In middle of pulling Engine, TC, and Trans as one unit, is this OK?

[Jonner]

Like the title says, I'm working on pulling the motor out of the Jeep for a rebuild, and should be pulling the engine out in the next few week with the trans and TC attached. I'm using a 1 ton engine hoist from harbor fright with a 3/4 ton heavy duty load leveler.

I've detached nearly everything on the engine, trans, and TC. I've got the load leveler connected to an exhaust manifold bolt in the back and the AC bracket on the front. I'd have to fab up some hardware to fit all 4 mounts of the load leveler on the engine, so only 2 are attached.

1) Am I okay with clearances pulling these out as one unit? And, am I okay with the capacity of the hoist? The TC+TRANS+ENGINE is a heavy beast

2) Are my attachment points OK or I am putting too much force on those holes?

3) Anything I'm missing here that I should consider? The transmission dipstick tube looks to be in the way. And the transfer case linkage is being a PITA. On the TC linkage I still need to get the piece that mounts passenger-side to driver-side and connects the two longer rods loose.

Thanks,
Jonathan

 

[Talyn]

Personally I would just unbolt the torque converter and leave the transmission in unless you need to pull the transmission for some reason. There is just enough room to pull the engine out with only removing the radiator in front.

 

[foress_89]

I've done it, but I'd taken the whole front apart. I had a manual transmission.. Had to remove the shifter because I was on the ground and coudn't clear it. The linkages are easy just pop the some rods from the bushings with a screwdriver.. part of it stay on the case part on the truck..

I usually use only two attachments, with a trailer safety chain, hooked to my little crane. Just be sure that the part you hooked it on the AC bracket is really solid!!! Especially since you are trying to leave everything together, you will need to jerk it here and there.. for sure..

I can't help you with the dipstick, never worked on an automatic.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

Disco the TC, you will be glad you did, Otherwise as Talyn said, just remove the engine if there is nothing wrong.

 

[Jonner]

Well #!$@. I started wrestling the TC bolts and then moved on to other things because the access is so crappy to the bolts around the TC. I have crow's feet, box end wrenches, flared wrenches, shorty ratchets, various 1/4" and 3/8" sockets ratchets and extensions but I haven't found a good way to get at the nuts attaching the TC to the trans.

I have a HD dremel which I might use to enlarge the clearance holes on the TC linkage bracket on the driver's side. If I still can't get them out, I'll have to take a trip to Harbor fright for some specialty wrenches. I'm not looking forward to this experience.

 

[Jonner]

I could just remove the engine as well. But the trans is already disconnected 98% from the car and same with the TC.

 

[foress_89]

I think disconnecting tranny from tc will leak oil? You might need a female torx (or inverted torx) socket/wrench for bolts on the tranny bell-housing. I've had the worse time last week with one of those.. The way I like to work is to remove engine alone and transmission/TC as a whole.

 

[ROBZ95Xj]

pull the radiator and header panel, and it will be easy

 

[Jonner]

Ok, all good suggestions that I've already used. I have E12 inverted sockets for the top 2 tranny bolts. The header panel is out. I've already drained the fluid out of the tranny and the TC will be next to drain. The fluid needs replaced as normal maintenance.

I think I should just focus on getting the TC linkage off the Trans so I can drop the tranny + TC case down towards the floor to access the bell housing bolts. That and the CPS sensor, unless I buy a new one to update maintenance. Is a new CPS sensor a good bet for preventing the sensor failure?

 

[Jonner]

Personally I would just unbolt the torque converter and leave the transmission in unless you need to pull the transmission for some reason. There is just enough room to pull the engine out with only removing the radiator in front.

I'm a little confused how I unbolt the transmission bell housing bolts while both the motor mounts and tranny bolts are loose (to get access to the bellhousing bolts when I have to loosen everything and tilt it all at an angle at the same time)? What am I missing here? This ain't rocket science but I 'm having a brain fart.

 

[xjtrailrider]

If I'm parting out a wrecked Xj I do it like that but if I'm just pulling the motor, thats all I pull.

 

[xjtrailrider]

I'm a little confused how I unbolt the transmission bell housing bolts while both the motor mounts and tranny bolts are loose (to get access to the bellhousing bolts when I have to loosen everything and tilt it all at an angle at the same time)? What am I missing here? This ain't rocket science but I 'm having a brain fart.

