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Triumph TR6 - Helpful Hints: Tranny out

This is either a helpful hint of a story of stupidity considering it to so long for me to figure out:

Transmission removal made easy.

Remove the drain plug and drain tranny oil. Support the tranny under the drain plug hole with a jack and piece of ply wood cut to fit from bell housing to inside cockpit just prior to axel housing. Support engine separately. Remove all bolts. Slide tranny back along ply wood. Installation opposite of removal.

This beats the hell out of wrestling the b#@%$ard!! from underneath or trying to pull it up while wedged under the dashboard.

Anyone else try this??

BC
Bryn

Bryn, you have pull the transmisson than from
underneath. You will break all sorts of things other wise. Think of how the car was put together in the first place. Frame, engine & transmision & diff.
Body on top, then brakes and wheels and everything else.
Christopher Trace

I pulled my trany two weeks ago by myself with no problems. Second time I'v done it this way.

I won't repeat the obvious stuff.

1. The key - insert 8" redi rods through holes on each side of the belhousing down low.

2. Put a jack with wheels under the trany

3. Slide the trany on the redi rod. The jack will just roll a bit.

4. Once the trany is separated from the clutch, still sitting on the redi rod, just grab the top of the bellhousing and the drive shaft flange and lift it out.

JP
Calgary, Canada.

John Parfitt

Just did this. Was surprised how easy it was. Took as long to remove the tranny cover as to remove the tranny.Remove pasenger seat(4 1/4 bolts), undo the two 1/2" bolts from tranny mount. Undo trans to engine bolts, support engine and slide out.Reverse to reinstall.I am a mechanic who does this kind of stuff all the time and this was as easy as it's ever been.
Peter G

what is a redi rod?
Steven

Redi Rod is a threaded steel bar stock available in most automotive, hardware, Canadian Tire type stores.

The idea is you insert the ready rod through a bolt hole on each side of the bellhousing. When the transmission separates from the engine, the bellhousing end doesn't just fall - it can slide along the redi rod. Works better than good. Makes trany removal a one man job.

JP
John Parfitt

Hey All,

For some reason I was under the impression that pulling a tranny on a TR6 was hard. From Peter and John's post it almost sounds like I could do this in my sleep? I have pulled the tranny on my ex-Midget for which I had to pull the whole engine out. This was not too bad. Is the TR easier?

Ignatius
Ignatius

When I drove Montreal to Portland, Oregon for VTR 2000 (3434 miles there), I found out when I got there that something had jammed inside my overdrive. Ray Marty put my TR on his flatbed and drove me 60 miles to his place where we had all the tools. In one hour (TR3A), I had pulled out the seatcushions, unbolted the seat pans, removed all the carpets and then all the bolts holding the "tunnel" with an air ratchet. Then the starter and bell housing bolts, undid the overdrive wires and with the help of Ray, we slid it out. In an hour.

But it was about the 8th time I had done it in the 42 years that I had owned "TRusty".

Don Elliott, Original Owner, 1958 TR3A
Don Elliott

Not hard, just time consuming.

The key point is to make up a support for the engine block, I used a 1"x6" board vertically to fit beind the oil pan and the start of the bell housing as once the tranny and the engine are unbolted nothing is supporting the rear of the engine. Most of the time is burned up removing the seats, carpets, middle dash support with all the radio connections and the trans tunnel. and putting all them back in.

As I remember it is easier to remove both seats to get the carpet up and besides it gives you more leverage and balance to straddle over top of it. I also removed the steering wheel (not necessary but gives easier access). I also put the car up on jackstands so that I have access underneth the car. I used a sling of rope to grab the rear of the tranny at the flange.

The transmission sans o/d weighs about 55lbs
Steven

I forgot to add: you need to remove the clutch slave and linkage; the starter (actually you just have to unbolt it and slide it forward a bit, add in the wires and speedo connection.

The first time it took me about 3 1/2 hours to remove; the second time about 2 1/2 and the third time was just under 2. Don't think that it can be done any faster

The 6 takes more time than the 3a that is for sure, more interior parts and radio connections, speaker pannels etc.

And finally remember that the tranny comes out (up) via the passenger side.
Steven

I just spent 4 freaking days getting the water reservoir out of the honda. Almost at the point of taking the bumper off. Give the the TR any day. It was, by a factor of 10, more difficult to remove than the transmission.

Chris: It comes out easily from inside. Not having a hoist means not much room underneath. Nothing to break, just slide it back until all is clear. Works for me.
Bryn

I wish I had thought of the "Ready Rod" method. I just replaced my throw out bearing and had a great day. First off it's almost impossible to remove all of the nuts and bolts by yourself. Unless your arms are 8 feet long and have 2 elbows. Secondly when I was putting it back in I found that you need to be able to extend both arms and hold 50 odd pounds of transmission that has a mind of it's own. In the process I kneeled on something that hurt real bad and now I don't believe I'll be able to have any more children.
Joe Justice
Joe Justice

The first time I re-installed the TR6 transmission a couple years ago my wife helped me. It was more struggle than technique. So there I was in the garage all satisfied and feeling good. I'd tightened the first few bellhousing bolts and was well on my way back when the good feeling washed away as I spotted the throw-out bearing sitting on the work bench.......

Experience comes tough for me sometimes.

JP
John Parfitt

This thread was discussed between 09/12/2002 and 13/12/2002

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