Is removing the tranny from the car on jackstands a pain in the ****? I have an oil leak somewhere that coats the converter in oil when the car is driven. It looks like it's coming from directly in front of the converter (below the bell housing).

I've been told that it's likely the 1-piece rear seal. I was also told it's easy to replace, but the b*tch is getting the tranny out.

Any suggestions? Would oil coating the converter cause my tranny to slip (which it's begun to do lately). Is it time to just convert to a T-56???

 

its always a good time for a T56

 

Not that hard, just make sure you have a good hard surface to work on and a jack with a board or some way to get the tranny back up in the tunnel. That's the hardest part for me, getting it back in without any help. Also when you ease the engine back be careful not to crush the distributor or any other things. Also, make sure the wheels are off the ground (rear ones that is) so you can turn them to make getting at the driveshaft bolts easier. It also makes it easier working with the torque arm to have the rear wheels unloaded. And oh yea, take apart the inside console first, before you get all dirty.

 

One more thing, depending on how rusted your exhaust is, it might be a pain disconnecting it at the manifolds so you can lean the engine back.

 

First of all remove the dist cap, especially if you have the large one with the coil in it. Jack the car up as high as you can, safely & put on jack stands. Remove the inspection cover to get to the converter to flexplate bolts. Rotate the flexplate until you can get to the bolts, usually at the oil filter, remove & rotate to the next one. Remove driveshaft & be ready to plug the tailshaft, fluid will come out. Get a floor jack with a trans adapter. Remove crossmember & lower trans with jack. & lower trans. Disconnect TCC plug, TV cable, shift cable, oil cooler lines & speedo cable, then pull out dipstick tube. Use a 9/16" swivel socket on a 24" of extension, stack several extensions together to get the length, if you have to & remove the top 2 bolts to the engine. Work from the tailshaft up over the top of the trans, that gives the best clearance.Make sure the jack is supporting the trans, then remove the other 4 bolts to the engine. Jack trans up a little & wiggle the trans off the locating pins, lower trans slightly & roll the jack & trans back enough to gain access to the flexplate bolts. Remove flexplate. Pry out rear main seal & replace. The trick is to only move the trans far enough back to get access, wedging it in the trans tunnel, this makes it a lot easier to get back in.

 

BTW a rear main leak will never cause an auto transmission to slip, so you have two different problems... maybe a rebuilt tranny would be a good idea while your there.