I've been reading about dropping the transmission to gain access to the rear main oil seal. It doesn't LOOK that hard reading the FSM, but, I've never done it on a vehicle before.

They don't mention any needed tools besides a Transmission Jack, but, is there any special equipment that I would need to gain access to the rear main oil seal?

 

Dropping the tranny sucks. At least dropping the A340H sucks. It is long and has a very uneven weight distribution.

When taking it out dont forget all the cooling lines and electrical lines that are need to be taken out/undone. Plus your 4Runner sitting on 35s and that much lift isnt going to be fun either.

We pulled the A340H out of my 4Runner on 33s and the A340H out my bros 4Runner on 37s and his was by far much scarier.

The rear main seal i believe is very easy to change.

 

Auto or manual? At any rate the top 2 bolts can be a pain to reach - get some long extensions and a wobble extension and u-joint help a lot with those weird angles. Get 2 buddies - one to help you guide the beast down while its on the jack and the other guy to operate the jack for you. Its a lot safer that way.

 

Harbor Freight sells a tranny adapter that fits on most standard floor jacks. It's not the best quality, but will help a lot with the job.

For me, the hardest thing to do is getting the input splines on the tranny to line up with the motor. I have only messed around with a R150 though... but it had dual cases hanging off the back.

 

Hey guys, you weren't very positive. I wanted to hear "Oh yeah, no sweat, just drink a few beers, and chill"... haha.

Well, nothings ever easy I guess!! I need to make sure I have a good set of hands with me as well as a dependable jack apparently. I'll be doing some more research and make sure I'll be able to tackle by myself.

Yeah, I noticed the cooling lines, the dipstick, a few electrical connections and also a throttle cable.

The torque converter, does that come off with the tranny. I am pretty sure I'll need to take that off to access the rear main.

Yes, this is an AT!

 

If you do it right it does, you need to unbolt the TC from the flex plate before you start sliding the tranny back. If you don't the the ATF will start pouring out and you'll have a harder time getting the tranny seperated from the engine, but it can be done either way....as usual there is an easy way and a hard way Note: one of the TC bolts has a bigger shoulder than the others, put that bolt in first going back together (its like a guide bolt) but it can go in any of the holes.

Its not really that hard, with a good tranny jack I did it twice by myself with the transfer cases still attached. The hardest part for me was getting the top bolts loose.

Make sure to get a tranny jack with an angle adjustment. Take the time to get the angle just right with the engine and she will slide on and off easy.


Going back on use a couple tranny bolts with the heads cut off as guide pins, just cut a slot in the end of them so you can use a screwdriver to remove them after the tranny is in place and a few bolts are in.

 

Thanks again for the reply.

In the picture, it appears you did the same as Elvota and used an adapter? I don't know if I have money to shell out for a tranny jack when I'll be only using it ummm... never. Maybe there's a place to rent one.

The top bolts eh? I got a 2" body lift, I hope that might help with getting in there, but, who knows.

So basically, all you had to do was disconnect the cables, cooling tubes, etc. You didn't have to take off the exhaust or anything else, right? (The FSM says you need to?)

So you're also saying that the flex plate stays on the engine block? Is the rear main right there behind (looking forward, towards the engine) the flex plate?

I can't really tell exactly where its located in the FSM diagram. I'm assuming i'll need to take the flex plate off, or do something with it.

Lastly, did you use air tools?

 

Oh yeah you can rent one, my adapter was only about $60 and you will need it going back on too. So there's 2 times you need it, plus you'd be suprised how useful the thing is, I've used it for installing front and rear bumpers, sliders and Bud built crossmember too.




That will help a lot, I only had a 1" BL.

I took off the exhaust, (I was removing the engine too) maybe you can get by without doing it.

Correct, the flex plate is bolted to the engine and the TC bolts to the flex plate. I never took off my flex plate but I'm sure it would need to come off to get to the seal. Here's the flex plate bolts:


I think the only time I used an impact wrench was on the drive shaft flange bolts. I usually don't use air tools, they bugger up fasteners too much.

 

Great, thanks again for the reply.

I'll try to find an adapter. Hopefully they are universal since I have some weird no-name floor-jack that was cheap and lifts high to actually lift my top-heavy rig up off the ground

I think this will be a "fun" project. I'll probably have to wait until I have at least 2-3 days off to tackle it though. How long did it take you to remove it? I work average pace and make sure I do everything correctly first. I'd imagine a good 4 hour job just to get it off? Or is that too long?

Lastly, to remove the torque converter, in the FSM it states:

"Turn the crankshaft to gain access and remove the 6 bolts
with holding the crankshaft pulley set bolt by a wrench."
(http://ncttora.com/fsm/2003/Repair_M...a340e/remo.pdf)

How do I turn the crankshaft? Is it easy to turn by hand?

 

Oh yeah, you can use the tranny jack for installing drive shafts:


Moving your gas tank over to replace a brake line:


Installing rear bumper:

 

Right... by hand.

Just get a socket (19mm maybe) on the crankshaft pulley bolt and turn CW. Takes some effort, and you'll feel the compression of the pistons which can be difficult to overcome smoothly at first... until you get used to it.

Disconnect the battery
Don't turn counter clockwise.

 

I needed a better floor jack anyway so I got one that fit the adapter I found. That time estimate sounds about right, assuming you don't break a bolt off or something. You'll hate those electrical connectors by the time get them apart, every one seems to have a different trick to unlock it.

I used a SST I made for holding the crank shaft pulley:



If you use the crank bolt be sure you don't loosen it up. Maybe only turn it righty tighty or something.

 

It really isnt that hard if you follow the directions (FSM). This is the first real big thing ive done on a vehicle and it wasnt all that hard. It helps to have a buddy there especially when you put it back in so they can guide you to get all the holes matched up and what not. Just make sure you get everything unbolted and unplugged. Definitely get a tranny jack it will make your life so much easier

 

Where did you get your FSM for the 3rd Gen 4Runner?

 

Type in a search on google and you can get an online one and print whatever pages you want. Just type in like 2001 toyota FSM you should be able to get them for almost all the years

 

The FSM I am using is from a Tacoma, which has been identical to my 3rd gen.

Here is the FSM index:
http://ncttora.com/fsm/index.html

Ok, you guys have helped me out a lot. I for one, did not know to turn the crankshaft from the front.

 

My neighbor owns the local tranny repair place and he said they have a tool that hooks onto the teeth on the flex plate and they turn it that way. That would be easier because you could see when the TC bolt is in position. From the front you're just guessing. I'm not sure what the tool looks like.

 

Here is a tranny removed from a tacoma, not exactly the same but the pictures are useful.

http://haroldmiller.net/tacoma/02-11-06