2003 Mustang owners I need some transmission removal advice

[tercel89]

I got a 2003 Mach 1 that I am working on right now . Trying to take out the transmission to replace the throw-out bearing  . It has he 4.6 liter with the 32 valves and 4 cams. So the top end it WAY big and wide and there is hardly any room to wiggle. So I am trying to unbolt this transmission (5 speed manual) from the underside . I have two problems : 1. I cant get to the two top transmission bolts that bolt it to the engine.

                                                       2. I cant get the damn starter removed because of one of three bolts is

                                                              so hard to reach .

I have tried swivels and and swivels and extemsions and all kinds of crap ! I got it jacked up on blocks and about 1.5 feet off the ground so I'm working on my back and its aggrivating !!!

 I know this is a slim chance but does anyone here have any ideas on how to remove or get to the top tranny bolts and starter any easier ?

 

[gomer pyle]

I have never owned a Mustang, so this may sound dumb but will the center console come out? Possibly you could access top bolts then?

[TGO David]

I used to have an '03 Mach 1.   You're going to need to loosen the motor mounts and put a jack under the front of the oil pain and lift upward to tip the output shaft of the transmission DOWN, which should allow you to access those top bolts and loosen them.

 

What color is your Mach?  Mine was Dark Shadow Grey.  I know it's still in the area, but haven't seen it in a few years.  It'd be funny if you have it now.

 

Also, I have an engine support beam that straddles inner fenders and will support the engine from above, allowing you to drop the K-Member and a host of other things.  In fact it will work for precisely the operation you're trying to perform, as that's one of the reasons I had it.  You remove the alternator and then attach the beam to the engine block using the same bolts / bolt holes that the alternator was mounted to.

 

The benefit of this engine support beam is that it's safer than using a jack at the front of oil pan as it won't slip and allow the whole thing to come banging down on you.

 

I'd gladly part with the dadgum thing for about $75 if you want it.  I have no need for it now.  It looks a lot like this:

 

[TGO David]

I have never owned a Mustang, so this may sound dumb but will the center console come out? Possibly you could access top bolts then?

 

That won't work.  Removing the trim bezel, outer and inner shift boot on a 2003 Mustang is a piece of cake but you're left with a hole about 6" square to work from.  There's no access to the bolts that he's trying to reach from there.

 

You've gotta tip the engine/trans slightly so that the tail of the transmission is angled downward in order to reach those bolts with regular extensions.  Ford installed the engine/trans as a single unit on the assembly line so they weren't really thinking about how hard they'd be to work on later.  It's the curse of the 32-vale 4.6L engine.  It's even worse if you put aftermarket headers on it the way my car was set up.  lol

[JohnC]

David nailed it...

Unbolt the trans cross member and place a jack with block of wood under the front side of the oil pan (if weight of trans doesn't tilt it down anyway) where the bolts are (not the pan itself or you'll bend it) and try to get the motor to tilt slightly down in the rear.

Once you do that, you will be able to get to the bolts with extensions and universal sockets.

I pulled the auto 4.6L 2v 4r70w out of mine by myself and swapped in in a Tremec 3550 (now called a TKO), so I know it can be done. :up:

[Dolomite_supafly]

I will say this, having the right tools is both easier and safer. Many a people have been injured trying to half ass it.

 

$75 is a lot cheaper than going to the ER.

 

Had a neighbor, who was a professional mechanic, have a transmission fall on his arm while he was replacing it. It crushed his arm to the point his arm is useless and hangs in a sling permanently. He went from an decent guy working six days a week to getting hooked on painkillers and being unable to work. Now he makes 4-5 trips a day to his dealer at the end of the road to get his drugs. He is a year or two behind on his property taxes and is about to loose everything. Problem is his mother, who is OLD, and a few other relatives put their property in his name when he was doing well so they are also at risk. It is like three families that will be homeless before too much longer because he had a transmission fall on him. I say this to impress upon you to be safe no matter what you do.

Edited September 22, 2015 by Dolomite_supafly

[TGO David]

^^^^ Truth!

 

I did the clutch replacement once on my Mach 1 with a floor jack and block of wood at the front of the engine block like JohnC described and the engine shifted ever so slightly while we were muscling the transmission out.  Scared the bejeezus out of me because my arm was wrapped around the top of the trans loosening those bolts.  I just knew my arm was going to get crushed between the trans and the trans tunnel by the full weight of the engine.

 

After that, I bought the engine cross beam and never looked back.  :lol:

 

Its seriously just gathering dust in my garage.  $300 tool for $75.  Come and get it.

[JohnC]

^^^^ Truth!
 
I did the clutch replacement once on my Mach 1 with a floor jack and block of wood at the front of the engine block like JohnC described and the engine shifted ever so slightly while we were muscling the transmission out.  Scared the bejeezus out of me because my arm was wrapped around the top of the trans loosening those bolts.  I just knew my arm was going to get crushed between the trans and the trans tunnel by the full weight of the engine.
 
After that, I bought the engine cross beam and never looked back.   :lol:
 
Its seriously just gathering dust in my garage.  $300 tool for $75.  Come and get it.

