I'm pretty stuck here... any advice would be great. 2000 4runner SR5 3.4 4x4 5 speed manual.

I can't get the tranny to break free from the engine.

Here's where I am:

• Removed front and rear drive shafts
• Removed shift levers
• Removed skid plates
• Removed all wiring harnesses (5 plugs total)
• Removed starter
• Disconnected clutch release cyclinder
• Removed clutch cover ( thin half-moon shaped piece of metal under the starter)
• Got rented transmission jack under tranny and secured
• Removed transmission mount cross bar
• Removed all six tranny-to-engine bolts (super difficult... took hours... top two were brutal)

I've highlighted the only things that I know could be holding the tranny to the engine. They are all off. But the damn thing will not budge. I wiggle it and pull it and curse it and cajole it and it simply won't break free from the engine/clutch housing.

I've tried to get a pry bar up in there, but there doesn't seem to be a good place to apply leverage.

Any great ideas on how to get the damn tranny to slide back from the clutch housing???

can you jack up on it a little and let it down...I've never done one on these but other toyotas have the little dowl pins that get stuck sometimes. Tap around it with a mallet may also help a bit.

Start small by tapping a smaller prybar or screwdriver between the block face and bellhousing mating surfaces. Work your way up in size if necessary.

Had exactly the same problem. There are a couple of steel dowels between the engine and transmission, and if these have rusted, they get pretty tight. I tried prying between the block and transmission but this should only be done gently, and there was no effect.

I got the transmission loose by putting a bottle jack horizontally between the engine mount and transmission, which finally moved it off. Once separated I took out the dowel and cleaned it up.

Hope this works for you

I had the same problem recently, though the vehicle was a 2000 4-cylinder. I pried as much as I could on the passenger side. However, the stuck portion seemed to be on the driver side. I removed the air intake plenum to gain access in which to pry.

What had happened was the dowel/locating pin on the driver side, which ordinarily sits firmly in the cast iron block, had corroded and was stuck in the aluminum bell housing.

A lot of prying and a lot of wiggling of the transmission - and words not used in a house of worship - and it finally popped loose. Some of the words were threats, and after a day of this nonsense the metal parts knew I meant business.

Passenger side pin remained in the block; driver side came with the bell.

I removed the pin (vise grips, Kroil, and heat) from the bell housing, filed off the burrs left by the vise grips, and pounded it back into the block.

A small dab of anti-seize in the locating holes on the bell housing.

Removal and reinstallation of the plenum (an EGR tube across the back of the block complicates this on a 4 cylinder) added the better part of a day to the job. But then I work slowly get distracted easily.

My wife likes the new clutch, and all is well.

Sounds like everyone has you covered on getting it free. Mine took some wiggles left to right and it came right out when I did my initial clutch replacement.

Get yourself a long extension and an extra set of hands. Start the top bolts by hand, have your helper place the socket on the bolt head, then use an impact/ratchet from the shifter hole in the floor to tighten/loosen them. We threw a cordless impact to loosen/tighten mine from there with ease.

Thanks, guys. So amazing to have instant support like this.

Those of you who encouraged more force, more prying, more cursing were right! That's what it took.

I was able to go through the wheel well drivers side with a long pry bar and hammered on it until it opened up about 1 mm.

Then went passenger side and tried same, but it was too awkward to get any real force to the pry bar.

Got a block of wood and hammered around the bell housing a bit, mostly just to vent frustration.

Then got behind the tranny jack and horsed the living crap out of the thing, and it gradually broke free. Like, 10 minutes of fearsome wrestling with it. Maybe 20.

Then discovered that there's really not enough room to back it out if you leave the rear brace and sway bar on. Removed the rear brace and managed to eventually get it down to the ground. I'm going to remove the sway bar for reinstall. It's just not worth the shenanigans trying to work it up between the rear gas tank and the sway bar.

Thanks again. I'm halfway there!