kseries.rookie Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Morning guys, I am planning on taking out the 4 speed gearbox from my Toyota Corolla (Ke70) this weekend. I haven’t taken out a gearbox before, so it’s all a learning experience. What I am basically wondering is if you guys have any tips/hints/advice/tricks of the trade from your experience. At a quick glance is looks like it’ll be fairly simple – unbolt take the tail shaft, undo bolts attaching the g/box to the engine, and also the gear box mount. What is the best way to attack it with regards to the order of dismantling? Leave the g/box mount there until the end or take that off first? What are some of the things I will need? Ratchet/sockets/spanners/CRC for the 30 year old bolts/oil pan for catching gearbox oil? I have a bloke who is interested in taking it off my hands after I take it out so I want to keep it in tact/not break anything so I plan to take my time. If worse comes to worse I can call up the old boy who is an automotive engineer. Soo ah yeah, apologise for the noob queston – I did do a search but I may have had a man look. As always, I appreciate the advice. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bling Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I'm no mechanic, and it's been a while since I did one, so there will likely be steps missing. Also, this is not likely the best method but was how I did it the first time. I removed the drive shaft from the diff end, and pulled it out of the gearbox. I then discovered that the oil pisses out of the gearbox at this point. So have the oil pan handy and let the oil drain from the tail end of the gearbox. I'm pretty sure I then undid all the bolts holding the gearbox to the engine. Carefully check right around the area where it bolts to the engine. If there is any dirt / grease on it, there may be a bolt hidden there. Make sure the speedo cable is already removed along with any wiring that may be present. The box / engine shouldn't move. Then I think I would have put a jack under the back section of the engine near the gearbox. Jack it up ever so slightly to take some weight off the gearbox mount. Then unbolt the gearbox mount from the bottom of the car. Then gearbox may or not not fall out at this point, so just do things slowly and carefully. If nothing falls out, then that's good. Slowly lower the jack. It should (bad memory here) when lowered, tilt backwards which will lower the gearbox to a point where you can slide it off the engine. You will just have to lower the jack enough so the top of the gearbox housing will clear the firewall when it's taken off the engine. The shaft on the gearbox might be something like 100-150mm long, so allow for that much space before trying to slide if off. With the engine supported, it should slide off easy enough. The gearboxes aren't THAT heavy from memory. So it shouldn't be too hard to do by yourself. Safety first though, getting a hand for the last step could be handy. You'll just have to catch it. I may have missed something crucial, but someone will point that out. Tools needed at a guess: Axle stands to hold the front end up - safety first, wheels sitting under sills for extra safety points. Probably not required in less earthquake prone areas. Oil pan A few spanners somewhere in the 14-17mm range for getting it unbolted from engine 1/2" socket set with similar sized sockets, to drop the gearbox mount from the car Can't really think of much else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corey_jorg Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 i normally remove the centre console or surrounding and remove the shifter. 1 less thing to get broken or bent. or get stuck in the hole making ya swear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bling Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I knew I was forgetting something ^^^ I removed the console but didn't remove the shifter, but that could make life easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 i wrote a giant post while on the toilet earlier and lost reception and lost the post Only things to add; circlip pliers for removal of gear shifter ratchet spanner for a few of the bolts of the gearbox that bolt it to the motor will be your best friend! remove starter, but that should be obvious you can leave the gearbox end of the driveshaft in to not have to drain the oil out, but it's a lot of cunting around moving the gearbox afterwards with a driveshaft hanging off the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xsspeed Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Put something under the gbox to catch it incase it does drop. Rags - if its your parents driveway/garage especially First time might take a few hours especially if going slowly. Double this if you have beer. Double it again if you have a mrs. Are you able to get yourself a Haynes manual? Normally the removal/refitting procedures in there are a handy reference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Testament Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 make sure you have taken off all wiring and speedo cables etc. then make sure again. probably not too many on a ke70 but still just checking for anything else that might be hung up, handbrake cables or other lines etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kseries.rookie Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 I'm no