New SC owner, need new tranny, help!

Hi everyone!!

New owner of an 89 SC! 150k, 5-spd, Red exterior with gray leather interior. Needs to be repaited, is seriously peeling! Looking forward to restoring this car as much as possible! I've owned a 95 Pontiac Grand Prix, and a 99 Grand Prix GTP with the Eaton M90 blower, loved it!
The big issue with this car right now is the transmission needs replaced. I have another 5-spd for the car that is in good condition. I have NEVER removed a transmission from a 5spd before, much less rwd. I am used to working on GM fwd motors, have had TONS of experience with those! How hard is it to do if I wanted to do it on my own? Does it take a long time? Is there anything else I need to replace while I'm at it?
Looks like a great forum, looking forward to being a part of the community! Thanks in advance!

Graham
Avon, Indiana

Jack the front/rear of car up and put it on stands. Remove your entire exhaust system (from the downtubes back). Then remove your driveshaft. In order to get the driveshaft out, the fuel tank must be lowered. If you have 1/4 tank of gas or less, you can just remove the straps and let it hang in place. You will have enough clearance to pull the driveshaft out then.

Unbolt the driveshaft from the differential flange. Pull the driveshaft straight back and out of the tranny.

The transmission is bolted to the block with about 10 13mm bolts around the bellhousing area. The tailshaft of the tranny has a crossmember with two large bolts on each side. This is all that holds the tranny up.

First you need to remove your starter from the the tranny though....just two bolts and it pulls out. Unplug the connectors so you can lay the starter on the ground and it doesn't stress the wires. Then remove your clutch line by pressing the small white plastic sleeve toward the slave cylinder and then twist the clutch line back and forth while pulling out. It should come out easy so if it gives you trouble try pushing that sleeve in further.

Before pulling the tranny, you need to get inside the car and take your console off and remove the shifter handle at a minimum. It's very tight to remove and install the tranny with the shifter in place, but can be done. If you remove the actuall shifter assembly it'll be a lot easier.

Place a jack under the tranny and start unbolting the 10 bolts from the bellhousing. Unplug the 4 or so connectors in the drivers side of the tranny (they plug into various sensors). Then unbolt the two large cross member bolts and your tranny is free to pull down. You need to slide it back a few inches for the input shaft to slide out of the crank...............then you can lower it down.

Be careful as the tranny will be unsteady on the jack and that sucker weighs over 100lbs (feels like 140 or so). Also be award that without the driveshaft in back, fluid will run out of the tailshaft if you have the tranny set at a rearward angle (which you might be doing in the process of pulling it down. You can either plug the tailshaft or drain the fluid first.

That's it. Tranny is out.

This is a good time to inspect your clutch, flywheel, and to replace the slave cylinder and throw out bearing. You can get a new hydraulic slave and t.o. bearing from Ford for about $90 I think. BUY FORD!!!!!!!!! Aftermarket sucks and won't last as long....trust me.

The clutch unbolts from the flywheel with 6 bolts in the pressure plate. You need a clutch alignment tool to reinstall it (autozone has them) or you can just buy a clutch kit which should come wiith one. If your flywheel is glazed up (glassy and dark colored) you'll need to resurface it and make sure to ask for the appropriate shims to space the flywheel back out to where it should be. Or else if you just resurface it and install it as is, your clutch may not fully disengage.

It's not a hard job...it just gets kind of cramped working under the car and dealing with the heavy tranny.

Micah