Yes to both. Also helps reassembly if you put a bottle jack under the harmonic balancer. Being able to adjust the engine up/down a little bit makes lining everything back up easier.

 

Sweet, thx Cookie. Bottle jack under balancer BEFORE trans removal? As you can tell, i'm needing the confidence here for this mountain, lol

This would be a cool project, if there was a "mini" RRW here in So-Cal

 

i only had a jack under the trans.
yes both the shifter and the plate in the trans come off.
i dont see how you could take the trans out with out the cross coming out.

 

I pulled mine out with a mechanic friend yesterday & couldn't separate the Transfer case because of corrosion on the dowel on the front of the transfer case which made the unit more unstable when it came free of the engine. We built a little frame to support the block that will hold the engine in original position. It took a few hours. We separated them after they came out.

 

Here is a picture of the frame, of one of my helpers & of prying the units apart after slamming on the corroded dowel.

 

That's how I do it. I actually use a floor jack and a 2x4 on the balancer to preload the engine a little, then this little jewel Transmission Jack - 450 Lb. Capacity to take the tranny down.

An extra set of hands is definitely helpful as the zf6 is very large and can be difficult to handle solo.

 

Cookie....been eyeballing that jack for a few days and just yesterday, came up on a 25% off any 1 item from Harbor Freight...ya buddy.

 

You wouldn't think that little thing would be up to the task by looking at it, but mine has had 6 transmissions on it..... 5 of them being a ZF 5 or 6, so I know it'll get the job done.

I've done it a couple times by myself, which is why I bought that jack. The built in strap gives piece of mind.... and allows you to maneuver the monster tranny alone.

One word of caution. There really isn't a flat spot on the ZF to sit level on the jack tray, so take a few small pieces of wood.... 1x2, 2x4, whatever you have laying around to use as dunnage under the tranny. Mikes life so much easier when the thing goes up and down level.

 

Cookie, decided to pull the trigger man, on that trans jack. Now that i have a few things around here done, i'm gonna rip it apart tonight, and take flywheel in morning. My only concern now is with truck backed up in 1/2 way in garage, i will need to leave it that way overnight. I got a few big thick tarps to cover the exposed garage area, but really, have no other options....Thanks guys for info and confidence boosting. Also, found this from Cody, thanks man....

I just did another one yesterday as a matter of fact.

Take off the shifter boot, the two T40 bolts on the shift lever, and the six 6MM allen bolts that hold the top shift on.

Go under the truck, unbolt the driveshaft(s) with a 12mm wrench or 12mm 12pt. socket and the center support bearing housing (15MM) if equipped.

If you don't have a dedicated transmission jack and have a 4x4 truck, remove the transfer case. Either unplug the shift motor or use a prybar and some panther **** to remove the shift lever (electronic vs. manual shift). Use a 10mm wrench to take out the two bolts that hold on the 4x4 shift lever (if equipped).

If you have a dedicated jack, you can usually leave the transfer case attached. You'll still have to disconnect the shift motor connector or the shift lever (but you can leave the linkage attached).

Push in and turn the clutch slave cylinder 60 degrees counter clockwise....it will pop out.

Remove the single 10mm bolt that attaches the wire holder to the driver's side of the transmission case.

Remove the starter and the flywheel cover (17mm for the starter, 10mm for the cover).

Take out four of the bellhousing bolts (two short upper ones and two middle longer ones on each side). Get your jack ready.

Remove the crossmember. Three 15mm bolts on the drivers side and six 18mm nuts on the passenger side. Yep, it's a puzzle going back together.

With the jack in place (maybe someone you know well who won't sue you as well to steady/balance the transmission on the jack), remove the last two bellhousing bolts.

Try to find a "balance point" where there is no stress between the engine block and the bellhousing. Pull the transmission back. You'll likely have to lower the jack little by little as you go backward to keep the stress off of the input shaft.

Good luck!

After you do it a few times, it can be pulled and reinstalled in about 1.5 hours depending on how willing it is to go back together.

Realistically, the most time-consuming part is dealing with the shifter.

 

Got me 1 of those cool lil tablets, so i'll post up pics to an album since it wont let me install to posting...Dont waste ur guy's time telling me to load to photobucket, its bad enough for me already, just to sign in..lol

 

One thing I didn't realize when I did my Bronco II trans. is that most floor jacks only have two swivel wheels and two stationary wheels. Its not too bad to use to just lower it to the floor, but going back in and trying to line everything up, you really want 4 swivel wheels. That was even with a small trans, let alone a ZF6. You'll be glad you got one of those trans jacks! I bought one just to have when I do my 4R100...

 

Alrighty, drivelines dumped, shifters' out (whatta pain, not to rip boot), and slaves out. First problamo, clutchforks' bent. Its reading 3in in depth. Pics in album while work'n... Glad i bought the updated one

 

Cool. Most of the hard part is done. Just the heavy part left.

Don't know if it's been mentioned yet, but I would recommend you swing by the Ford dealer and get new bolts for the flywheel and clutch...and some red loctite.

I've left my truck sticking out the garage many times, but I live in the middle of nowhere, so it's kind of a non issue for me.

Ripping the outer boot is NBD. It's that white piece inside it that's important. That's the one that keeps the dust and noise and heat out.

 

Trannys out guys! Fork looks straight but bearing is TORE UP. Gotta admit, with wanting to keep "updating" this thread, it keeps ya motivated into finishing the project. I'll get pics up tomorrow. Just need to now, unbolt clutch and flywheel...Hey cookie, buddy came over and said same thing you did,...replace those bolts.

Journeymaan..how the heck ur handsthat clean, i look like something outta the woods..LOL. I'll post pic to show whatta mean..hahaha

 

Nice work Tim, wonder if that's where you "noises" have been for the last year or so?