How do you drop the transmission on a Mk2?

[rs899]

I have done this countless times on a Mk1, but never a Mk2... The Bentley makes it seem a lot harder...having a support frame...removing the passenger side and front mounts....  The Mk1 lets you pivot the engine off that otherwise cursed passenger side mount, but I guess you can't flex the Mk2 like that (can you??)

I have a feeling that my clutch/pressure plate etc is on the road to self destruction and as I have some of the work already done ( I have the axles pulled and the car on stands), I was thinking of a pre-emptive strike this long 3-day weekend (US Memorial Day).

How do you guys do it?

Rick

[theman53]

I have only taken 1 vw engine out and it was the one in my jetta. I just took the hood off and pulled both engine and trans up out. I have heard of taken the subframe off and lifting the car over the lump. After taking mine out and pulling the trans on the ground I don't think I would recommend doing it on the car. Just my .02

[rallydiesel]

I have taken the trans out by itself. It was not fun. You have to remove the trans mount bracket completely and you will need to support the engine with a support bar. You need to tilt the engine down a lot. There isn't much room to get the driver's side output flange past the block and the subframe.

If I was replacing a trans, I would rather just pull the whole engine.

[rs899]

If you can pick up an 020 tranny with one hand, no wonder all this stuff comes easy to you...

I couldn't do that...even 30 years ago.

So, sounds like all the engine/ tranny mounts have to be removed?

[Rabbit on Roids]

im not buff either, but whole engines or transmissions are nothing. only time i need help with one is when i have an engine bolted to a trans. the whole shebang is pretty heavy. but trannies, yea, one hand no problem. there like 60 lbs maybe. engines are like 150 max.. i just loaded a 1.8 gas 8v in the back of my GTI by myself a week ago, no problems at all.

[rs899]

Can anyone compare/contrast the Mk2 drop vs the Mk1 drop?  Is it harder, or (somehow)  easier?

[Rabbit on Roids]

theres no way its easier to do than an mk1. its alot more time to drop the engine from a mk2. my mk1 i can have the engine out on the ground before it cools completely off.

my vote is to pull the engine. un hook injector lines, exhaust, and a couple wires, then its pull time.

[smutts]

The trans itself is so light (I can lift one with one hand)

You don't have a spare bolt in your neck do you?
My 1958 Landrover gearbox would be a challenge though, British engineering genius, incredibly heavy, fragile, and pi**es oil out of every seal. .

My memories of swapping gearboxes on the GTD are, not pleasant, the engine bay is 10mm too small to get the input shaft off the clutch plate. It is not too difficult once you have the knack, probably.

[rs899]

Since we have drifted off to British engineering genius, I must say that they made gearbox swaps on the Triumph TR4a and Spitfire MkIII (both that I have)rather easy in that you can pull the lot up through the floor as it has a removable tunnel.  What isn't so great is that the tunnel is made of...cardboard

[Rabbit on Roids]

LMFAO @ the cardboard tranny tunnel!

[rs899]

Well, maybe it's not cardboard.  More like pressed particle board maybe 1/8" thick.  You can imagine how many of the original ones survive after 30+ years...but they had zirc fittings everywhere

[ozzie]

i have doen it both ways - easier for me just to pull the engine and trans together.  might be another story if you have a lift.
oz

[Rabbit on Roids]

yea, the kind that lifts the car up over your head.. otherwise its a real bugger getting the trans in and out. trannies are not all that heavy, but when you are on your back trying to lift it in front of your head, its really hard. i did put a trans in my rabbit once without dropping the engine.set it on the ground close to where it was going, then reached down thru the engine bay, picked up the trans, and set it on the engine. this was all on a mk1 tho. no such beauties with an mk2. sub frame gets in the way.

[smutts]

Trying to remember what was needed.
Pick the grot out of the triple square driveshaft bolts before POUNDING the bit in with a hammer. This stops the sodding things from definately stripping to a more reasonable probably stripping.
Engine support, I just cut a lump of 3 by 4 to span between the bonnet shuts, some polypropelene rope looped around the engine and some wedges to adjust and take the load. Don't sue me when it falls on your head as I have no money.
I had to tip the engine forward a bit, so thats the mount by the turbo needing loosening, then fiddle with the rope again. Curse as the oil filter hits the front subframe. Rope the gearbox too while you try to yank it all apart. Enjoy. Unless you are a mute, do this job at least a mile from the next pair of human ears, as you will swear, lots. Took me an aggressive two days. Make sure you get the right torque values for the crank to clutch bolts if you do the clutch. YUP! guess who had the wrong values.

[rs899]

Well, what I started doing was cutting a piece of unistrut to fit between the fenders.  I was going to hang the engine from it, but was having trouble finding various loops and links around the garage that would fit in the lifting lugs on the head.  I was thinking of using a cheapo spring compressor hung from the unistrut to lower the driver's side , but couldn't quite find the needed hardware around.  Also a little squeamish about lifting from the alloy head, although I suppose it was designed for that...

What I ended up doing was to use one of those Harbor Freight articulated transmission jacks on the whole engine/transmission assembly.  The top plate is just about the size of the oil pan and the thing is rated at 450#.  It worked pretty well, but that #%^#& subframe sure doesn't make it easy to pull the tranny.  I'm in for a treat putting it back in, I am sure.

If I didn't have power steering and A/C, I would have pulled the front of the car off and twisted the thing out of the front, I think.  Too much crap in the way....I really love my MKIs now.

The noise was a loose clutch spring, and maybe some internal gear wear caused by the PO running the tranny oil low.  I think I am going to swap the AGS tranny that looks pretty tired with an ACN that I hope is going to be nicer.  Fingers crossed.  Now I need to swap flanges...