Question on clutch replacement on 99 4Runner

[gannonrt]

I'm 8 hours through this clutch repair and need some feedback on dropping the tranny. I'm using a jack stand. I've disconnected both drive shafts, all wiring, slave cylinder. I've undone the bracket that holds the exhaust near the starter. I've removed all six bell housing bolts and both cross members. I've taken off the clutch cover plate. All this and I am using a come along to slowly pull the transmission straight back before lowering it. It seems very hard to pull back and that I'm having to use more force than expected. Is this normal? I know that this is a broad question but I thought the tranny would come out as easily as a front axle would once everything was disconnected.

 

[nevada]

you're positive all the bolts are out?


sometimes they will stick on the pins, and may require a bit of help.
a thin screwdriver, or pry bar would work.

 

[PitbullRescuer]

I kind of remember there being 7 bell housing bolts. (could be wrong though)

 

[TheDurk]

You did pull the starter, right? You didn't mention it and it has to come off.

 

[agloukhoff]

There are 6 bolts to the bell housing, and 2 for the starter. The 2 starter bolts stick out as they are 14mm and the rest are 17mm.

The trans will not 'slide out'. You will have to pull and yank and kick and scream to get it out because the input shaft will not be coming out perfectly in line with the clutch disk, so even if you're just 1 degree off, it will bind. I also suggest a buddy to stick a socket on the crank pulley and rock it back and forth to help slide off the shaft. Mashing the clutch pedal over and over will also help.

I went through the same hell getting the engine in and out on my truck.

Also, if you are replacing your flywheel, I suggest new bolts and extreme care when tightening. You don't want to break a bolt off in the crank - trust me on that.

PS. Getting it back in was even worse for me. Sorry.

 

[nevada]

There are 6 bolts to the bell housing, and 2 for the starter. The 2 starter bolts stick out as they are 14mm and the rest are 17mm.

The trans will not 'slide out'. You will have to pull and yank and kick and scream to get it out because the input shaft will not be coming out perfectly in line with the clutch disk, so even if you're just 1 degree off, it will bind. I also suggest a buddy to stick a socket on the crank pulley and rock it back and forth to help slide off the shaft. Mashing the clutch pedal over and over will also help.

I went through the same hell getting the engine in and out on my truck.

Also, if you are replacing your flywheel, I suggest new bolts and extreme care when tightening. You don't want to break a bolt off in the crank - trust me on that.

PS. Getting it back in was even worse for me. Sorry.

ive done tons of clutches, and pulled many transmissions.
ive never had any of them stick on the input shaft.

IF its sticking, you're doing it wrong. you need to pull the trans STRAIGHT back from the engine.

if this means jacking up the engine, or setting a jackstand under the rear of the engine, then so be it. what it takes to allow you to remove the trans inline with the engine. binding of the input shaft is bad.

 

[gannonrt]

you're positive all the bolts are out?

Yep. I've used the write-up on TTORA as my source for information and disconnected all the bolts. 5VZ Clutch Job - TTORA Forum

I kind of remember there being 7 bell housing bolts. (could be wrong though)

I used the Haynes Manual and the write-up listed above to remove the 6 bolts that connect the bell housing. Image from Haynes is below. I did double check after you said this and confirmed that it's just 6 bolts in the bell housing.

You did pull the starter, right? You didn't mention it and it has to come off.

I did pull the starter bolts, but didn't disconnect the wires. I'm using a hanger to prevent the starter being supported by just the electrical connections. Thanks for a good suggestion.

The trans will not 'slide out'. You will have to pull and yank and kick and scream to get it out because the input shaft will not be coming out perfectly in line with the clutch disk, so even if you're just 1 degree off, it will bind. I also suggest a buddy to stick a socket on the crank pulley and rock it back and forth to help slide off the shaft. Mashing the clutch pedal over and over will also help.

I went through the same hell getting the engine in and out on my truck.

Also, if you are replacing your flywheel, I suggest new bolts and extreme care when tightening. You don't want to break a bolt off in the crank - trust me on that.

PS. Getting it back in was even worse for me. Sorry.

Thanks for getting back to me. I was looking for this type of feedback. I wasn't sure how much force should be required to pull the transmission out but didn't want to "pull and yank and kick and scream" without someone confirming that was required. We've attached one end of a come-along to the harmonic balancer and the other end to a rear frame member. We are tightening that little by little but were afraid to really pull just yet.

I'll pick up the new bolts and be careful. Thanks for the heads up.

I can believe that it's harder to get back in but was hoping it wouldn't be. By the way, did you support the engine at all when pulling the tranny? Did you take off the clutch cover plate (held in with 4 12mm bolts)? Both were instructions in the Haynes manual but I don't understand why those steps are needed.

 

[gannonrt]

ive done tons of clutches, and pulled many transmissions.
ive never had any of them stick on the input shaft.

IF its sticking, you're doing it wrong. you need to pull the trans STRAIGHT back from the engine.

if this means jacking up the engine, or setting a jackstand under the rear of the engine, then so be it. what it takes to allow you to remove the trans inline with the engine. binding of the input shaft is bad.

I think we are binding up some. It's been incredibly hard to line up even with a jack stand under the engine and under the tranny. I'll try to line it up better. In your experience how hard was it to pull the tranny when lined up straight? I know it won't be easy since it weighs a lot and the tranny jack doesn't roll that easily. I also understand that this is a very subjective question so try to answer with an illustration if you could. Thank you for commenting.

