So i will be attempting to put a tranny in my buddies 89 4runner. It has a 3.0 and auto tranny. How difficult of a task is this? Think we can do it in a day? considering we are not mechanically inclinded.... gimme your opinions the easiest and fastest ways. And what to look out for.

 

Easist way to do it: Unbolt some stuff, bolt some stuff back up.

Realisitcally, there is no write up, or special way of replacing it. The best way is to roll up your sleeves, and just do it. People online telling you how to pull a trans isn't going to make it any less of a PITA.

One piece of advice is to get a very long extension. Snap-on sells one that is about 3 feet long, and super helpful. Also, a set of swivel sockets like these:

 

If you have a tranny jack its easier:



That makes the hardest part getting the top two bolts out of the bell housing. Make sure you unbolt the torque converter from the engine BEFORE you start to pull the tranny away from the engine.

After that the 2nd hardest thing was figuring out the secret to pulling the electrical connectors apart. It seems like they all have a different way of releasing the little locking mechanism. If you don't have a body lift you might have to lower the tranny down a few inches while its still attached to the engine to get better access to the electrical connectors and bolts.

Don't forget to remove the kickdown cable from the throttle body, remove the dip stick and upper half of the dip stick/fill tube, disconnect the shifter linkages (tranny and transfer case), disconnect the ATF cooler hard lines and remove the transfer case ATF cooler.

 

YEAAAAA Thats a negittive on the tranny jack.. I will have a couple buddies help muscle it.... How long do think it will take if we work pretty quick.. 2 days? max of workin like 8hr days