83 Transmission Removal/Installation

[Shannon]

I have an 83 tercel 4WD wagon.
I need to replace the transmission.
I had trouble finding the right ratio 3.7 transaxle, so I decided, per manual, to just remove the transmission, as the transmissions are all interchangeable, and keep my transaxle. The manual, however, shows the insertion of the input shaft in a picture that is not true to the vehicle. I have found many mistakes in the original Toyota manual, so I do not completely trust it. My question is this, and only firsthand experience can answer this, don't scour a manual, because I have already done that. I have everything ready to remove this transmission (not transaxle), except for one bugger bolt. But, as I lay there looking at this, I just do not see how that input shaft, which is through the intermediary plate and then several inches into the bell housing, is going to clear the body of the vehicle. It looks like I must bring the transmission straight down to clear the inch of space between the transmission and body. Which will not be possible because of that input shaft. If it does come out okay, then how am I going to get that input shaft back in when I put my new transmission in, with the body of the vehicle in the way? I am thinking ahead on this and worried, and ready to give it to a mechanic, after I have done all this work already. So, If anyone has firsthand experience, or you know that it is just not possible to take only the transmission out, and that the only way is to take transaxle out also that would be helpful information. ( I did consider drilling through the metal inside to open up an access portal, but the position of this input shaft is behind the center radio area, so that will not work) Thank you seasoned mechanics.

[Henry]

When you pull the tranny, you have to bring it out down and at an angle.

[takza]

Check here?

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=754

I didn't remove the input shaft and had no issues with the trans breaking loose from the diff with 2 trans. Best bet is to allow the trans to hang freely...just be sure the dist or something else isn't hitting the firewall. Just don't let the 72 lb trans put sideways stress on the shafts as it comes out...support it.

Getting the new one back in can be an issue...just don't force it...you might need help putting it in. Might find a way to pry the back of the engine down and hold it there...2x4s?

Do not push the clutch in. Also probably a good idea to replace the gasket...I just used some gasket goop and the old gasket...but have had slight seepage ever since.

There are different ideas on how to position the shifters when installing it...it might be possible to lock it up...something to do with 5th gear.

[Shannon]

I am so grateful for the responses and pictures. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences, problem areas, and simple procedures that took hours of struggle to discover.
I am still afraid to move forward, but much better prepared now.

[Petros]

It is not that complicated, I have done it a number of times without removing the input shaft. The most effort is to get the half shafts out, and the rear drive shaft of course. One thing that helps i think is to loosen the exhaust pipe and perhaps the front engine mounts to allow the rear of the engine to drop far enough so the trans clears the firewall and tunnel.

There was a recent thread on this, go read all of the posts there. You will want to pull the whole trans axle assembly together with the front diff attached, and then you separate the front diff after the transaxle is removed from the car.

Remember to remove the speedo cable and the wire connections for the 4wd and reverse light.

Good luck.

[Shannon]

I am ready to remove the transmission only. I need my axle ratio, and I am not confident taking out the half shafts. I just hope I can get the transmission back in and working, as it is costing me 700 for the transmission. High price, but the only one available. There are none available with my ratio transaxle, so I am pulling there axle off and giving it back to them with my transmission as a core. Some of these parts are just getting scarce. No one will rebuild without me finding hard gears. And, still they want over 1000 to rebuild with me pulling the transmission. Just a nightmare. . .

[keith]

Are you trying to remove the transmission but leave the differential in? That really seems like the hard way to do it. When I pulled ours, I didn't find it too difficult to pull the whole thing. Watch that rear mount though, I put mine in wrong side up, its easy to do. If the driveshaft touches the exhaust pipe, its upside down.

Its easy to remove the front driveshafts. First loosen the axle nut on each side. Then unbolt the strut from the steering knuckle. Before unbolting it, note the cam washer on the top bolt, it has a mark on it and 5 marks on the side of the strut next to it. Mark the location of the mark on the cam washer. When you put it back together, you will want the cam washer in the same location or you alignment will be off. As long as you get it back in the same spot and you don't remove the tie rods, you alignment won't change. The steering knuckle should flop outward enough to get the axle to come out. You may have to turn the steering wheel some to make room, but you shouldn't have to remove the tie rods, if I remember correctly. I did replace those axles several times, remans suck.

The driveshafts then just pop out of the differential with a small crowbar or large screwdriver. You can put a bottle jack under the front of the engine to jack it up about an inch, that may help to get the transmission out. I used a floor jack and a piece of plywood to support the transmission as I pulled it out. It takes two people that way to keep the thing balanced on the floor jack. A transmission jack would sure have been handy.

