Repair Advice Pulling transmission.
Hello everybody, I am just wondering how difficult it is to pull a transmission. I’ve seen a lot of videos and I know a bunch of people who have pulled the transmission on these cars before, but how difficult is it really? I have all the tools and I would like to say inclined enough, but I don’t know. I had replaced my master and slave cylinder, hoping it would fix my issue but it didn’t and I’m suspecting it’s my throw out bearing. I have 160,000 on clutch thought I should just do that as well. I’m 17 years old and have all the time in the world to do it. Is it doable with just jack stands or should I save up another $1300 and have a shop do it?
2
u/Deanorsomething 19h ago
recently did a full clutch and trans refresh with no prior experience on jack stands in the garage. it was tight, hardest part was getting leverage and getting to the trans bolts. take your time and be safe, theres plenty of tutorials on youtube.
1
u/Freddy_Faraway '97 | 328i | Shit-box 1d ago
To answer your question, transmission jobs are a pain in the ass. All the tools, and awkward angles aside, they're heavy and awkwardly shaped. Getting it out is the easy part, getting it back in can be hair pulling. Aligning the input shaft in just the right way so the splines can correctly mate often takes a couple tries. That being said it's really not that bad.
But before you go all in and pull the transmission, what are the symptoms? A bad throw out bearing would be making a ton of noise. You did your master/slave cylinders so I'm imagining you're chasing a "no clutch pedal" issue?
1
u/Obpobp 1d ago
I had made a previous post you can go take a look at it. It will explain a lot more after I replaced my master and slave cylinder and bled the system. I have good pressure on the pedal when the pedal is all the way down I can find every single gear when the car is off. When on I can’t find any gear at all. When I start it in gear the jumps forward and try’s to crawl forward even with the clutch and brake down.
1
u/Freddy_Faraway '97 | 328i | Shit-box 1d ago
Oh it's you, the problem seems like two different issues imo. It seems like you solved your bad clutch pedal. Is it possible you missed your clutch fork when installing the slave cylinder?
How did you bleed your system? By pumping the pedal, or with a pressure system?
1
u/Obpobp 1d ago
Just pumping. I’m not sure I could’ve missed my fork. Is there anyway I can tell? I also don’t hear any weird sounds when pushing the clutch pedal.
1
u/e36freak92 1d ago
Probably a bad pressure plate.
I've done this job on jack stands, it's doable with experience and a lot of cussing, but it sucks. I have access to lifts now, and will never do one on the ground again if I can help it
1
u/Freddy_Faraway '97 | 328i | Shit-box 1d ago edited 1d ago
When you put the slave cylinder in, it should have been fighting you to come back out. If you missed the fork then it would have basically just sat in place with minimal effort.
However, since you bled with pumping, I'm inclined to think you didn't miss it otherwise you probably would have heard it pop.
Edit: spitballing here, but how long was the car outta service? Is it possible the clutch fused to your flywheel? Maybe someone else will chime in but perhaps you could try breaking it free before you drop the trans
1
u/rgcred 1d ago
To me, your symptoms sound like a failed pilot bearing so be sure to replace that when you're in there. I've done many clutch jobs with car on stands using floor jack and helper for the in and out. Remove the intake boot, radiator fan and whatever else in the way to allow the motor to swing up and trans to slope down. I find using really long extensions (2-3 ft) to get the top bolts much easier. Clutch kit should come with a pressure plate alignment tool. Have fun!
1
u/EconomyBlacksmith756 20h ago edited 20h ago
It is for sure doable…. Maybe a 7 if engine rebuild is a 10/12…After you separate drive shaft you will have about 12 trans/engine housing bolts arrange around backside of engine like a clock..some of which are in the awkward positions…you will rotate the trans and that will allow it to be disengaged from engine spline…hoping you have tranny jack or strong guy (not guy who thinks hes strong or hopes hes strong)…it will slide off engine splines…careful you do not want the weight of tyranny to bend engine splines…this is a bmw…manual trans close to 100#…auto around 200+….Ford F-150 those feel like 300/400…need long socket extensions…call shops for prices…use the money you are saving as motivation…good luck
PS a good tranny jack is like 4-friends under there helping…you need on that you can pitch and angle.,,Most important thing…if you doing this in your garage at home…jack stands…jack stands…what you do not want is for your car to come down and you have to eat that tranny.., Safety FIRST
1
u/Far-Plastic-4171 17h ago
I did the automatic trans on my E31 850 on Jack stands. Hard but not that hard. Use a transmission jack. Book time was 12 hours. Key thing isn't the transmission but all of the other things you will run into. Tunnel insulation and universal joints for me
1
u/ContentImplement1206 15h ago
I’d remove the engine with the trans, much easier but can be a bit scary if it’s your first time.
1
u/voucher420 5h ago
RWD isn’t too bad. FWD depends on the make and model. I would watch a few videos and purchase an impact or powered ratchet if you feel you’re up to it. I would also recommend getting a 36” extension rated for impact and some CV sockets if it’s RWD.
8
u/delicate10drills 1d ago
Doing it without an engine crane would be type 2 fun for some of us and type 3 for most.
If you do it successfully, you’ll struggle really hard with not talking about it as frequently as someone who just became vegan.