Got another good weather day to go at the subframe. Everything is disconnected, simply need to drop it out. Just one little problem... I can't figure out how to maneuver it to get it away from the car. It needs to drop down but it can only go down a couple of inches before the cross member piece hits the output of the differential, where the driveshaft was before I removed it. At the same time the anti-rotation mount hits the Y pipe. See the 2 red arrows in the picture.



Clearly the whole subframe needs to move toward the back of the car by 4 or 5 inches before it clears that output shaft and can drop out completely. BUT...it cannot move toward the back because the mount for the control arm and the sway bar stop the whole business from moving back.



Can't go down more than 2 inches unless it moves toward the back by 4 or 5 inches. Can't go back more than an inch unless it drops down 4 inches. Can't go up or forward at all. Is there some other dimension I am missing? At this point I would gladly go at it with a grinder and a chisel and cut it to bits to keep the project moving, but how would I then install a new/junkyard subframe??

 

Download the workshop manual. Removal and reinstallation begins on page 2765

 

I have the manual, I am at step 34 on page 2773, remove the subframe. In lieu of "the special tool" I have 3 jacks because "the special tool" costs twice what I paid for the car. The manual seems to indicate the subframe drops straight down. This is not possible, the subframe has a crossmember over the differential.

 

The original procedure was to lower the entire engine/trans still mounted to the subframe. A different procedure is decribed in TSB Service Action XT307-S941.

Transmission Replacement Procedure
Note: This is a different Workshop Procedure than the one currently described in JTIS.

Page 10 onward of the TSB has instructions for the newer procedure.

Basically, the transfer case needs to be removed for clearance!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bob

 

I am beginning to think the factory assembly line starts with the rear catalytic converter and they build the entire car around it.

That TSB, page 10, says step 10 is to remove the subframe. After that it says to remove the transfer case starting at step 11. Removing the transfer case requires removing the rear catalytic converter which I can't do because the subframe is in the way. If I could remove the rear catalytic with the subframe in place I wouldn't be in this mess... I am flummoxed.

 

You are probably correct about the order of component removal. It has been more than a decade since I removed a gearbox from an X400.

You could just lower the gearbox/transfer case because you will need to suspend the engine with a support bar from the top anyway. That should give enough clearance. Maybe I loosened the transfer case-to-gearbox and rotated/tilted the transfer case propshaft end to allow clearance??

I use the bar and leave the engine front mount on the right frame rail to just pivot the gearbox down on an angle enough to clear the left frame rail.

I don't remember the exact order but if the car was on my lift I guess it would all come back to me??

bob