Judd

Hello, the auto trans in my 99 is going and the cost to have a shop do the work is too high for my wallet. I have found a trans locally for $700 with 80k miles on it. The trans is from a 97. If I read correctly I can use a 95-99 trans for my application, is this correct?
Who has done this in their garage over a weekend? I have a fairly well stocked garage and have swapped jeep trans' before (i know, its not a yota).
Is this doable for average mechanic in a weekend? Are there any special tools I will need? Any other pitfalls to look out for? Would a new torque conv. be a good idea on a used trans?

thanks and appreciate any help!!!

Judd

mt_goat

Yeah it can be done by yourself in your garage, I've taken two out and installed this monster with dual cases already attached by myself in my garage.


The trick is you need a tranny jack. You can rent, beg, borrow, or buy one. My choice was one that adapts to a floor jack for a base and has a tilt adjustment for getting the angle just right. That makes sliding the tranny into place much easier. IIRC I payed about $60 for mine not counting the floor jack which I needed a better one anyway. You may need to raise the truck up on blocks to roll the tranny in and out. I used some 6x6 lumber under the tires to gain the height needed:


The hardest part is removing the top 2 bolts on the bell housing. They are hard to reach and can be buggers. It helps if you have a body lift but I removed them on a stock 01 Taco just using a lot of extensions and a swivel or two. It was probably easier for me though because I was swaping the whole engine too so I had the exhaust system out of the way and maybe a few other things.

Not sure what to tell you on the junk yard torque converter. But when you remove the tranny be sure to unbolt the t-converter from the flex plate before you start sliding the tranny out.

Oh yeah another tip. Get a few extra tranny bolts and cut the heads off, then cut a slot in the end for a flathead screw driver. These can be used to line up the tranny going back in place. Once you have it back in place and a few bolts started you can use the screw driver to remove the guide bolts and install the regular bolts. Its also easier to install if you make sure the center pilot hole is clean and free of rust (fine sand paper if there is) and maybe a thin coat of anti-seize. I also used anti-seize on all the bolt threads.

Judd

Wow, thanks for the helpful tips. I am thinking of getting a new converter anyways, hate to do the install only to find out I need a new one.

thanks again, Judd