• From: Elverson, PA
  • Registered: 2017-08-15
  • Posts: 1,313

Topic: Any suggestions how to separate a trans from an engine?

This is well beyond the "Remove the bolts and pull." answer.

2000's Camry/Avalon at a P-n-P, just came in. Trans is drained, and the pan is not disturbed yet, so a good transplant candidate. A little side-swipe on the right side, but not too serious; the right wheel turns easily like it should, and the engine turns correctly.

I get to the starter, remove the bolts, but can't get the starter off. I figure I'll come back to that, and it'll probably fall off when the trans is separated.

I go underneath, and I can't get the right side axle shaft out of the center carrier or trans (it comes out a little bit); so I pull the middle connector apart for clearance, and work on the rear engine support. Left side pops out as expected. Bolts to the torque converter come out as expected.

I remove all the bolts and the extraneous stuff, and get some help with the rolling hoist. I get the support lift on the engine and start pulling on the trans. No luck. I try the starter - no luck. I remove the rear engine support and try again to remove the right axle shaft - no luck.

Tapping with a hammer on the starter - no luck. Prybar, pulling, harder tapping; I lift the whole assembly, more prying, pulling, tapping - nada. I lower the drivetrain and lift it again to try and crack it apart - zip.

I'm two days into this pull, and I'm at a loss. It was the end of the day, I'm dehydrated, overheated, hungry, and I just left it with the hoist attached. And today I have to work. I'm sure someone will figure out how to get it apart before I can get back to it but I'm at a complete loss.

At one point I was thinking 'use the rotor removal technique' of a couple of bolts to push it off, but I don't know if there's a place with that kind of threading.

Year-and-a-half ago I separated a trans from the same drivetrain in a Lexus with little problem in a day, while going in and out multiple times for different tools, and in one trip leaving and buying something I didn't yet have. That trans came off with just a pull.

Except: I couldn't get the hoist to the car, and by the time I got there at 10am on Saturday (the next day), it was gone.

Any suggestions? Not that it's likely to still be there when I can get back there, but you never know.

  • From: Columbus, Oh
  • Registered: 2020-05-19
  • Posts: 397

Re: Any suggestions how to separate a trans from an engine?

bring a sawzall, cut off the stuck axle or anything else stuck in the way that seems disposable.

as for trans popping off just take a step back and make sure its not binding up on anything like the exhaust or firewall. When we remove/replace the one in our car we need to shove a 2x4 between the engine and firewall to get it at just the right droop angle.

1989 Merkur XR4Ti: Project Merkur Space Program - Wins: Class C - Colonel and the Sinkhole 2023 | "Heroic Fix" The Pitt Maneuver 2023 | "Halloween Meets Gasoline" The Pitt Maneuver 2022
1980 Dodge Challenger: Most Extreme eLemonAtion Challenger (Rust Belt Ramble 2021 Dishonorable Mention)
  • From: Elverson, PA
  • Registered: 2017-08-15
  • Posts: 1,313

Re: Any suggestions how to separate a trans from an engine?

Right - good suggestions, so more information (I've had some coffee):

No torches, no jacks, no grinders, no sawzalls. Somebody did something REALLY stupid a couple years ago, they REALLY don't want them in the yard; but no problem for a hand held hacksaw - Milwaukee makes a really nice one. But I'm not cutting through that axle.

The unit moves freely side-to-side (a few inches) and up-and-down. They've now taken to cutting out the cats _before_ they set the vehicles, and I removed the about an 8" piece (with the cat's flange remaining) from the header.

AND: The starter doesn't come off, which I think is weird. And that's on the top, away from the axle.

Yesterday was Friday the 13th. I'm a triskaidekaphilic, not -phobic, so '13 is bad luck' doesn't matter to me. And, in 19-long-time-ago, I was a Senior Counselor at "Camp Crystal Lake" and walked around the woods without a flashlight with no concerns. No hockey mask, though. 'course, any kids not in their campsite at night when they should be had a bit of a fright ;-) ...; yet, I digress ...

At the risk of inappropriately mixing franchises, it's almost as if the universe is telling me, "This is not the transmission you're looking for..."