mechanic, and it's been a while since I did one, so there will likely be steps missing. Also, this is not likely the best method but was how I did it the first time. I removed the drive shaft from the diff end, and pulled it out of the gearbox. I then discovered that the oil pisses out of the gearbox at this point. So have the oil pan handy and let the oil drain from the tail end of the gearbox. I'm pretty sure I then undid all the bolts holding the gearbox to the engine. Carefully check right around the area where it bolts to the engine. If there is any dirt / grease on it, there may be a bolt hidden there. Make sure the speedo cable is already removed along with any wiring that may be present. The box / engine shouldn't move. Then I think I would have put a jack under the back section of the engine near the gearbox. Jack it up ever so slightly to take some weight off the gearbox mount. Then unbolt the gearbox mount from the bottom of the car. Then gearbox may or not not fall out at this point, so just do things slowly and carefully. If nothing falls out, then that's good. Slowly lower the jack. It should (bad memory here) when lowered, tilt backwards which will lower the gearbox to a point where you can slide it off the engine. You will just have to lower the jack enough so the top of the gearbox housing will clear the firewall when it's taken off the engine. The shaft on the gearbox might be something like 100-150mm long, so allow for that much space before trying to slide if off. With the engine supported, it should slide off easy enough. The gearboxes aren't THAT heavy from memory. So it shouldn't be too hard to do by yourself. Safety first though, getting a hand for the last step could be handy. You'll just have to catch it. I may have missed something crucial, but someone will point that out. Tools needed at a guess: Axle stands to hold the front end up - safety first, wheels sitting under sills for extra safety points. Probably not required in less earthquake prone areas. Oil pan A few spanners somewhere in the 14-17mm range for getting it unbolted from engine 1/2" socket set with similar sized sockets, to drop the gearbox mount from the car Can't really think of much else. Awesome dude, thanks for that . I appreciate the time you took to write it i normally remove the centre console or surrounding and remove the shifter. 1 less thing to get broken or bent. or get stuck in the hole making ya swear. Centre consol is already out so thats easier . Do you think it would be easier all together to just take the shifter off in the beginning? i wrote a giant post while on the toilet earlier and lost reception and lost the post Only things to add; circlip pliers for removal of gear shifter ratchet spanner for a few of the bolts of the gearbox that bolt it to the motor will be your best friend! remove starter, but that should be obvious you can leave the gearbox end of the driveshaft in to not have to drain the oil out, but it's a lot of cunting around moving the gearbox afterwards with a driveshaft hanging off the end. Bahahahahah they call that "Poogle'ing" aparantly Thanks dude. Ah I didn't think I would need to take off the starter so thanks for that (Ultra noob thing to say, but like I said - First time doing it!) My starter is a little sticky, so might be a good chance to redo the bushes etc while I am there for the 5 speed. Does anyone have a tutorial on reconditioning/tidying/rebuilding/freshnin' up a starter motor?? Put something under the gbox to catch it incase it does drop. Rags - if its your parents driveway/garage especially First time might take a few hours especially if going slowly. Double this if you have beer. Double it again if you have a mrs. Are you able to get yourself a Haynes manual? Normally the removal/refitting procedures in there are a handy reference Ahh it'l be in my garage at home, but the old man lives 10 minutes up the road. A mate of mine was donig a tip run and there was about 3 beds worth of sheets.. So I grabbed em' - I knew they would come in handy! I don't have a Haynes manual for this year of Corolla - Only for the 1988 FWD Corolla.. I might keep an eye out for one on trademe. Thanks mate. make sure you have taken off all wiring and speedo cables etc. then make sure again. probably not too many on a ke70 but still just checking for anything else that might be hung up, handbrake cables or other lines etc. Well, funny you should say that.. with regards to the wireing. It doesn't have the reverse wires set up to the gear box - there is a little switch under the dash that has a peice of string (yes, I kid you not.. a peice of string) that when the gear stick goes into the reverse position, it puts on the reverse lights! I didn't fab this work myself, but great bit of kiwi enginuity right there. I may have a picture somewhere, i'll upload later for giggles. Actually... I think it was someone on OS that did it! It's gone through a couple of you'z fullas aparantly. Thanks a plenty for the advice guys! If there is anything else - let me know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock-Lee Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Haha that was my doing. Me and manu were in hysterics when we did that in his old lockup. Good times working on cars while heavily tweaked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kseries.rookie Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 Fits in perfect with the