[click to enlarge] | | There are quite a few projects that require removing the transmission. An important one is clutch replacement. There are several steps you will need to perform prior to dropping your transmission: disconnect the battery, jack up the car, remove the exhaust, remove the driveshaft, and remove/disconnect the shifter.
With these tasks completed, you can move to the side of the transmission and unbolt the slave cylinder. Also disconnect the backup lamp switch and detach its corresponding harness. If you are removing an automatic transmission, disconnect the transmission fluid lines on the left side (see Project 37) and the transmission control wire harness.
Support the transmission with your floor jack, and remove the lower transmission support bar (see Project 38). Then, move the floor jack under the transmission and support it. Now undo the bolts that hold the transmission to the engine.
This is where the going gets tough. First, the bolts are special Torx head bolts that require special sockets to remove them. You need to apply a phenomenal amount of force to remove these bolts from the transmission. If you don’t have the right tools, you will not succeed. Buy yourself an external Torx socket set with sizes E6 through E16 (available from PelicanParts.com), and you will be covered for all of the bolts on the car. These Torx bolts are designed for applications where a good grip is required, and a lot of torque needs to be applied.
The inset in Photo 3 shows two of the Torx bolts you will need to remove.These bolts will be very difficult to remove (see Photo 3 for bolt locations). Conversely, the bolts on the sides and bottom of the transmission will be relatively easy to remove. The two bolts at the top of the engine near the cylinder head are very difficult to remove, especially the one at the very top because there is no room to reach in to apply any significant amount of force. In order to remove the top bolt, I used the following tool combination: 3/8 Torx socket, 3/8 1-foot extension, 3/8 extension U-joint, 3/8 3-foot extension, 3/8 to 1/2 adapter, 3-foot 1/2 breaker bar. This combination of tools was the only way to reach the topmost bolt and remove it. I could place a smaller tool on the bolt, but then I had no leverage to remove it. With this combination of tools, hold the socket in place with your fingers and have an assistant rotate a breaker bar located about 3 feet from the engine.
As if the top bolts weren’t enough of a pain, the starter bolts are even more difficult. Depending upon the year of your car, you may or may not have what is known as a “threaded starter.” If the starter housing is threaded, simply remove the bolts from underneath the car. If your starter has nonthreaded holes, place a wrench on the nuts that are on the opposite side of the bolts. This can be nearly impossible on the six-cylinder cars. In order to reach these nuts, you will need to remove the six-cylinder intake manifold, which is a huge project in itself (see Project 12). If you have a 318 (like the E36 318 used for the photos in this project), it is possible to squeeze your hand down into the engine compartment and reach them. The nuts in question are shown in Photo 4.
Once these hard-to-reach nuts are removed, pull the transmission away from the rest of the engine. (Make sure you haven’t overlooked any bolts on the back side of the transmission; there’s at least one that holds on a metal shield.) Now, with the transmission supported on the jack, pull it away from the engine. If all of the bolts, hardware, and accessories are properly disconnected, the unit should simply pull apart. If it doesn’t, go back and double-check everything. It should pull away quite easily, so don’t use the iron grip of death to pull it out or you could damage something.
Work slowly and carefully at this point. Make sure the transmission is well balanced on the jack—you don’t want it to accidentally fall on you. Also, be sure the transmission is well supported. Don’t let it hang on the center input shaft, as it could bend. Now, pull the transmission away from the car and lower it to the ground. If you would like to see more technical articles like this one, please continue to support Pelican Parts with all your parts needs. If you like what you see here, then please visit our online BMW catalog and help support the collection and creating of new and informative technical articles like this one. Your continued support directly affects the expansion and existence of this site and technical articles like this one. As always, if you have any questions or comments about this helpful article, please drop us a line. |
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