CraigWaterman11
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I spent only a couple of hours yesterday and today because it seems like I have the flu, and it's a bit difficult to work. This is just how I do it. Others might do it another way. Anyway so this is what I have:
So to begin with I rip the trunk out so I have enough room to pull the gear box back when I'm under the car:
Start with pulling the spare tire and cover out. Then unscrew the black cover that's against the opening of the trunk like so:
Next pull the carpet from under the battery side, and pull the carpet up:
Next is the Spare tire carrier/plastic insert:
Watch out for the screws on the side of the carrier. Sometimes they are hard to see and you need to peel the foam back:
Next is the heat shield, but you have to do that underneath:
I stopped with the heat shield nuts under the car but before we can get to those we need to remove some other hardware.
Going to the front of the car because I'm going to drop the exhaust as an entire unit, leaving the boxes on the car. We need to remove the sway bar nuts and remove the front cross member. We'll just leave the sway bar hanging it doesn't need to be removed from the car.
Photos above show the cross member support bar bolts left/right side in the foreground and the sway bar nuts in the back ground.
Sway bar brackets and sway bar hanging above.
Sorry for the blurred photo below. Ironically with greasy hands I thought the photo was clear, but what you are looking at is the bolts to the exhaust right before the pancaked down pipe.
In this photo the exhaust is removed but you can get a better idea of the area I detached it from:
Below you are looking at the exhaust hanger brackets. There are two 13mm bolts on either bracket before the exhaust will drop down. Afterwards you'll need to take both these brackets off in order to slide the gear box rearward through the cross member. If you don't they will hang up and catch and you won't be-able to slide it back.
Lastly are the bolts going to the muffler boxes, 15mm one on either side and then take the exhaust out of the way.
Now we come back to getting to that heat shield. We need to take this out before we complete the heat shield task:
To remove it you'll need a torx head and a hex head. Sorry, at the moment I cannot remember the sizes. 5mm I think.
Once that's dropped remove the 10mm nuts at the back and front. I usually use a swivel socket with a long wobble extension for the ones sitting up in the rear of the car.
Once they are all out pull it down. I push it in around the edges to maneuver it out. No worries it's aluminum based so it will fold up with persuasion, additionally you'll be able to put it back in and push it back into place with re-installation.
While you are back here. Go ahead and reach up on top of the gear box. Right side (Passenger side U.S.) by the harness that comes down by the battery area, and disconnect the two wiring harnesses. Now you have to remove the grey safety clasp before it will allow you to push the catch for the wiring harnesses. If you are having a difficult time pushing the catches for the wiring harnesses. Push the harnesses together first then you'll see it will push in and come right apart. Here's a photo of the grey safety clasp.
Moving right along. Lets get to the torque tube. It's pretty straight forward. You'll see 8, 15 mm nuts. But you'll need a trick for the rear part. First, the hydraulic hose for the throw-out bearing/slave cylinder is attached to the torque tube. There's 10mm nuts all the way down it. But the one we are focused on is the last one at the rear of the torque tube because once you get the gearbox out of the way, you'll be able to gain access a bit better by pushing the tube over to remove the rest.
You'll need an "S" wrench. Then you'll see the hydraulic hose running really close to the nut on the top of the passenger side (U.S. for international guys). Here like so:
You won't be-able to get the wrench into this location like that. So take a small pry bar and just push the hydraulic C-clamp forward to give you room like so:
Now you still aren't done because with the lower nut still on you won't have enough room to swivel the S wrench down to loosen it. So take that nut out of the way first. Really as soon as you break the torque on these the nuts spin right off:
Okay now after removing the top nuts knock yourself out remove all of them. Once again remove those exhaust hanger brackets:
I didn't take photos of this but I will try and get them. There's two other things you absolutely need to take care of or that gearbox won't pull out. First, let me state I love the fact that from the 4200 cars they completely removed the E brake cable off the torque tube. Secondly, there is still however, a clamp setting on top of the gear box for the part of the E brake running to the Passenger side you need to remove. Actually in the same area is the wire clamp for the actuator hydraulic hoses you'll need to remove as well. It's attached to the underside of the car.
I usually unbolt both half shafts and push them out of the way before I go doing this. You'll need a 13mm 12 point socket. If you were smart you'll have the car in neutral with the E brake released. Because if not you won't get any E brake clamps loose and you won't be able to just spin your rear tires around where you need to in order to make taking those half shafts out easier.
After you remove both. You'll still need to watch as you pull the gear box back so the E brake cable that crosses over the top of the gearbox for the passenger side doesn't get hung up on the Actuator bolts. But after you have done so you can pull the gear box back.
I also just realized I don't have a picture of the cross member holding the gear box from the rear. It has the gearbox mount on it as well. No worries I will just type a little more and add them later. It's the very last thing I remove with a jack under the gear box. There's four 13mm bolts on either side. Then the gear box will pull back.