name that my workshops been dubbed with: ChurrBro Engineering On a side note there man, what was the reason for doing that? I've got a 5 speed gear box and a loom too now for it - Does it not have the wires going down to the gear box? Or were you after a full seick custom reverse light set up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIRK Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 if u wana keep the oil inside. slip a 600ml coke bottle, chopped in half, over the end of box after u remove driveshaft and electrical tape it up heaps. haha. def take off the shifter. pita when it gets stuck trying to get thru the hole lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock-Lee Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Fits in perfect with the name that my workshops been dubbed with: ChurrBro Engineering On a side note there man, what was the reason for doing that? I've got a 5 speed gear box and a loom too now for it - Does it not have the wires going down to the gear box? Or were you after a full seick custom reverse light set up The reverse switch was fucked on the 4 speed. IIRC all the wiring was sweet apart from the switch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kseries.rookie Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 Awesome - Thanks for all the advice guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phtmbl Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 do not forget to take off one of the battery leads if you have not already 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kseries.rookie Posted December 28, 2012 Author Share Posted December 28, 2012 yeah as just above. remove battery lead as it is live. its best to remove oil completely first as it will always make a mess, so drain it all first and then go and remove shifter while thats draining. also remember to remove the clutch cable off the fork. ( off memory they are cable type not hydraulic ??? ) i find it easier to loosen mount bolts and remove half and then take all but 2 bolts that join the bellhousing to the motor. this means the box is still supported by the gearbox mount and some bolts are holding it onto the locating dowels on the block. use a jack to support the box and engine while u remove the rear mount bolts and it will allow the box to come down on an angle. depending on how strong you are, ( i still find it easier to remove a box by hand, not with a jack. even on larger w series boxes that are much heavier. ) slowly remove the last bolts holding it to the block, it SHOULDNT fall off as it will be sitting on the dowels that locate the bellhousing to the block. once they are out, u will have to give the box a jiggle, sometimes quite firmly. but be careful as asometime when they come off it can happen quickly so dont drop it. if its firm u can use the jack to lift it up a bit and jiggle so it helps come off the dowels straight. ( if using the jack it can really be a 2 person job though ). just remember as soon as it come off the dowels the input shaft will have come out of the spigot bearing and it will fall onto the clutch and pressure plate so you need to be bit careful, and pull the box towrds the diff so it comes out of the clutch area fully before u try to lift it down. most of the stuff i have said, you will find out doing the job, but this way hopefully now you are a bit more aware beforehand. its not a difficult job at all. just take ya time and use a bit of thought and you will be fine. let us know how u got on! Ah sweet, I wouldn't of thought to take off the battery lead either Yeah i'll let you guys know how I get on. I will be eventually taking the 5 speed out of my coupe wagon, and putting that into the 4 door as well so it's all in good practise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kseries.rookie Posted December 29, 2012 Author Share Posted December 29, 2012 Success! I basically did it how you guys said to: - Take off battery lead - Take out starter motor - Undo clutch cable from fork - Undo all the electronics - Cracked all the nuts around the gearbox - Cracked the nuts on the mount - Took drive shaft out - Took all gearbox bolts - Took the weight off the mount - Undo mount bolts and slide/jiggle gearbox back. It was pretty tight getting out, I was hitting the break lines on the left side, and the starter motor housing was hitting on the right side so it was a case of finding a happy medium with it and pulling out. From start to finish it took an hour, with no damaged bolts or anything. Thanks heaps for all the advice! I couldn't of done it without you guys . Next mission is to take out the K50 from my other wagon and put it into this one! Thanks again lads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kseries.rookie Posted December 29, 2012 Author Share Posted December 29, 2012 ^ I probably missed a few steps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 An hour on your own is not a bad time for your first time! Now do it a few more times and you can swap a clutch in 45 min Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakloose Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 What did you pull it off for? If it's for a clutch don't forget to use a clutch alignment tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyteler Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 He pulled it off to replaced it with a 5speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.