 

[agloukhoff]

ive done tons of clutches, and pulled many transmissions.
ive never had any of them stick on the input shaft.

IF its sticking, you're doing it wrong. you need to pull the trans STRAIGHT back from the engine.

if this means jacking up the engine, or setting a jackstand under the rear of the engine, then so be it. what it takes to allow you to remove the trans inline with the engine. binding of the input shaft is bad.

Yes I'm sure if I had a tranny jack that allowed for tilt adjustment I'd be able to dial in the angle just right and it would slide right out.

I do not have a $400 tool for a one time job. I did the best I could in terms of supporting the engine with a cherry picker and the tranny with a regular jack was not enough to get ideal angles. I was able to get the angle VERY close but not perfect. I had 4 guide studs in and it still wouldn't slide in easily. It may have been "wrong" but it was the only way I could get it done with what I had.

And yeah, you have to remove the cover plate because with it still on, the flywheel will bang against it and will not be able to exit the bell housing.

 

[gannonrt]

Yes I'm sure if I had a tranny jack that allowed for tilt adjustment I'd be able to dial in the angle just right and it would slide right out.

I do not have a $400 tool for a one time job. I did the best I could in terms of supporting the engine with a cherry picker and the tranny with a regular jack was not enough to get ideal angles. I was able to get the angle VERY close but not perfect. I had 4 guide studs in and it still wouldn't slide in easily. It may have been "wrong" but it was the only way I could get it done with what I had.

And yeah, you have to remove the cover plate because with it still on, the flywheel will bang against it and will not be able to exit the bell housing.

Thanks for the feedback on the cover plate. I couldn't figure out why it needed to come off. Also, you can get a usable but basic tranny jack from Harbor Freight for $70. I bought it for this project figuring that I would save at least a few hundred by doing the work myself.

 

[agloukhoff]

Thanks for the feedback on the cover plate. I couldn't figure out why it needed to come off. Also, you can get a usable but basic tranny jack from Harbor Freight for $70. I bought it for this project figuring that I would save at least a few hundred by doing the work myself.

Doesn't let you adjust tilt. When I last looked, the cheapest I could find was an OTC for $340 + shipping bringing it to 389. Admitedly I never looked at HF, it has one for $140 but the reviews for it are far from confidence inspiring.

 

[nevada]

I think we are binding up some. It's been incredibly hard to line up even with a jack stand under the engine and under the tranny. I'll try to line it up better. In your experience how hard was it to pull the tranny when lined up straight? I know it won't be easy since it weighs a lot and the tranny jack doesn't roll that easily. I also understand that this is a very subjective question so try to answer with an illustration if you could. Thank you for commenting.

again, assuming all the bolts are out, sometimes they need some persuasion in the form of a pry bar, or screw driver.

after the intial 1/2" of separation, it should come apart easily. basically fall out..

if they are stuck on the alignment dowels, it can be VERY hard to get them apart. but if you can get something between the bellhousing and the block, it shouldnt be too difficult to break it free.

i would be leary of having too much pressure on the straps, until you have the intial 1/2" of separation.
if the straps are tight, and you pry it, it could shoot back...out of control. might be bad.

Yes I'm sure if I had a tranny jack that allowed for tilt adjustment I'd be able to dial in the angle just right and it would slide right out.

I do not have a $400 tool for a one time job. I did the best I could in terms of supporting the engine with a cherry picker and the tranny with a regular jack was not enough to get ideal angles. I was able to get the angle VERY close but not perfect. I had 4 guide studs in and it still wouldn't slide in easily. It may have been "wrong" but it was the only way I could get it done with what I had.

And yeah, you have to remove the cover plate because with it still on, the flywheel will bang against it and will not be able to exit the bell housing.

fair enough.
and, been there, and done that. pulling a transmission, while laying in the dirt, or gravel SUCKS!

 

[gannonrt]

again, assuming all the bolts are out, sometimes they need some persuasion in the form of a pry bar, or screw driver.

after the intial 1/2" of separation, it should come apart easily. basically fall out..

if they are stuck on the alignment dowels, it can be VERY hard to get them apart. but if you can get something between the bellhousing and the block, it shouldnt be too difficult to break it free.

i would be leary of having too much pressure on the straps, until you have the intial 1/2" of separation.
if the straps are tight, and you pry it, it could shoot back...out of control. might be bad.

Nevada - This is very useful. Right now we've been slowly increasing tension and then checking to see if there was a gap between bell housing and block. We also tried some vigorous shaking left right and adjusting up and down. However, we only have a 1-2 mm gap between block and housing so I'm guessing that something is not quite lined up exactly right. I'm also glad to know that I can pry some. That will help quite a bit. Wasn't sure if I could mess up a mating surface so we haven't done that yet.

I might have picked up the northern tool tranny jack for $200 if I had known how much better it was and how useful it would be for other jobs.

 

[IanV]

Mine is 2wd but i just did mine about two weeks ago and had the same problem. I used two heavy duty ratchet straps to pull back on it and used some pry bars to free the transmission. I checked for bolts I forgot so many times but there were none. Its just really stubborn. Don't worry, its much quicker to put back together, the finish line is close! Also if you don't have an impact gun you might want to find a friend who does, those flywheel bolts are stubborn!