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Unfortunately the PDF seems to not shed much light on the things that I actually consider the most difficult parts of this entire procedure: The removal of the catalytic converters, and the removal of the front mufflers.
I don't have much room to play here, I have just barely enough height to actually get my body under the car to try and remove this thing. Removing the exhaust is going to be a hellish project if I actually have to do it.
I have been crawling under the car and eyeing things up here, and it looks like the transmission should fit straight down past the exhaust and the catalytic converters without requiring their removal. This would make the job probably days quicker for me if it were the case.
Does anyone know if it is in fact possible to just drop the transmission down straight past the cats and pipes leading to the front muffler?
If I do have to take the cats out, do I have to remove the O2 sensors while the cats are in the car? Doesn't seem like there is good access to do so and I already have all of their wiring unplugged.
I am currently at a point where I have the engine bay torn apart and have a lot of access to the top of the transmission, I have both of the cats unbolted at the top, but am having trouble getting the O2 sensors out without damaging then, don't think I have the correct wrench.
Also, anyone who has done this before, if you have a parts list for flange gaskets and replaceable wear components for anything that needs to be replaced in this area, I would love to see it.
the exhaust must be removed from the manifolds. it is only necessary to disconnect the O2 sensors. you will need to replace the flange gaskets and i recommend replacing the O2 sensors when the system is out just for convenience. use only Denso sensors. it is not necessary to disturb the engine compartment as this job is done completely from below. plan on checking your rear main seal and the oil galley plug. might also be a good time to replace the oil pan gasket.
Loosen all the clamps on the front silencer and pipes. Slide the rear pipes BACK and off the front silencer assy.(a really big prybar)
Slide the front pipes off the cataverters.
Disconnect the H02S wires from the harness and remove the 4 nuts on the studs for each cataverter.
Remove the bolts on each bracket holding the cataverter (sensors stay attached) and lower the unit.
Well hell, thanks guys for affirming my fears. I assume to "slide" the rear pipes back it is likely to take a torch or a cutoff wheel to get them to move? That has been my experience with every other exhaust pipe i have ever worked on.
The rear exhaust assy will pry back but the hangers above the rear suspension might slip out of the rubber mounts.
I use 'antiseize' compound to aid in sliding the pipes back together.
Here in North Texas I don't see alot of really rusted exhaust pipes but just spraying PB blaster or similar should get the pipes to start moving.
With the good advice you guys provided i was able to easily get the transmission out on the garage floor with just a couple cheap harbor freight jack stands and a cheap jack.
I definitely had a bizarre experience after I managed to get the transmission out though.
I had talked to a Jag shop up in the LA area that said that they rebuilt these transmissions in their free time. They were advertising a rebuilt 5hp24 transmission with model number ending in 13 ( matching mine ) for $1k with core exchange. I called on friday and confirmed that they had one in stock, the model number, and the price. I pulled the transmission saturday and sunday, and left at 4 am on Monday to head up to LA. I make the drive and show up at their door at 9 am and go to exchange the transmission. Problem #1 arrives, even though they promised me that they had a rebuilt model 13 transmission available for me, the only one they had was used and in an unverified condition. They then claimed that they had a model #26 that was rebuilt and showed it to me, the outside had been cleaned and the transmission was relatively clean.
I remembered a thread on here saying that all of the 5hp24 jag transmissions should be plug n play and I decided to take a risk on it. I gave the shop the money and my transmission and loaded up the #26 into the bed of my truck. Then something peculiar happened, the older gentleman that I had been working with asked me who would be installing the transmission for me, i claimed that i would do it myself, and he looked relieved and said "good, good". A bit skeptical at this point, I asked him whether this transmission had an aftermarket A drum and transgo part installed in the valve body. He claimed that it was rebuilt with entirely stock parts, I found this odd as the stock parts are likely more expensive and would be stupid to warranty as they are faulty. I called him out on this and he claimed that he didn't really know what was in the transmission, the guy that rebuilt transmissions for him had died recently and obviously wasn't available to answer any questions. Against my better judgement, i took the transmission home.
I get home and immediately swing the transmission by a transmission shop I trust, they didnt even get it out of the car before saying, "I highly doubt that is rebuilt man, you got scammed". We pulled the pan off the transmission and old burnt oil spilled out onto the ground. The filter still had sludge and metal shavings in it, and the torque converter was still full of the old tired oil. I woke up the next morning, called this shop in LA and demanded my money and my transmission back. Spent the next 12 hours driving back and forth retrieving my original transmission, and now it is at the shop I trust getting rebuilt.
The kicker is that the shop in LA, when i was returning the transmission, the mechanic that worked there let on that their inventory system never showed the transmission that i bought as a rebuilt unit. The guy i was working with was just trying to push it as rebuilt since i refused to go home with the used #13 model.
Really sorry to hear that you got scammed in LA. The ZF5HP24 is a common unit and I’m shocked that this garage tried to pull a fast one over you.
Quote “Against my better judgement...” All the warning signs were there and your instincts were spot on. Still we all make bad decisions and in the end it only cost you time and effort.
Good of luck with the transmission rebuild and reinstallation.
I would say you should carefully check the condition of the valve body as hair line cracks, esp about the edge F channel, have been reported.
Also consider if it’s worth replacing the solenoids. Normally very reliable but it’s definitely one to consider as one of the jobs “while you’re in there.”
Still we all make bad decisions and in the end it only cost you time and effort.
Yeah I should probably be more careful in the future. Things like this always tend to work out for me, so I may be a little more willing to take risks when I really shouldn't.
Ultimately it was a bonehead move for me to not even try to check the torque converter when I was loading it into the truck. That would have been a dead giveaway in this case since they didn't even bother to train it of oil.
Take the time to report this shop to the Consumer Protection division within your Attorney General's office as well as to your Better Business Bureau. You may keep a future customer from making the same mistake....