You'll have this:
So to begin with I rip the trunk out so I have enough room to pull the gear box back when I'm under the car:
Start with pulling the spare tire and cover out. Then unscrew the black cover that's against the opening of the trunk like so:
Next pull the carpet from under the battery side, and pull the carpet up:
Next is the Spare tire carrier/plastic insert:
Watch out for the screws on the side of the carrier. Sometimes they are hard to see and you need to peel the foam back:
Next is the heat shield, but you have to do that underneath:
I stopped with the heat shield nuts under the car but before we can get to those we need to remove some other hardware.
Going to the front of the car because I'm going to drop the exhaust as an entire unit, leaving the boxes on the car. We need to remove the sway bar nuts and remove the front cross member. We'll just leave the sway bar hanging it doesn't need to be removed from the car.
Photos above show the cross member support bar bolts left/right side in the foreground and the sway bar nuts in the back ground.
Sway bar brackets and sway bar hanging above.
Sorry for the blurred photo below. Ironically with greasy hands I thought the photo was clear, but what you are looking at is the bolts to the exhaust right before the pancaked down pipe.
In this photo the exhaust is removed but you can get a better idea of the area I detached it from:
Below you are looking at the exhaust hanger brackets. There are two 13mm bolts on either bracket before the exhaust will drop down. Afterwards you'll need to take both these brackets off in order to slide the gear box rearward through the cross member. If you don't they will hang up and catch and you won't be-able to slide it back.
Lastly are the bolts going to the muffler boxes, 15mm one on either side and then take the exhaust out of the way.
Now we come back to getting to that heat shield. We need to take this out before we complete the heat shield task:
To remove it you'll need a torx head and a hex head. Sorry, at the moment I cannot remember the sizes. 5mm I think.
Once that's dropped remove the 10mm nuts at the back and front. I usually use a swivel socket with a long wobble extension for the ones sitting up in the rear of the car.
Once they are all out pull it down. I push it in around the edges to maneuver it out. No worries it's aluminum based so it will fold up with persuasion, additionally you'll be able to put it back in and push it back into place with re-installation.
While you are back here. Go ahead and reach up on top of the gear box. Right side (Passenger side U.S.) by the harness that comes down by the battery area, and disconnect the two wiring harnesses. Now you have to remove the grey safety clasp before it will allow you to push the catch for the wiring harnesses. If you are having a difficult time pushing the catches for the wiring harnesses. Push the harnesses together first then you'll see it will push in and come right apart. Here's a photo of the grey safety clasp.
Moving right along. Lets get to the torque tube. It's pretty straight forward. You'll see 8, 15 mm nuts. But you'll need a trick for the rear part. First, the hydraulic hose for the throw-out bearing/slave cylinder is attached to the torque tube. There's 10mm nuts all the way down it. But the one we are focused on is the last one at the rear of the torque tube because once you get the gearbox out of the way, you'll be able to gain access a bit better by pushing the tube over to remove the rest.
You'll need an "S" wrench. Then you'll see the hydraulic hose running really close to the nut on the top of the passenger side (U.S. for international guys). Here like so:
You won't be-able to get the wrench into this location like that. So take a small pry bar and just push the hydraulic C-clamp forward to give you room like so:
Now you still aren't done because with the lower nut still on you won't have enough room to swivel the S wrench down to loosen it. So take that nut out of the way first. Really as soon as you break the torque on these the nuts spin right off:
Okay now after removing the top nuts knock yourself out remove all of them. Once again remove those exhaust hanger brackets:
I didn't take photos of this but I will try and get them. There's two other things you absolutely need to take care of or that gearbox won't pull out. First, let me state I love the fact that from the 4200 cars they completely removed the E brake cable off the torque tube. Secondly, there is still however, a clamp setting on top of the gear box for the part of the E brake running to the Passenger side you need to remove. Actually in the same area is the wire clamp for the actuator hydraulic hoses you'll need to remove as well. It's attached to the underside of the car.
I usually unbolt both half shafts and push them out of the way before I go doing this. You'll need a 13mm 12 point socket. If you were smart you'll have the car in neutral with the E brake released. Because if not you won't get any E brake clamps loose and you won't be able to just spin your rear tires around where you need to in order to make taking those half shafts out easier.
After you remove both. You'll still need to watch as you pull the gear box back so the E brake cable that crosses over the top of the gearbox for the passenger side doesn't get hung up on the Actuator bolts. But after you have done so you can pull the gear box back.
I also just realized I don't have a picture of the cross member holding the gear box from the rear. It has the gearbox mount on it as well. No worries I will just type a little more and add them later. It's the very last thing I remove with a jack under the gear box. There's four 13mm bolts on either side. Then the gear box will pull back.
You'll have this: