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Guys
I have to swap my gearbox as I am suffering from a vibration. Grant has advised me (and I do agree) that removing the engine and box from the car is the best way to do it. This has elicited a certain amount of adverse feedback from Madame.
I was therefore wondering, if I bought an adjustable transmission jack adaptor that allowed the box to be titled in all directions, it would be doable to somehow lower the rear of the engine and remove the box from it. I do have a lift to put the car on.
Has anyone actually done this, is it doable or totally painful and liable to end in tears?
When I had the TH400 overhauled on my XJS V12 many years ago the guy had the transmission out of the car in maybe 90 minutes. This was at a Chevy dealer and the mechanic had never worked on a Jaguar before. So, it's doable.
A pivoting/adjustable transmission jack is essential, yes.
I had some clutch work to do just a week ago. I had my car on stands in my garage, I invented a little cart which did the job just fine. On top of that cart you can see the extensions I used to access upper bolts.
Oh it is quite doable keeping the engine in the car. The car was supported on wheel ramps which gives you more room to work underneath. I used a cross beam engine support bar to support the motor. A common transmission jack from Harbor Freight was used to lower the trans itself. One of the biggest problems for me was removing the transmission cooler lines which were necessary to remove some of the bell housing bolts. It took a lot of quarter a time turns of the fittings, maddening! You will have to use very long extensions for the socket wrench to access the top bell housing bolts. There is no way around that so don't waste time looking for alternatives. I posted lots of photos of the process on a posting on the forum and even more on my blog. Good luck. Doing this will build character!
I covered this in my thread "My Cat's Road to Wellness" starting at post #44 in the XJS forum. I also covered this in my blog, Better Beaters dated April 8, 2017. I hope that you find my account helpful. At least reading it will provide a little encouragement! Best of luck.
Rivguy
Than you very much for the links, a great help, to my courage particularly! Was the tranny you fitted a second hand one? I am wondering why you changed the front seal? Also, was that hard to do?
Greg
Yes it was a used transmission. It was sourced from Continental Motor service in Oakland Ca. they removed it from an XJS that had suffered an engine fire. The owners of the shop offered it on Craig's List. I visited the shop and was impressed by their sincerity. They were very familiar with the car. The shop has been in business for decades. I had a good feeling about them. The XJS was a beautiful black coupe that was in great condition except for a bit of fire damage to the center of the hood. I mentioned the car on the forum and it was sold to one of our members.
The front pump seal is easily changed with the transmission removed. It is quite difficult to change once the tranny is in place. It fits on the input shaft and seals the torque converter.This is the common leakage point where it leaks fluid from the bell housing. Might as well replace all seals while you have the opportunity. I also added a drain plug to the pan when I changed the filter.
I have done this, It's not easy but it can be done. you need some long extensions and a swivel for your socket. I did it without an adjustable jack. Incidentally I removed my auto and fitted a five speed supra box. It was a lot easier refitting as the manual box was less bulky.
Most important, Greg, remove the torque convertor BEFORE taking the tranny off. Basically unscrew the 6 screws, push the TC into the transmission and then remove the tranny. It is possible to damage the TC if removed afterwards. And reinstall action requires the TC to be in the tranny and Not on the engine...
The front pump seal is easily changed with the transmission removed. It is quite difficult to change once the tranny is in place. It fits on the input shaft and seals the torque converter.This is the common leakage point where it leaks fluid from the bell housing. Might as well replace all seals while you have the opportunity. I also added a drain plug to the pan when I changed the filter.
Gearbox removal engine in car
