I have an 89 22RE 4x4 with W56 transmission. I'm attempting to remove the transmission to replace the clutch and inspect the bearings (it whines in 5th gear).

I have the factory repair manual and have removed everything necessary to remove the transmission. I have triple checked to make sure all the bolts in the bell housing are removed and nothing is holding it. Both drive shafts are removed, the cross member is removed, etc.

No matter how hard I pull or shake, I can only get the transmission to move about 1/8" to the rear. I am sure that nothing is blocking it, but it seems to be stuck.

Can anybody give me any pointers for getting this thing out? Is there a certain angle it has to be at before it will come out?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

pry bar? if its not obstructed by anything i see no problem in prying it back...

 

Thought about that, but I'm not sure how tough the bell housing is. Any danger in using a pry bar? Any areas to stay away from with it?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR8fzuMghBE
heres when i did mine idk its nothing special take a look if ya want cuz it might not have the answer to ur question cuz i kinda pryed at the bottom of the jack

 

I'd triple check to make sure no bolts are holding it. When pulling my engine I almost missed one coming from the front near the starter.

One older thread: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...siezed-184161/

I don't know how much prying the bellhousing can stand. I'd try using a strap or chain to tug it back.

 

Thanks for all the help guys. The other thread that flyingbrass linked had a post about the starter being attached to the transmission, which got me thinking because that area seems to be the hardest to break free.

I don't have it with me, but I followed the factory manual step by step (except for removing the exhaust pipe). I was under the impression that you only needed to remove the two long bolts holding the starter and lay the starter beside the engine. Does anything else need to be done with the starter housing?

 

I had the same issue as you are having. I dropped the crossmember with the trans and tcase still attached then grabbed a strap and tied it to the crossmember (up and around the trans). Ran the strap under the rear axle and gave it a GOOD tug. Popped right out. I did have the trans supported my a homeade tranny jack though.

 

I tried that. In fact, I tried using a ratchet strap between the tranny and my receiver hitch, then tightening it down to winch the tranny out. No luck.

How low does the rear of the transmission need to be? I think part of my problem is that I either have it too low or too high and I'm binding it up.

By the way, I do have my tranny supported by a floor jack and a few more ratchet straps between the chassis rails.

 

I used a prybar to get my trans away from my wngine when I pulled the engine. It seemed to work pretty well and did not damage anything.

 

Did you remove the shifter? check to see if the shifter socket is hitting your floorboards... I ran into this.

 

I had moved the tail up and down a few times to see how the motor looked like it was under the least stress. If you have it back about 3/4" you can see if its coming out square with the motor or not. I reckon it was about a 2 inch (rear) drop before I could pull mine. IN the photo the trans is sitting at the same angle I pulled it at.

 

Are there bolts in the dust plate bolted to the bell housing? Any pics

 

I don't recall recall but I think that there were 2-4 into the block and 2 on the bell.

 

This guy had a similar problem, his pilot bearing was fuzed to the tranny input shaft. https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...siezed-184161/

You got those 2 upper most bolts on top of the bell housing? Also, on mine there was a little exhaust bracket that one of the tranny bolts went through. There may also be 1 or 2 hidden bolts that go through from the engine side, I can't exactly remember right now.

 

The two top bolts were a PITA for me. It took about 3' worth of extentions and an impact swivel to get access. (broke a craftsman swivel in the process).

 

Both shifters are out. I have the transmission low enough that it isn't hitting on the floorboard.

 

I saw that. I sure hope mine isn't like that, but I guess it is possible. One reason I'm pulling it is that it has been leaking trans fluid. I thought it was just oil because the rear crank seal was leaking as well, but I noticed while I was working on it that it had a red tint, like a mixture of oil and trans fluid. It had also started to whine in 5th gear, so I'm hoping there isn't a lot of damage due to lack of trans fluid.

As for the bolts, I have looked at the factory repair manual about a billion times. I have also looked as far as I can look with a light and ran my hand all the way around the bell housing feeling for bolts. I am 99.9% positive all the bolts are out. I got the two on the top, as well as the two that hold the exhaust bracket.

 

It's looking more and more like I'm going to at least try a pry bar before I end up taking it to a shop.

 

You did say it was a 5sp, right? I hope it doesn't have ATF in there, maybe that's why it's whining!

It should be black thick oil that smells like sulfur, gear oil has a very distinctive smell. Maybe you are leaking some hydraulic fluid out of the clutch slave cylinder.

Anyway, good luck getting it off there.

 

I had the same problem with mine, but a friend pointed out the 2 top bolts which are hidden between the very top of the back of the engine and the firewall. Couldn't get to them until I used a ratchet with an articulating head, then they were relatively easy to remove, although I had to hold the socket on the bolt while my friend worked the ratchet.