Clutch replacement

[richw]

Good day, it’s time to do the clutch.
I don’t have a lift or a pit, no transmission jack either.
I do have an engine hoist.
Would removing the engine and transmission/transfer case as a unit be my best bet?
Is it possible to elevate on axle stands and drop the transmission:transfer case using trolley jacks working under the vehicle?
What is the reason for not just hoisting the engine out and accessing the clutch?
So many questions!

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[RiverPatrol]

Either method is possible. Accessing the clutch once the engine is out is much easier, but pulling the engine is quite a bit of work; disconnecting everything, pulling the front grill and radiator, etc. Your engine hoist should be a 1000 lb capacity at minimum. I recall at least one member used a hoist of some sort to lower the trans down from inside the vehicle. Others have done the bench press method.

[Esteban]

Dropping the transmission once you raise the vehicle on axle stands is doable, but without a transmission jack putting it back is a very cumbersome job. Very difficult. The alignment is crucial but the odd shape of the transmission/transfer combo makes a very unbalanced load.

Pulling the engine out with the transmission, although lots of work as RiverPatrol points out, at the end will involve less cursing

[richw]

Thanks Esteban, just curious...can you change the clutch by pulling the engine out and leaving the transmission in place?

[Esteban]

Thanks Esteban, just curious...can you change the clutch by pulling the engine out and leaving the transmission in place?

Unfortunately, no. The transmission doesn't have any mounts to rest on the chassis. It hangs on the engine, so when you take the engine out, even if you carefully support the transmission, the alignment back of the engine with the transmission will be a nightmare.

If you want to go the route of removing the engine, what's left to bring the transmission along with it is to disconnect the shifters and arbors. Small tasks compared with the additional steps that RiverPatrol mentioned.

At one point I thought about the possibility of separating the transfer case from the transmission first, and then taking the transmission out (with the vehicle supported on axle stands). Although additional work, might be slightly easier to deal with the unbalanced weight of the whole assembly. However, a transmission jack will always make the whole process easier.