That's a good price! :up:

[tercel89]

Thanks TGO Dave for that information. We are gonna try one more thing before we get hurt LOL. We do have access to an engine hoist. I have workd on other things but this thng is wwaayyy tighter than I have messed with . It sucks that you dont see any of the transmission from the top of the engine between it and the firwall. The damn engine is smashed right smack up against the firewall. Tighter than a blood filled tick !

[crossfire]

Thanks TGO Dave for that information. We are gonna try one more thing before we get hurt LOL. We do have access to an engine hoist. I have workd on other things but this thng is wwaayyy tighter than I have messed with . It sucks that you dont see any of the transmission from the top of the engine between it and the firwall. The damn engine is smashed right smack up against the firewall. Tighter than a blood filled tick !

Just another one of Fords "Better Ideas"

[Capbyrd]

Just drop the entire engine and trans on the k member.  Disconnect all engine and trans wiring.  unbolt k member.  Jack up car over over k member and roll it all out from under the car.  Then you have tons of room! 

[bersaguy]

Hasn't folks figured out by now that they build cars to keep the back yard mechanics from being able to work on them. They have been working on doing that for about 20+ years now and just about succeeded in getting it done. Just last year my son had to pay over $3,000.00 for an Autel Computer Analyzer because he needed to reprogram the computer of a 2008 Dodge Challenger to accept the newly rebuilt transmission sensors to make it shift. Once programmed it worked great. He said he knew he was going to have to purchase the analyzer eventually anyway if he was going to continue rebuilding transmissions. Good thing is the analyzer came with all program adapters through year 2014 so he is good to go for all cars foreign and domestic through 2014. 

[1madss]

It's definitely not limited to Ford. Half the motor in my Camaro is under the cowl. Changing number 8 plug is always interesting and that ground bolt on the back of the passenger head is fun also.

 

 

Not a Ford but.....

The 12 and 1:00 tranny bolts have to be dealt with in the same way on a T56. I drop the tranny mount and lower the tailshaft as far as I can and reach in with about 5' of extensions. Of course the vent tube was on a bracket that was on the 1:00 bolt. To say the least that did not go back in :)  After the first time of using a floor jack instead of a tranny jack I picked up a $50 tranny jack from Harbor Freight. You definitely get what you pay for, but it was better than bench pressing the tranny into place.

[tennesseetiger]

Either tilt the motor or drop the entire kmember with the trans still bolted on to the motor and work on it from there...I personally like to drop the kmember.

[tercel89]

 Well Lord Allmighty we finally got the starter and all transmission bolts off !!! Daaaaammmmmnnnnnnn I am sore. Me and my buddy used a swivel and extensions that measured well over a foot and a half long. We got the starter off by sticking the extensions in from the front and going next to the AC Compressor. Then the two top transmission bolts were a crapper to reach but we got them offf with extentions that were damn near two feet long and a swivel. We destroyed two swivels doing it.

 So thanks for all the information guys and gals :up:  Your time and information helped greatly :up:

[glock55]

Well Lord Allmighty we finally got the starter and all transmission bolts off !!! Daaaaammmmmnnnnnnn I am sore. Me and my buddy used a swivel and extensions that measured well over a foot and a half long. We got the starter off by sticking the extensions in from the front and going next to the AC Compressor. Then the two top transmission bolts were a crapper to reach but we got them offf with extentions that were damn near two feet long and a swivel. We destroyed two swivels doing it.
 So thanks for all the information guys and gals :up:  Your time and information helped greatly :up:

Glad to here you finally got them out, but not to be a party pooper , that was the easy part. Now you have to get them back in. I work on class 8 trucks and certainly feel your pain. It's amazing were engineers can put things. Always leaves a clear picture in my mind of were I would like to put my foot.

[tercel89]

Glad to here you finally got them out, but not to be a party pooper , that was the easy part. Now you have to get them back in. I work on class 8 trucks and certainly feel your pain. It's amazing were engineers can put things. Always leaves a clear picture in my mind of were I would like to put my foot.

 

 Before I put the transmission on I am gonna thread the bolts back in the holes and out a few times with anti-seize grease. This should help if it ever needs to come out again. I use anti-seize grease on all my things that are simliar in situations like this , especially on brake parts.

[tercel89]

Well I finally got a day off and the finishing this aggrivating job. Here's the Transmission resting level and ready to go up and onto the dowel pins. I never want to do this again with an engine and transmission this tight and so hard to reach .

 [URL=http://s768.photobucket.com/user/tercel89/media/tremec_zpss8gcp2zl.jpg.html][/URL]

[tennesseetiger]

Well I finally got a day off and the finishing this aggrivating job. Here's the Transmission resting level and ready to go up and onto the dowel pins. I never want to do this again with an engine and transmission this tight and so hard to reach .

 

I've come to the conclusion that I dont want to work on mustangs anymore in general...buddy of mine bought an 03 cobra "love those cars btw" but we had to drop the motor to put long tube headers on it...I thought working on my camaro's and trans am's was a pain in the ass UNTIL I worked on a mustang.

