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4L60-E removal advice

Cheap6

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Assuming it's a V6, the inspection cover/beaming brace is a big cast iron lump, yes, held by the 6 nuts that screw onto studs that also hold the sump on, plus by 4 bolts onto the trans. bell housing. Do watch that the nuts are unscrewing and not the studs into the block which can happen if they catch with dirt in the thread that the nuts have to unscrew past. You don't have to drop the K-frame to get it out but do have to drop the steering rack (it can stay on the column) and the exhaust 'Y' pipe. With that out of the way, access to the TC-flex plate bolts will be much easier.

A 30cm extension should be enough but you may need more if the muscle just isn't there.

When the beaming brace goes back in, make sure the mounting surfaces are clean (also the block and trans. bell housing surfaces) and push it up into place and finger tighten all the bolts before finally tightening them. If you fully tighten the bolts with the brace out of position there's enough clearance in the bolt holes for it to bend the trans. relative to the engine. If that happens to the extreme, the flex plate bends enough each time it rotates to ultimately break it. The depth the sump bolts (studs) are in the block also affects that.
 

Shauno96

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After another day at it we managed to get the TC to flywheel bolts off (3 of them) with my mate holding the crankshaft still with a 24mm on a small breaker by hand and me undoing them thru the starter opening with a 50cm long breaker/torque wrench
After realizing there was an inspection cover in there I quickly found it.
I had already removed 4 of the bolts from it as they seemed to me to join the tranny to the engine ( I thought they were Bellhousing bolts?) but I didn't need to remove it at all to get to the TC bolts (tight spot though) so it's still on there...

Afterwards we had a go at separating the tranny from the engine with a trolley jack (and flat piece of wood between jack n tranny sump) and it came apart no problems about an inch or 2 but doesn't seem to want to come back any further?

Looking from the top I can see the Tranny and TC coming away from the flywheel and they're well clear of the dowel pins but something is restricting it from coming back far enough to lower it??

I'm guessing like said in previous post that the "inspection cover" will have to come off in order to remove tranny??
All electrical connectors are unhooked, VSS and shift linkage and oil cooler lines are removed so what else could it be?? steering rack is already unbolted from crossmember but coz front of car is on ramps it won't move enough to get to half the inspection covers bolts to remove it...

So new plan is to get front of car up on jack stands so I can pull steering rack down enough to remove that inspection cover, then again try to bring the tranny back enough to lower it?
 

someguy360

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I'm guessing like said in previous post that the "inspection cover" will have to come off in order to remove tranny??

Usually this is the first thing people remove when taking the trans out, not sure why you have made your work so much harder for yourself by trying to undo bolts through tiny starter hole when this is smack right in front of you.

Few bolts/screws to remove, bobs your uncle.
 

Shauno96

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Yeah I feel like totally stupid now I can see how simple my mistake was lol! I never realised the cover was a separate piece..I assumed it was part of the bellhousing coz it's so covered in grease n dirt u can barely see any bolts except the large ones going into the engine block...so I guessed it would come away with the trans once separated from the engine

Well at least I'm on the right track now lol!

I'll remove the cover and I'm sure ill have no probs from there ha ha!

Couple of things I noticed on this that was different to what all the guides said
Was
1) the universal joint to undo the the driveshaft wasn't behind the trans, this one had a CV joint there and only uni joint was at the diff end but that was no prob really
2) the TC to flywheel bolts on this one were 17mm hex bolts, everyone was saying they are 13mm or 15mm??

Thanks for the help!
 

Shauno96

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Hi
Just to finalize this thread I managed to get the transmission out (undamaged) =)

I couldn't actually remove the TC access cover without removing the crossmember. Afetr unbolting the steering rack from the crossmember i pulled it down enough to access and undo the 6 x 13mm bolts holding the cover to the bottom of the engine block.

After that it was pretty much smooth sailing except for those oil cooler line fittings being in a very awkward spot...I managed to undo one but couldn't get my spanner onto the other one..tranny wouldn't come back with it still attached so in the end I cut it with a hacksaw blade as the car is getting wrecked after I'm finished with it so no prob there!

Thanks for the advice guys!!
 

someguy360

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Hi
Just to finalize this thread I managed to get the transmission out (undamaged) =)

I couldn't actually remove the TC access cover without removing the crossmember. Afetr unbolting the steering rack from the crossmember i pulled it down enough to access and undo the 6 x 13mm bolts holding the cover to the bottom of the engine block.

After that it was pretty much smooth sailing except for those oil cooler line fittings being in a very awkward spot...I managed to undo one but couldn't get my spanner onto the other one..tranny wouldn't come back with it still attached so in the end I cut it with a hacksaw blade as the car is getting wrecked after I'm finished with it so no prob there!

Thanks for the advice guys!!

Wow thats crazy, never heard of someone having to pull the rack down to get to the TC access panel

Glad to hear you got it in the end
 
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