cash if you pull the whole thing because you will find extra things (a bunch of them) that you need to go ahead and replace since you have gone to all the extra trouble.

(edit) 12 hours to pull the eng/tran. the labor for the whole overhaul was 20 hours Saturday and 15 hours Sunday.

 

i work kinda slow(and something wierd always goes wrong\slows me down)
part of my problem is having cheap \not the right tools but im getting good at improvising .....maxi-macgyver style

 

I work fairly fast these days, most of my time goes to searching for tools I drop.

 

I've been reading a lot of threads about leaks after replacing axle seals. What do I need to use to get it done right the first time and while the tranny is still removed, a big socket and a rubber mallet, freezer, pcv tube, seal puller, some other kind of whacky widget-like thingamajig?

Also, is it OK to have a shop use their air tools and loosen the 36mm nut on the axle to maybe a reasonable 75 ft-lb, drive back a short distance to the garage, then do the opposite when the repair is finished, or is that a big no no?

 

I recommend pulling the engine.

When I pulled my VE, it only took me about 3 hours with the help of a friend. There's really not that much to it. remove vacuum, fuel, radiator, and heater hoses and let them drain while you unclip the wiring harness and lay it over the windsheild. ~1hr.. (you don't need to label any of the wiring, as they only plug in to the right plug. none of the connectors are the same, and the harness kinda self-fits back into place when you put the engine back in. I don't bother labelling the vacuum hoses either, as between the FSM and the stickers under the hood, it's pretty easy to get them all back in place)

drain tranny and remove axles. unbolt shifter linkage and remove Y pipe ~45 min. (on the outside)
unbolt starter and cabling, 10 min (on the outside).
unbolt tranny mounts. 15 min. (on the outside)
chain engine to hoist. lift slightly to take weight off engine mounts. unbolt engine mounts.

lift engine out. quickly find the ground strap and vacuum lines you forgot to disconnect.

once you have the engine out, you can do the work SOOOOO much faster and more efficiently..

If you go at it the other way, here's all the stuff you'll figure out once you're in there.
1. to get to the rear manifold, you'll need to remove the Y pipe, shift linkage, crossmember, and rear engine mount. you'll need to tilt the engine down a bit in order to get access with a drill to fix the broken stud.

2. how are you going to support the engine if you have the tranny out and the engine mounts and crossmember gone (as per your previous idea)? at that point, the only thing keeping the engine in the car is the wiring harness and radiator hoses.

3. you still have to try to eyeball the proper direction of the exhaust studs when you're drilling. this is a crapshoot at best. not what I call fun. (and yes, I've done the front rear studs on multiple customer cars).

4. in order to pull the oil pan with the engine in the car, you're going to have to remove the crossmember. the pan doesn't just unbolt and slide out. remember your have the oil pickup tube inside the pan. been there, done that. again, it goes back to #2.





I applaud you for trying to think of a better way to do it, but with all of the work you're going to do, your best bet is to just pull the engine.

OR.... you could leave the tranny in, pull the crossmember and rear engine mount and work it from below and do everything else. support the engine from the tranny mounts and crank pulley and you'll be fine. I've pulled the oil pan and done the exhaust studs this way (at separate times), but it's easily doable.

Honestly pulling the engine isn't that bad. but to do either of those jobs I wouldn't recommend pulling it just for that job. considering the laundry list of things you want to do, you will probably find it easier to pull it.... but whatever you do, don't try to pull the tranny and do that job. you'll hate yourself in the morning.

HTH.

 

My plan was to sit inside there once the tranny was out, with my upper body between the engine and the fender, and getting at the rear stud from the side instead of the bottom. It seemed to me that it would be possible to tilt and slide out the oil pan once the tranny was out of the way, and leave the crossmember in place. If I have to remove the crossmember regardless, then its a no-brainer: pull the engine. The narnesses/hoses dont bother me at all, pulled most of them so many times allready I could do it blindfolded.

If/When I do end up pulling it, I will hate myself for already having done the rear VTC, that sucked hardcore.

Hey Matt, you want to make room in that garage and rent me some equipment?

 

LOL
let's put it this way.. I currently have TWO 2-car garages, and there's not enough room to get a car in either one! My engine hoist and extra stand are already promised to another friend.

I think you'd be best off to pull the crossmember and do it from udner the engine.
the way I remember the rear manifold and everything, you'll have to pull the rear engine mount and support bracket in order to get the manifold off the car. you might be able to do it from the side without pulling that stuff, but I don't think that's possible (I've been known to be wrong)..

But considering I like to pull the tranny first, then pull the engine (if you're going out the top... it's a tight fit if you leave the tranny on), you can pull the tranny in about 45 min and give it a shot. If you decide the engine has to come out, then you're not far away at that point. you won't lose too much time going that direction.

 

Just a side note, if you want to pull the tranny only, you dont need a special tranny jack. I just replaced the tranny on a 4th gen with a normal 2.5 ton floor jack..

 

You don't have to, but it makes the job a whole lot easier when you're doing it by yourself. saved me a lot of hassle, sore muscles, and a few minutes of time lining the tranny back up.

 

Yeah, it seems like it would be an annoying balancing act without a tranny jack. The auto tranny is like 200lb isnt it? I dont feel like breaking my back lifting it after it topples off a normal jack.

I may have found an affordable hoist/stand, gonna look at it tonight.

Anyone want to chime in on my question from above? I really wanted some responce on this, quoting myself:

 

I have a tranny jack you can borrow if you want it. it's currently serving as an engine dolly, but I can find it a different home if you need the jack.

for the axles, just make it a point to replace the seals each and every time you pull out the axles (unless it's like a week apart or something). when you put the new seals in, use a punch or old seal or something to drive it in as straight as possible and only mash it in flush with the case. if you shove it too far in, it'll bottom out inside the tranny case, preventing it from sealing properly and you'll get a dribble.

to remove them, I've got a $5 seal puller from the parts store that does great. they're just a PITA to get back in, especially when the tranny is on the car.


and no, no problem with having a shop remove the hub nut and put it back on by hand. you want to run it as tight as you can though to make sure you don't damage the wheel bearing on your trip home.
have them pound it loose with an impact, then YOU retighten it with the same tools you will be using to remove it again later. that way you're sure to be able to get it apart when you get home. (factory torque on that nut is like 180lb ft or something)

 

Something just occurred to me while I was thinking about the coming repair:

Can I pull the engine and just leave the tranny in the car with proper support? That way I wouldnt have to mess with the axles at all which would cut out a lot of needless work.

I dont have a good mental picture of how the engine and tranny link up, is there enough space to swing the engine slightly to the passenger side and then up?

Its funny that this is now completely opposite of what I first planned to do., strange how advice and discussion can shift opinion

 

bump for post #26

 

no, won't work.

The carrier bearing for the right side axle is held in by a bracket that's bolted under the rear engine mount.

and there's two tranny mounts on the left side frame rail, but nothing on the other side to hold it up. you'd have to support it from the inside edge to make it work.

For the additional work required to pull the tranny, it's easier to pull it with/before the engine instead of trying to pull the engine without it.