[JohnC]

Really not much need to work on them anymore. The new GT's make 435hp and if you want more, bolt on a supercharger and call it a day. :up:

Heck the Ecoboost 4cyl is making close to what the Mach 1's made. The V6 is even close. They have surpassed my lowly 260hp 4.6L PI in every configuration. :lol:

Shelby GT350®
The legacy returns with adrenaline-pumping performance.

5.2L V8 with flat-plane crank
526 hp and 429 lb.-ft. of torque
3.73 TORSEN® limited-slip differential
MagneRide™ suspension

5.0L V8
Mustang GT - the stuff of legends.

435 horsepower*
400 lb.-ft. of torque*
Electronic Line-Lock**
Launch control†
*Tested with 93-octane fuel.

2.3L EcoBoost®
The available 2.3L EcoBoost® engine - a marvel of power and efficiency.**

310 horsepower*
320 lb.-ft. of torque

Ideally balanced power
The Mustang 3.7L V6 strikes an ideal balance of power, displacement and efficiency.

300 horsepower
280 lb.-ft. of torque
EPA-estimated 19 city/28 hwy/22 combined mpg*

http://www.ford.com/cars/mustang/

[tennesseetiger]

Really not much need to work on them anymore. The new GT's make 435hp and if you want more, bolt on a supercharger and call it a day. :up:

Heck the Ecoboost 4cyl is making close to what the Mach 1's made. The V6 is even close. They have surpassed my lowly 260hp 4.6L PI in every configuration. :lol:

Shelby GT350®
The legacy returns with adrenaline-pumping performance.

5.2L V8 with flat-plane crank
526 hp and 429 lb.-ft. of torque
3.73 TORSEN® limited-slip differential
MagneRide™ suspension

5.0L V8
Mustang GT - the stuff of legends.

435 horsepower*
400 lb.-ft. of torque*
Electronic Line-Lock**
Launch control†
*Tested with 93-octane fuel.

2.3L EcoBoost®
The available 2.3L EcoBoost® engine - a marvel of power and efficiency.**

310 horsepower*
320 lb.-ft. of torque

Ideally balanced power
The Mustang 3.7L V6 strikes an ideal balance of power, displacement and efficiency.

300 horsepower
280 lb.-ft. of torque
EPA-estimated 19 city/28 hwy/22 combined mpg*

http://www.ford.com/cars/mustang/

Bolt on's are still a must for any car because of the crazy emission requirements they have to abide by in the factory...after market headers and exhaust are still going to destroy most factory options even in a car like the GT350 or the GT500 because they have to find the happy balance of emissions, sound requirements, and performance. After market stuff is usually strictly performance focused.

Edited September 29, 2015 by tennesseetiger

[JohnC]

Bolt on's are still a must for any car because of the crazy emission requirements they have to abide by in the factory...after market headers and exhaust are still going to destroy most factory options even in a car like the GT350 or the GT500 because they have to find the happy balance of emissions, sound requirements, and performance. After market stuff is usually strictly performance focused.

All I'm saying is they're (5.0 GT) fun and powerful as is. They run 12.9-13.0 bone stock. Only reason to mod it beyond that is if you want bragging rights because you beat your friends stock Camaro SS or stock 5.0 GT. :D

Trust me, I've been in the Mustang game since the 80's. I have owned a Mustang since the 90's and still own a GT now. Not much stock parts that came with my car are left aside from axle housing and a few other bits. I've done an entire motor swap, full bolt-ons and a auto to 5 speed swap, 3:73's, etc. I run 255's up from and 315's in the rear on FR500's. :up:

Don't worry though, it's still slow by today's standards. Technology advanced faster than my wallet could keep up. :(

[tercel89]

All I'm saying is they're (5.0 GT) fun and powerful as is. They run 12.9-13.0 bone stock. Only reason to mod it beyond that is if you want bragging rights because you beat your friends stock Camaro SS or stock 5.0 GT. :D

Trust me, I've been in the Mustang game since the 80's. I have owned a Mustang since the 90's and still own a GT now. Not much stock parts that came with my car are left aside from axle housing and a few other bits. I've done an entire motor swap, full bolt-ons and a auto to 5 speed swap, 3:73's, etc. I run 255's up from and 315's in the rear on FR500's. :up:

Don't worry though, it's still slow by today's standards. Technology advanced faster than my wallet could keep up. :(

 

 Are you going to Bowling Green Kentucky this week for the NMRA and all the Mustangs on display and the races ?

Edited September 30, 2015 by tercel89

[1madss]

Fast will always be a relative term.

 

In 1999 I received a large bonus at work and was on the hunt for the muscle car with the highest factory HP. At the time it was the Camaro SS. Not much to look at but since I was a kid I wanted an all aluminum V8 with a manual transmission. At 325hp (flywheel) it would not even be on the radar these days. 

 

Then there is always the question of when is fast enough. 12s, nope. 11s, nope. 10s, uh yeah.

Edited September 30, 2015 by 1madss

[RC3]

Reminds me when I had to change the clutch on my old F250 and an audi a4 I had. Audi was rather complicated, and the F250 sucked. That flywheel was a nightmare to put back in place.  The miata, super simple.