I'm in the midst of rebuilding my engine: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...build-log.html. The engine's out and I've hit a problem I anticipated but am not sure how to tackle. I want to get the trans out from under the truck, but of course it won't just slide under the front cross member. The trans is about 4 inches too tall on the jack:




My truck is stock height. I might be able to jack it up another 2 inches with the equipment I have. I might then be able to jack the rear of the trans up enough that the front just fits under the cross member.

I'm also considering hoisting the trans through the engine bay with my engine crane. Is this a bad idea? Would I risk warping the front of the trans if I connected the crane to the holes that bolt up to the engine?

Any advice/suggestions are much appreciated.

 

If it were me, I'd just use some cribbing under the floor jack to get the added height you need. Just make sure it's solid and you have floor jack to handle the extra height.

Stewart

 

I'd slide it off the jack onto a piece of plywood with a disposable blanket for protection. Then slide it out. Been done many times.

Denny

 

Carefully roll trans off jack and onto plywood/cardboard/blankets/something and slide it out?

 

Two ratchet straps to cradle the transmission between the frame rails. I have done it countless times.

Just make sure to start with some strap on the reel so you can slowly let the transmission down to the floor.

Then you can use the same method to raise the transmission enough to get the jack under the transmission on reassembly.

 

I would use Stewart H's method but I didn't know that the stuff I used to hiked the jack up was called cribbing. If you have two jacks it's real easy to do.

 

Thanks for the tips. I'm going to try to build a low dolly this week that I can put under the trans and wheel it out. I'll post some pics of what I come up with.

 

Built this "sled" last night with some casters I was saving for a wood-working project. I'll give it a try this weekend:

 

No Drama

Just get a piece of carpet, put the tranny on it and slide it out on the carpet. 2 minute job max.

Going further, wet the carpet and add Dawn to it, knock another 10 seconds off !

Why go thru all this extra effort?

 

Trans slid out no problem:




Mounted on the engine stand and cleaned once with oven cleaner:




Still going at it with diesel fuel. The trans was an oily mess.

Thanks for the tips.

 

Nice job. I like the tranny dolly.

Try simple green for cleaning. Get the concentrated stuff then mix it to match the level of crud your dealing with. Keep a spray bottle on the shelf and hit the engine bay when you wash the truck. It's good stuff.

 

I've spent way too much time searching for information on how to replace the pump seal. Anyone got some links to the process? I've pulled some front main seals on Japanese engines by sticking a paint can opener between the seal and shaft and then pulling. Is the process the same?

Anything else I should inspect on the pump while the trans is out? I plan to replace the torque converter since I have no idea how old it is. I have to replace the flexplate because of missing/chipped teeth (the starter occasionally just spins).

 

I flipped the trans over in the stand in order to clean the bottom and remove the pan. This morning I discovered fluid around the seal:




I emailed John Woods to see what he recommends. He said he would only do a complete rebuild. I don't have the money right now with an engine rebuild already underway.

So I called a couple of local trans shops to see whether they would service just the pump. Both told me that with this trans they recommend going over the whole thing, especially with the 235,000 miles it has.

I talked with one shop for a long time. The guy seems to know his 4r100s. He quoted me about $1500 for a "stage 1" rebuild, basically a stock rebuild. Since I don't plan on modding the engine, I think I'm going this route.