Cadillac Deville Transmission Removal
by Dan Ferrell
Finding a suitable place, planning and gathering the right tools are the key ingredients for this project. Transmissions are heavy and difficult to remove. Therefore, a proper transmission jack is necessary. It will not only ease your job but also prevent you from dropping the transmission and injuring yourself. Beyond that, you may find minor variations from one model assembly to the next. However, if you need more help, consult the vehicle service manual for your particular unit.
Clearing the Transmission
Raise the rear and front of the vehicle, support it on jack stands and drain the transmission oil. Then remove the shift lever rod and the propeller shaft at the transmission. If you have to, use a pry bar to disengage the shaft from the drive flange after removing the shaft coupling bolts.
At the front of the transmission, on the bell housing, you will see two hole plugs near each other. Remove these plugs. Then mark the flex plate and torque converter, so that you can install them in their same original relationship to the transmission.
To remove the oil cooler inlet and outlet pipes, use a pair of rib joint pliers to squeeze the clamps and slide them away from the connections. Then grab the hoses and carefully pull them from the pipes. Now you can remove the catalytic converter. For this, use a breaker bar or ratchet, ratchet extension and a six-point socket to get a better grip on the bolts and prevent rounding off the heads.
Look around the transmission and unplug and label, if necessary, all the electrical sensors and wires. Disconnect any other brackets and linkage assembly that might interfere with transmission removal.
Removing the Transmission
Before installing the transmission jack, remove the transmission housing-to-engine oil pan bolts. Then install the jack. Once you have properly supported the transmission, detach the crossmember. Slowly, lower the transmission just enough the gain access to the transmission-to-engine block upper mounting bolts. Then support the front of the engine with a jack stand or another suitable piece of equipment.
Now remove all the transmission-to-engine bolts. Double check that there are no more components attached to or around the transmission that might interfere with removal. Then begin to lower the transmission, pull it away from the engine, and remove it from the vehicle.
General Motors suggests that you flush the automatic transmission oil cooler soon after removing the transmission and before installing the serviced or replacement transmission. This will prevent damage to the system components and the system itself.
In addition, to ease the installation process and properly torque the bolts, clean the threaded transmission mounting holes on the engine block using a 12 x 1.75mm tap.
References
- GM: Eldorado, Seville, Deville, Riviera & Toronado, '86'93 (Haynes Manuals); Robert Maddox and John Haynes; 1999
- Modern Automotive Technology; James E. Duffy; 2003
Writer Bio
Since 2003 Dan Ferrell has contributed general and consumer-oriented news to television and the Web. His work has appeared in Texas, New Mexico and Miami and on various websites. Ferrell is a certified automation and control technician from the Advanced Technology Center in El Paso, Texas.
