So I have my car on jack stands with just enough room for me to get underneath and have some motion range. I'm about readdy to take out the cross member which means I'll have to start supporting the transmission. The cradle on my jack is pretty small so what should I use to cradle the transmission on the jack stand with?

 

Automatic or manual? Manuals are harder to stabilize with a small cradle.

I managed to stabilize the automatic on one jack by putting a piece of wood about the size of the oil pan on top of the jack and supporting the tranny that way. This is still unstable though, so I would recommend being careful. Also, oil will leak out of the tranny if you have the dipstick out while you're playing with it, so keep that in mind too.

I would not recommend pulling/installing a manual with one jack and a small cradle. It will be very unstable. What I did was, unbolted the small cup from the jack and then drilled a hole through the piece of wood I used on the automatic, then used a longer bolt and some washers to attach the piece to the jack.

I've had good luck using the above setup, but if you feel uncomfortable, it may be worth investing in a tranny jack.

FWIW, the auto is easier to install alone in such conditions than a manual is.

 

Sorry, it's a manual. Thanks for the advice

 

Manuals are easier to "bench"... I got under my buddy's ford 5 speed and bench'd and pushed till it came out... Laid it on my chest till he rolled it off me..

Other than that, try to center it on the lumps of the jack.... Have a firend keep a hand or two on it...

 

According to this it weighs about 115 lbs....I don't want to chance it and have it snap onto my chest if I don't grasp it in time. I was thinking about benching it out too, but 115 is a little too risky.

 

bought a tranny jack. from harbor freight it works much better then using a floor jack.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=39178


450 LB. CAPACITY TRANSMISSION JACK


Perfect for removing transmissions on smaller vehicles. Heavy duty steel construction with ball bearing easy-roll casters. Includes 2''W x 43''L nylon strap to secure the load. Works with any 1/2'' drive ratchet handle (not included).
Saddle tilts for easy positioning
Maximum capacity: 450 lbs.
Lift range: 7-1/4'' to 22-1/2''
Cradle size: 6-7/8'' x 13''
3'' non-marring swivel casters
Overall dimensions: 16-1/2''L x 15-5/8''W x 8''H
Tool weight: 33.25 lbs.



ITEM 39178-0VGA

 

if your jack is a decent jack, buy a tranny jack adapter for 40 bucks at autozone

u just remove the saddle/cradle and it goes in place, much wider, alot more adjustable and comes with little things to support the jack from the side so the jack doesnt tip

 

those work, but add lots of height to your jack, be a real pain to put your trans back on it for install, the one ffrom harbor frieght looks good, I might go get one

 

I couldn't find any tranny cradles at autozone or advanced auto or even pep boys....

All the bolts are out of the transmission now and it still just hangs there, won't come loose at all...how can I get this sucker loose?

 

All 8 bolts are off?

Ryan

 

Yup, even the two top ones....it won't budge loose. Now my friends are starting to give me sh*t for not taking off the bellhousing instead of disconnecting the bellhousing and the transmission...but that's the way all these instructions online say how to do it...

 

if all the bolts are out, it is stuck on the dowels, keep wiggling, and remeber, it needs to slide strait back 2-3" for the input shaft to clear the clutch

 

What are dowels?

 

two pins about 1/2" in diameter that stick out from the engine, they align the transmission to the engine, they are steel, so they get rust on them and the bellhousing gets stuck, if you look around the bellhousing where the bolts were, you will see one hole on each side that had no bolt in it, spray some rust penatrent in these holes

 

you need a good jack to get it out every thing on my car sticks just jiggle it out.