[Petros]

I have removed the trans without removing the front axles from the front hubs. You unbolt the bottom of the strut to allow them to swing out (I left the steering tie rod attached), and you pop the splines out of the sides of the front diff. the front splines on the inboard end of the front axles are just held in with spring clips. When you pry outward on the inner CV joint with a large pry bar it should just pop out of the diff. Be careful not to damage the seals if you are not replacing them.

I then let the front axles hang there, I used wires to hold the struts out and the axle ends out of the way (protect and cover with clean rags or shop towels). When it is time to put them back make sure they are clean so you do not get grit and dirt in the diff housing. they should pop back in the same way (make sure it is in all the way!).

Of course if you are replacing the axles anyway they have to come out, but if not this saves the trouble of unbolting the giant nuts at the center of each front hub that holds the axle in the hub. These can be a real bear to break loose with home shop tools.

Remember to drain all the oil out of each compartment of the trans too (diff, trans and transfer case, three drain plugs). If not it will spill all over and make a mess while you are under the car jockeying the trans out. And the oil will get on your hands, face, eyes and in your mouth...yetch!

when you get it all back in, remember to replace the oil (I highly recommend a 50/50 mix of synthetic gear lube and normal gear oil). There is a detailed thread on how to fill the trans, read it first, it is not quite a straightforward refill. If you do not fill the trans all the way you will waste your new trans pretty fast.

When you have all of the bolts out, the wires and speedo cables unplugged and it is ready to drop, put a jack under it so it will not just fall out. Wiggle it around and back and fourth, use a small pry bar between the bell housing and the back of the engine block. It should not take too much effort to get it to slip back about 1/2", if it does not double check all of the bolts are removed (remember to remove that little 10mm bolt that holds the heater hose on the right side). The trans should work its way back until the input shaft clears the clutch, and then fall out the rest of the way.

Good luck.

[takza]

Might loosen the motor mounts a little? Pull the dist? It's pretty straight forward...easier to get out than to put back in...but doable. Just watch the details.

[Shannon]

The transmission came out fairly smoothly. It does angle down once that back support bracket is off. I supported the transmission with a regular jack with a piece of wood on it and then slowly lowered it while watching my engine from the top to make sure the distributor and fuel pump did not wedge against anything. I did not empty the antifreeze, my hoses seemed to have enough flexibility. So, that was not so bad. Now I am going to read all of this information to make sure I get the new transmission in correctly this weekend. I did not need new CV's and I needed my original axle, so I thought it would be easier to just take the transmission. It took half a day to track down a gasket, but I found one finally for $12. I will update upon completion, or ask for questions during the installation. . .

[Petros]

Remember to inspect your clutch! You have it exposed, just six bolts will remove it. If it is fairly new it is probably okay to reuse it. You might consider just replacing the disk to save money, they do not cost much, and then reuse the T/o bearing and the pilot bearing. But if the clutch has 80-100k miles on it you should bite the bullet and replace it too (about $100 for clutch disk, pressure plate and throw out bearing). Make sure you use either the correct alignment tool, or the removed input shaft from the trans, to align the clutch. IF it is not aligned you will NEVER get the trans back in.

You might consider replacing the rear seal while you are at it. these only cost about $10, and you have to remove the flywheel to reach it, but most of the work is done right now. These seals last a long time, but if it is older than about 100-120k miles it is not a bad idea. If you are planning on rebuilding the engine in the next few years or so, you can leave it. But if you are keeping the car, and you have no near term plans to have the engine out, it would be best to replace that seal too. It is not a lot more work, you are most of the way there now.

Good luck.

[Shannon]

My clutch, that I had a mechanic replace for $800, has only 30k on it. I wish, now, that I had done it myself. But, remember, I do not have my clutch exposed. I am doing something different. I removed my intermediary plate and transmission only. The half shafts, front differential, and bell housing are still attached. I am putting a "new" transmission back in tomorrow ( I hope) if all goes well with the installation, I feel that for my situation, this was the least labor intensive solution. I wish I had newer axle gears, but mine aren't showing any signs of distress. The front differential would have approximately 200k and the back differential 370k. This is the second transmission replacement, but the first replacement included the axle, as 3.7 was easier to find ten years ago. My engine has 200k on it, and is burning about a quart of oil every 3000k. I have a rebuilt 4A engine lined up to install in the near future. I am not in a big hurry. I need to recuperate from the transmission first. I haven't researched, but my part source said that it is interchangeable with 3A -3AC engines as long as I have power steering, which I do. I was told to use gasgacinch sealant in between the transmission and housing.
http://www.gasgacinch.com/gasgacinch_003.htm