Transmission teardown

[CrankyOldMan]

Well, I suppose I should share some of the lessons that I've learned from tearing down a transmission in preparation for a final drive and 5th gear swap. I haven't gotten to the point of rebuilding it yet, so for now it's just some tips and tricks for the spots where the manual claims you need a $500 specialty tool. I'm not going over all of the basic steps from the manual: you can read that on your own.

Of course, all of this comes with the standard American "do this at your own risk, I am not an expert, I do not guarantee the results of any modifications you do, etc."

My overall plan is to combine the first four gears and final drive of a C56 (Celica/Yaris TS) with the 5th gear of a 1st gen Matrix. As of now, I have the C56 disassembled and the Matrix 5th gear, but I don't have a Yaris compatible gear casing to put them in.

Here's a brief listing of some semi-specialized tools that will be useful and/or essential for tearing it down. I get my stuff from Harbor Freight since it's cheap, and I don't use it daily.

• Bearing separator and gear puller set
• Bolt puller set
• 3/8" breaker bar
• metric socket set: at least the 10, 12, 14, 17 & 19 mm sockets
• metric allen wrench set: at least a 6mm, allen socket is also useful
• impact gun: I use a pneumatic 1/2" driver because I already have a large compressor. If you don't have a compressor that can drive one (15+ gal, 30+ cfm@90 psi) then consider buying an electric driver instead.
• Gasket/paint scraper with a sharp edge
• large adjustable/crescent wrench
• deadblow and/or plastic mallet, ball peen hammer
• brass bar
• misc screwdrivers, pliers, etc.

Removing the end-cap is a bit of a pain because it's held on by RTV sealant and two slotted pins. After a few good whacks with the deadblow and a few minutes under the torch, it still wouldn't come off. I used the sharp edge of my scraper tool to pry one end open, then repeated from the other side. DON'T use a screwdriver, you'll most likely scratch/mar the mating surface and make it leak once you put it back together.

The bolt puller set is used to get the 5th gear hub off AFTER you remove the c-clip and unbolt the selector arm.


Once the hub is off, 5th gear slides right off and makes room for the larger gear puller. The large nut on the end of the output shaft has a spot that's been bent in. Drive a flathead screwdriver behind it to bend it back out. Use a large crescent wrench to remove the nut.


I tried to get a shot under the gear puller, but the lighting was terrible. It's pretty obvious where the gear puller goes.


And here's the 5th gear area, sans gears.


If you're like BlueVitz-RS and have access to the Toyota "Puller Set B", then by all means, use it. If you're like most of us though, and only have access to what we can get at the store, these tools should serve you well.