You needed to leave all of the tranny/t-case bolted up to the truck. Then you;
Remove entire front end
remove radiator support/radiator
move condenser out of the way, leave it hooked up and set it over onto a chair near the pass fender
remove all wire harnesses, hoses, and TV/throttle cable
remove the ac compressor and sit it where the batter tray is, leave it hooked up
Drop the exhaust
remove the inspection cover and the 4 torque converter bolts
Raise the engine a bit and remove both motor mounts then brackets.
drop the engine down to the front axle and remove both bell housing upper bolts from the top.
raise motor back up and support the tranny with a jack stand and remove the two lower bell housing bolts
Wiggle the motor and pull it out.

After you do a dozen or so of them its a 3 hour job at most.

 

[Jonner]

Xjtrailrider,

The experience is what I wish I had. It's a million hour job when one is working through the job with no 4wd experience.

I will try this method.

 

[8Mud]

I've always taken it out as a unit. Maybe your lift goes up higher than mine, but my biggest problem was getting enough angle on the motor,tranny TC unit to get it out. I jacket the front of the XJ up, put jack stands near the front of the frame, pulled the unit out as far as possible (with the header removed) and then let the XJ down in front and finished taking the unit out.

In the rear I used a strap between the pan and the bellhousing, in the front a single chain to get the angle I needed.

I wish I'd had a load leveler. But I'm not sure if it would have helped or not, I had to tilt the whole unit maybe 30 degrees to the rear to get the clearance I needed. The first time I tried, the rear hit the ground before I got enough angle.

Like mentioned it is a load, my hoist was up to the task, barely.

The only damage I did was to bend one of the dust covers on the bell housing.

 

[Talyn]

You needed to leave all of the tranny/t-case bolted up to the truck. Then you;
Remove entire front end

Not necessary to remove the entire front end. I have never pulled the header panel nor moved the AC condenser.

Raise the engine a bit and remove both motor mounts then brackets.
drop the engine down to the front axle and remove both bell housing upper bolts from the top.
raise motor back up and support the tranny with a jack stand and remove the two lower bell housing bolts
Wiggle the motor and pull it out.

This is the way I do it with the exception of removing the engine side mounts. I just remove the rubber bushing and then drop the engine on the frame side mounts. Your method would give more room to the top two bolts though.

 

[xjtrailrider]

Not necessary to remove the entire front end. I have never pulled the header panel nor moved the AC condenser.

This is the way I do it with the exception of removing the engine side mounts. I just remove the rubber bushing and then drop the engine on the frame side mounts. Your method would give more room to the top two bolts though.

I have cracked a header panel before, maybe the first one I pulled so it made me gun shy. The engine slammed into it. It only takes a few minutes and the headlight harness just comes right out with it.

I started taking the brackets off on my second one. The reverse torx bolt was rounded off by a previous grease monkey. I ended up welding a nut to the end of it so I needed room to get the mig gun in there. I have found its just easier to just remove them "just in case"

 

[Talyn]

Those e torx are just stupid. I replaced them with grade 8 hardware. I hate those things.

 

[xjtrailrider]

Those e torx are just stupid. I replaced them with grade 8 hardware. I hate those things.

Same here, I hate those things

 

[sidriptide]

drop the trans cross member so you can drop the t/case away from the floor pan. get a stubby 9/16" with a ratcheting box end, i've found that a box-end in the shape of a large "C" helps with leverage.

i hate fighting with bell housing bolts in the vehicle so i prefer to drop the TC and leave the trans attached, i generally remove the header panel, it's easy to remove, and VERY easy to break if you dont remove it.
also the TC attached throws more leverage on the entire assembly screwing with your chain pivot point, and requiring less wrestling with it to get it out.

 

[Jonner]

Thanks guys for all the input. I ended up taking a hybrid approach to everyone's advice.

I pulled the engine by itself, but dropped the trans/TC as one unit and just left it sit below the Jeep. I ended up using a floor jack, a bunch of 6x10 boards that were cut about 1' and some larger wood blocks (like 4x6) along with two jackstands to control the Trans/TC as one unit.

The trans/TC combo is still just sitting below the Jeep, ready to bolt back up when I finish the engine. I wish I had a tranny jack, but it's just not in the budget right now so I made work what I had available.

Now time to do taxes and call around about engines to make a final decision on what I'm doing to rebuild the motor.

Jonathan