My 91 has got throwout bearing problems and something rattling / banging inside the bellhousing (bad pilot bearing / flywheel problems). I have undertaken the task of do the job myself, and here is what I have done so far:

• Front and rear propeller shafts removed
• shifters removed
• starter out
• electrical connectors unplugged (except for the 4WD indicator, which doesn't want to come loose, I will cut and rewire if necessary.)
• Fan shroud removed (it broke awhile back)
• Engine supported with a wood block and a bottle jack
• Transmission supported with a transmission jack

When examining the bolts that hold the engine to the transmission, it appears that there are 2 on the top that I cannot get to. The impression I get form the service manual is: that you have to take out what bolts you can and then lower the cross-member/transmission/transfer-case, as as one unit, with the engine still attached. Lower it just enough so that you can reach up around the bellhousing to get the last two bolts out. Then separate the engine and transmission assembly. Is this correct?

Also, it appears that I will have the disconnect the exhaust at the manifold and/or the cat... yes/no??

Will the engine tilt enough to get to the bolts without remove anything else / without breaking the motor mounts?

Thanks

 

I just recetly did a clutch on Idanity's 88 V6 truck. You do have to lower the trans/case assy down in the back, but you wont have to unbolt the exhaust. However, it would make it slightly easier to do that (unbolt the exhaust) and put less stress on the system. Its really up to you.

the motor mounts are made of flexible rubber, and will tilt no problem It cant go very far before it hits the firewall anyways. You will want to pick up a set of these:



Makes it SOO much easier

 

Some people have gone through the shifter hole to get to those two bolts. But, either way....tilting motor or shifter hole.

I didn't remove the exhaust when I did mine. It went fine.

 

I just reach behind the engine to get those bolts, it takes a little contorting but its the easiest way I've found.

 

Six inch and twelve inch extensions and a U-joint and I got those bolts out without a problem.

 

I got the transmission out a couple of days ago. I used the long extension from inside the cab method, and it would great. The rattling sound turned out to be a failing friction disc. It had plenty of material still on it, but some of the anti-rattle springs were broken and the splined socket was somehow loose. Overall, it looks like someone put a cheap refurbished clutch kit in it that was doomed to fail.

Sadly, my clutch job revealed what I believe to be a significant problem with crankshaft endplay. I can move the flywheel back and forth about 1/4". The engine was "supposedly" rebuilt less than 10,000 miles ago, but given the otherwise multitude of problems it has had (broken R&P up front, failed timing chain tensioner, broken CV shaft, among others), nothing would surprise me now. The engine got a new head sometime in the recent past and probably has had at least a ring job / valve job since it doesn't burn oil and has plenty of power at 240,000 miles. I am suspecting that the thrust washers were either not installed, or have recently fell out. I am about to pull the oil pan later today. It never made any bottom end noise that I could tell, so I am hoping there is not crankshaft damage.

 

Good luck, then.

 

As I suspected the rear thrust bearing was laying in the oil pan. Although the front set had significant wear, they had not fallen out yet, which is probably what saved my crankshaft. The main bearings didn't look too great, so I am going to replace them while I have the thing torn down. I'm just waiting on parts today.

Also, has anybody used a slide hammer to remove a pilot bearing? I have tried the grease / hydraulic method, but all it did was blow out the bearing seals. The pilot bearing puller I rented at Advance Auto was a total POS and bent long before the bearing was going to move. I don't currently have a slide hammer, but I can pick one up from harbor freight tomorrow if necessary. Any suggestions? thanks

 

Grease method of removing the pilot bearing will work. Socket has to be a good fit but will remove the bearing. I had to repack it a few times, as grease came out, but eventually it backed out as advertised. Get a closer fitting socket or have a slug of steel machined down to a good fit. Reversing the socket works better.

 

Sorry to jump on this thread and ask a question, scold me as needed. I'm getting ready to replace my clutch this weekend, and I'm still a bit confused about the pilot bearing. When you say to use a socket, what exactly do you do with the socket?

 

if yer near Philly you cna borrow the SST (I have one - yeah I know...)

 

I just packed grease in, poked the socket end of my 12" extension in, and smacked it with a hammer. Three blows and the bearing shot up the extension shaft. Maybe you should try it again with more grease.

 

This is the key, from the front.

 

I get the bolts out using a 1/2 (3/8 is too thin and winds up like a torsion bar) drive 18"+ extension bar and a 1/2 drive breaker bar.

The ribs on the bell housing "guide" the socket right into the bolt head.

I go in from the stick shift hole witht he cross member removed and the engine trans tilted back a tad..

 

If my 94 is the same, I took out the two top bolts by accessing them from the engine compartment with a box end wrench. The swing is pretty small, but the came out fairly easily.

On the pilot bearing, a used 30-06 case is just the right size to drive in the center of the pilot bearing.

 

I've never removed a toyota tranny w/ a transmission jack because you cant rent em around here and they're to damn expensive for a decent one so tilting the transmission down is possible but for all my experiences just wasn't safe w/out a proper jack.

Soo.. on my truck since I have a body lift, getting to the upper bolts is simple through the shifter hole in the cab. For my brothers stock 85 I used extensions and a set of these as well:


and got to the two top bolts from underneath the cab.

I don't know how you guys get to those bolts from the engine bay.

As for the pilot bearing.. I think you're all missing the point. He said the grease blew out the bearing seals so you have zero hydraulic pressure when that happens. Same thing happened to me. All the grease did was blow out the inner and outer rubber seal and so grease flows like butter over a hot knife through the bearings.

I got mine out with a dremel and a flat head screw driver. I used brute force to get in the inner race out and the bearings then use a dremel and carreeffuuulllyyy cut the outer race and when it got close to hitting the crank shaft I use a flat head to finish snapping the outer race in two pieces at which time it fell out.


wow... now thats genius I will remember this forever and try it next time i do a pilot bearing! Never even thought about a shell casing


=D

 

I ended up getting a blind hole bearing puller from harbor freight tools: [URL="http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95987"]

not cheap at $39.99 for a single purpose tool, but after four hits the bearing was out. As discussed, if the oil seals blow out the hydraulic method will never work. You can also get a nice 800lb. transmission jack from harbor freight for around $99-$140 depending on sales / time of year.

New main bearings were not going to go in without taking the crankshaft out, so I just replaced the thrust washers (cross my fingers they stay in) and I will probably switch to something thicker that 10W-30.

 

ok sorry to steal this thread, but i need a new transmission in my rig. and i figured this thread would be the right place to ask. how do you guys get the transmission back up from the ground? i can get it down, but getting the new one up i cant figure out how its done without a tranny jack, and only ones ive seen are about 4 feet tall. whats your secret?

 

i bought a trans jack at harbor freight, about eight inches tall when compressed. you still have to jack up the truck to get the trans out on it. i think it was about 50 bucks. i use pieces of plywood to shim under the trans and t-case to keep it from rolling on it.

 

Never said I did. I got them from under the truck with 18" of extensions and a U-joint.