Im swapping my tranny out because it was neglected until it no longer shifts correctly. I'm getting a replacement 700r4 in my 1989 v6 2.8l camaro rs. Ive been trying to find videos for a similar swap but have yet to have any real luck (import auto tranny swaps for DAYS!) need some visual aids because my experience on cars is very limited. can anyone help?
also as far as i can tell from the repair manual i dont need to lift the engine or anything crazy, just have a jack stand for the tranny when it gets dropped. am i correct?
and should i be looking at anything else for problems while swapping the tranny? does an automatic have a clutch?
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Feb 18, 2022
That trans weights probably upwards of 150lbs, probably much more. And without a transmission jack your probably going to have a hell of a time getting the new one up in there.
So first you need to jack up the car. Keep in mind it needs to be high enough to be able to slide the transmission in and out of the car, you'll probably need at least 16" of clearance. You'll need four (4) jack stands to rest the car on safely.
Then you need to remove the driveshaft, remove the four (4) bolts that secure the driveshaft to the rear end and pull it out of the back of the transmission. Be careful not to let the caps fall off the U-Joint on the differential end of the shaft.
Then there are 3 bolts that hold the torque arm and exhaust mounts on the back of the transmission, 4 that secure the cross member to the car, and one that secures the transmission to the cross member. You'll want to support the transmission with a jack before you remove the cross member.
On the drivers side there is a cable you'll have to unbolt (the shift cable) and some electrical connections for the VSS and TCC, on the passenger side you'll have to detach the two fluid lines and the kick down cable.
Now the REAL fun starts. There's a plastic cover on the bottom between the motor and trans, remove the four screws that hold that on and remove that, then you'll have to unbolt the torque converter from the flexplate, there are 3 bolts and you'll have to turn the engine to get to them all.
Once that's done all that's left is to disconnect it from the engine block. Not sure about the 2.8L but on a SBC there are 6 bolts. The four lower ones are pretty easy to get too, and the top on on the passenger side wasn't bad to get at with lots of extensions and some U-joints, but for the driver side top one I had to lay on top of the engine and move the wiring harness towards the top of the intake and loosen it up with a wrench. You'll probably want to support the engine too, you don't want it tipping back too far.
Once everything is free you'll need to slide the transmission off of the two dowel pins in the block, a big screwdriver or a pry bar will do the trick. Then you can drop the old trans out.
Like I said tho, installing the new one will be a royal pain if you just have a floor jack. Transmission jacks have tilt adjustment as well as going up and down, which you'll want when trying to line it up with the engine.
And yes automatics have clutches, but you won't seem em, they're inside.
I would not recommend a novice mechanic doing this, there are a lot of steps where you could go horribly wrong and damage things, or yourself. And I can't stress this enough, you DO NOT want to be under that transmission. They are very heavy and if it falls on you could probably kill you. Safety first.
So first you need to jack up the car. Keep in mind it needs to be high enough to be able to slide the transmission in and out of the car, you'll probably need at least 16" of clearance. You'll need four (4) jack stands to rest the car on safely.
Then you need to remove the driveshaft, remove the four (4) bolts that secure the driveshaft to the rear end and pull it out of the back of the transmission. Be careful not to let the caps fall off the U-Joint on the differential end of the shaft.
Then there are 3 bolts that hold the torque arm and exhaust mounts on the back of the transmission, 4 that secure the cross member to the car, and one that secures the transmission to the cross member. You'll want to support the transmission with a jack before you remove the cross member.
On the drivers side there is a cable you'll have to unbolt (the shift cable) and some electrical connections for the VSS and TCC, on the passenger side you'll have to detach the two fluid lines and the kick down cable.
Now the REAL fun starts. There's a plastic cover on the bottom between the motor and trans, remove the four screws that hold that on and remove that, then you'll have to unbolt the torque converter from the flexplate, there are 3 bolts and you'll have to turn the engine to get to them all.
Once that's done all that's left is to disconnect it from the engine block. Not sure about the 2.8L but on a SBC there are 6 bolts. The four lower ones are pretty easy to get too, and the top on on the passenger side wasn't bad to get at with lots of extensions and some U-joints, but for the driver side top one I had to lay on top of the engine and move the wiring harness towards the top of the intake and loosen it up with a wrench. You'll probably want to support the engine too, you don't want it tipping back too far.
Once everything is free you'll need to slide the transmission off of the two dowel pins in the block, a big screwdriver or a pry bar will do the trick. Then you can drop the old trans out.
Like I said tho, installing the new one will be a royal pain if you just have a floor jack. Transmission jacks have tilt adjustment as well as going up and down, which you'll want when trying to line it up with the engine.
And yes automatics have clutches, but you won't seem em, they're inside.
I would not recommend a novice mechanic doing this, there are a lot of steps where you could go horribly wrong and damage things, or yourself. And I can't stress this enough, you DO NOT want to be under that transmission. They are very heavy and if it falls on you could probably kill you. Safety first.