How do you drop the transmission on a Mk2?

[Rabbit on Roids]

told ya it was REALLY hard to get them out while still in the car.

[rs899]

Yeah, you sure did.  But the thought of dealing with exhaust clamps, antifreeze, v-belts, power steering pumps and the fact that the engine hoist would be sitting in sand made me want to avoid going that route...

[Baron VonZeppelin]

I've been following these tranny/clutch threads in the shadows.

There are 3 good trannys at a local yard in my area.
All are in mk2's.
They are becoming much less attractive.

Cars are all about 20-24" off ground.
No jacks or torches allowed.
But they will supply a massive hoist fixture for pulling engines.

Guess pulling the engine/trans in one unit will be only way to get these trannys. I'm not excited about it. 

[rs899]

Not necessarily.  There's a huge difference in pulling a tranny when you don't care about what happens to the rest of the car or you don't have to put the thing back together again.

If you can't sneak a scissor jack in your tool kit, use their hoist on the lifting lugs ,drop the front subframe ( the crossbrace under the front mount), pull the other mounts , starter and axles.  Cut anything in your way  and let it fall to the ground.  Go for it- it won't be that hard.

[Rabbit on Roids]

or just cut all lines holding the engine in take the pumps off it and leave them in the car. i can have a trans pulled in about 4-5 hours. and thats with food and smoke breaks.

and i wasnt aware of your sandy conditions, that does pose a bit of a problem for the cherry picker, but you dont need to roll it around once the engine is hanging from it. either way, glad you got it done.

[rs899]

Yeah, I couldn't roll the car at that point and I would also have had the legs of the engine hoist in the way if I were to drop it out the bottom.  Sand is a PITA- it  gets into everything....

[Vincent Waldon]

Every once in a while I get lucky...someone pulls the engine and tranny and then leaves the tranny behind.  ;-)

[Baron VonZeppelin]

3/4" sheet(s) of plywood works good with cherry pickers on soft or rough terrain. In case sometime you just have to make it happen.
BTDT, but didn't buy the t-shirt.

[spdrace11]

I have done both countless times.  MK II is easier than a MK I.  Both are similar and can be done in less then an hr without removing the engine or using a cherry picker.  The mk I uses four mounts where the MK II uses only three.  First put a floor jack under the oil pan with a piece of wood between so not to dent the oil pan.  Then remove the starter which will allow you to remove the front motor mount.  Then lower the motor to access the two 17mm tranny bolts on top of the gearbox in the dr side wheel well.  Then remove the cv shafts which require a 12pt 8mm alan socket and a 30mm socket.  Then remove the 3 13mm bolts which hold the shift linkage on the rear of the gearbox.  Then its very important to remove the small shield by the pass side cv flange, most ppl forget this and hangs up the gearbox up on removal.  Then undo the rest of the bolts and let the motor hang by the pass side motor mount.  Take the gear box out.  Now in the bentley they dont suggest this but ive done numerous gearboxes and never had a problem.  However if you plan on leaving the motor hang there over night i would support it with a floor jack. 

[rs899]

...hang by the passenger side motor mount... where were you last week?     That pretty much makes a MkII like a MkI.  I wasn't sure that mount could take that much stress...

[burn_your_money]

I use a scissor jack against the engine and firewall to push the engine as far forward as I can. I completely remove the front motor mount. Just make sure you don't dent the rad fan shroud.

[Patrick]

And take the oil filter off the engine, it will let it roll a little farther forward to access the bolts on the driver's side tranny mount.

[Powered by Spearco]

Ha, ha. You think R&Ring a MK2 trans is hard/difficult. Try an auto trans swap on an '01 Passat V6 4Motion. Even with a 2post lift, trans jack and extra arm power on reserve, its a b!tch.

MK1,2,3 and 4 are easy IMO, VR6, TDI or 4cyl. all the same to me.

[smutts]

Agreed, it's not that difficult, just not as easy as it should be. Do a clutch change on the ancient 1977 Datsun F10 Cherry, I used to have, to define Ludicrously Easy! 40 minutes tops.

Bugger, the USA just equalized, any body want our goalkeeper?

[rs899]

No thanks, I heard he blew it.  I was planning on watching the match, figuring I would have the tranny back in by 1:30 EDT when it started here, but nooooo.

I ended up basically building a pyramid.  Used a short concrete block and then just kept jacking up , first the differential to clear the subframe, then the  bellhousing, adding shims of wood.  I totally removed the front part of the subframe to get better access. Took forever in 95 degree heat and I was always thinking the house of cards was going to collapse on my noggin.  But finally I got it to slide home. Tomorrow will finish bolting up and maybe get it back on the road.

This is a lot harder on a Mk2 than a Mk1 IMO.  I will seriously consider pulling the engine next time.  I hope there is no next time on this car...

Rick