One more thing. Do I really have to remove the center member on which the whole engine stands to remove a VG tranny? I don't see any possible point in doing so, but I could be and probably am mistaken. The auto zone guide seems to focus more on the VE models, so I can't make heads or tails of some of their steps. So yet another question is where are the bolts that hold the rear plate cover on a VG tranny? Sorry about stupid noob questions, but I gotta learn somehow.

 

Remove the y-pipe, brakes, axles, etc. Jack up the tranny, remove the bolts holding it to the engine and the 2 tranny mounts. Then wiggle it off...

 

is there a write up somewhere for this?

 

It's exactly what maxitech wrote. What more is there to write about?

 

Ahh yes. You're right.
Sorry, I was searching for tranny swaps from auto to manual, and so the topic of the swap was stuck in my head all this time. Totally forgot the fact that thread was specifically for removal. Sort of on a 1 track frame of mind, if ya know what i mean.

And when I said "write up" I didn't mean a brief overview. Write ups usually include what tools are needed, what parts should be changed, draining, what to look out for, etc. I go to say, I'm not a mechanic expert, but, I'd guess pulling the tranny is not as easy as pull that, unbolt that and let it go. It's almost Chilton-esque, no?

my bad, man.

 

What? I guess many have their own way of removing stuff, but I have no clue why you want or need to remove the y-pipe or the brakes! Neither are in the way or prevent the removal of the tranny.

If you don't want to fool with yanking the axles out of the tranny, you will need to unbolt the axle and lower ball joint on the driver's side in order to pull the strut and hub out away from the tranny so you can pull the axle out of the hub. Then you unblolt the axle from the passenger's side (don't need to mess with the ball joint). Also, unbolt the axle carrier bracket off the back of the engine and the shift linkage off the tranny. Don't forget to remove the speedo sensor, starter, and slaver cylinder so you don't break anything. Support the tranny and unbolt the tranny mounts. You should be able to pry the tranny off the block and have plenty of room to drop it down. If you get in a bind, simply unbolt the front two crossmember bolts and loosen the back two so you can drop the engine down a bit to provide some additional clearance. You should support the engine from above if you do so.

As far as the "rear plate cover," if you're referring to the plate that goes behind the flywheel, there are no bolts, it hangs on two rods that stick out from the block and is otherwise held in place when the tranny is re-installed. Otherwise, I don't recall any rear plate cover on 5sp or auto.

 

So I don't have to disconnect anything inside the transmission? Just the bolts that hold it to the engine? AutoZone guide says "remove the rear plate cover which is held by two bolts", but I guess they're probably referring to a VE model, then. Appreciate the info, bro.

 

I still don't get how you would remove the tranny without removing the axles first...And the y-pipe is just a PITA to work around...I prefer to get it out of there.

And taking the brakes off gives you more room to get under the wheel well and unbolt things like the mounts.

 

This being my first time removing a whole tranny, I removed all those things anyway just to be on the safe side. Even then I still barely had room to remove the left axle.

 

torque converter to flywheel bolts?behind the lower cover plate?

 

Grrr. How do I remove the cover plate. And when do I remove it, before or after I remove the bolts holding tranny to the engine and brackets?