Question on dropping the tranny

[MC2]

I'm gonna change out my oil separator plate and rear main seal next weekend...

Read over the steps in the manual and the writeup on NASIOC on some guy who dropped his tranny to do the same thing. I don't have a transmission adapter for my jack so will be lowering the tranny just on the floor jack.. I just have one question though in the service manual, after removing the pitching stopper it says to set ST "Engine support Assy"... what is this and is it necessary? From the writeup on Nasioc the guy was a resourceful enough and used a method which won't work on my legacy.. but he explained that the engine would tilt forward and prevent the transmission from coming off of the studs at the bottom..

Is that going to be an issue since i obviously don't have the special tool from Subaru... Or any ideas how i can work around it? Which way is the engine going to pitch? towards the front or the back of the car?

I imagine I could just use my floor jack and some wood from under the car to push the engine back...

Thanks.

[sexystover]

i did this in my legacy but on a lift but i did the same steps and the engine tilted back because of the weight of the tranny, so i think you should be fine

[Huffer]

If you use two jacks you can support the tranny at both ends, that should stop any tipping?

[decke48]

you dont need to use an engine support. a jack on the front of the oil pan works to correct the angle. jack on the tranny will be a little tricky. even a tranny jack they dont like to sit on them

[MC2]

thanks, that's what i was hoping to hear!

[MC2]

oh, one more question.

Where should i put my floor jack to support the tranny at? under the tranny oil pan or under the bellhousing? i dont know where the center of gravity is.

I have a 4EAT btw.

Thanks! :smt006

[decke48]

i would try the front of the pan. a middle point on the tranny is the best. but dont lift in the center of the pan.

[MC2]

i would try the front of the pan. a middle point on the tranny is the best. but dont lift in the center of the pan.

Thanks. I think i'll try to lay some 2x4s across the base of my jack to distribute the weight and also give me some leverage to shift the tranny around. My floor jack has the square saddle so it's a little bigger than the typical round ones.

[T_F_E]

Yeah be careful, dropping the transmission is one of the more dangerous jobs you can do on a car

[MC2]

Yeah be careful, dropping the transmission is one of the more dangerous jobs you can do on a car

yeah... I plan on doing it this weekend with a buddy. It’ll be the biggest job I’ve ever done on the car… So I am a little worried about it but will just hope for the best. Anybody know how heavy the 4EAT is? I’m guessing 200 pounds?

Separating it from the engine, making sure I have it correctly balanced on the floor jack, and then lining it back up with the engine are my biggest concerns.

[jheidelmark]

I do tranny vertually all the time! i dont have any special tools. What you can do is take a bar of some type bolt it up to something in the front of your engine and place the bar acroos at a diangle and it will keep that baby still for you. as for the jack on the tranny anywhere u fel comfortable. i put it about half a foot back from the bell housing and my tranny stays on everytime :) if you need anymore help just pm me or something I can always help with that stuff.
-james

[decke48]

probally a good 160ish pounds. just make sure the torque converter stays in (all the way)

[MC2]

probally a good 160ish pounds. just make sure the torque converter stays in (all the way)

Hmm.. i've read some scary stories about that on nasioc.. as long as i unbolt the 4 bolts from the drive plate, i should be good right?

[decke48]

yeah unless the pilot shaft is stuck in the flex plate. but when you go back in just spin it and push in. if it doesnt go in after 10-15 spin it should be all the way in, or sometime they grind on the case if there all the way in (they get pulled a little forward when you bolt it to the flex plate so it doesnt contact)

[Piddster]

An AWD 4EAT is closer to the 250lb range. Much heavier than my 6mt. A 5mt feels like a toy in comparison.

I just replaced the one on my sister's 95 L. The auto is very nose heavy, so get a piece of 1X12 pine to put on the jack. I hope your jack has a wide head. I welded some 1/4" steel to it for a nice platform.

I like to use some rachet straps around the tranny and jack so it will not slide off unexpectedly. Better safe than sorry.

[MC2]

My jack has one of the square saddles, so i think it's as big as it will get. I was thinking of taking a couple of 2x4s held together by a piece of plywood, but the 1x12 pine is a good idea too.

[keltik]

Recently did this job. AWD 4AT is bloody heavy!! Drain the fluid first and save yourself a good 10kg's. I guesstimated mine at about 90kg in weight dry. The 5MT is heaps lighter.

My 2 cents of advice - if your doing this the hard way with manual grunt work, you can rest the bell housing on the lip of the engine crossmember then work from sitting on the engine to lift the trans onto the engine studs.

Center of gravity is just rear of the 'lump' in the case from the front diff. With a trolley jack placed there you can manouvre it easily.

[MC2]

Recently did this job. AWD 4AT is bloody heavy!! Drain the fluid first and save yourself a good 10kg's. I guesstimated mine at about 90kg in weight dry. The 5MT is heaps lighter.

My 2 cents of advice - if your doing this the hard way with manual grunt work, you can rest the bell housing on the lip of the engine crossmember then work from sitting on the engine to lift the trans onto the engine studs.

Center of gravity is just rear of the 'lump' in the case from the front diff. With a trolley jack placed there you can manouvre it easily.

awesome. thanks. :smt020

[MC2]

would you guys recommend replacing the rear main seal even if its not leaking?

[decke48]

personal i dont if the seal looks in good condition. but its up to you

[keltik]

Well its a royal pain in the ass to do later if it starts leaking. Im a big fan of the 'do everything while your in there' school of thought

[MC2]

I already bought a replacement seal anyway, so i guess i'll just have to make a game time decision.

I always thought that thing would be more rubbery than plastic…

[T_F_E]

I would say definetly change it, your going to be in there anyway and if you already have it change it for sure