78 Eldorado Transmission

[waterzap]

Not that I plan to do it anytime soon. But if the transmission of my 78 Eldorado needs to be rebuilt, will they have to take the whole engine out? Or can they drop it out the bottom? Just wondering.

[TJ Hopland]

They can come out separately.   Its kinda a pain either way.  If you are sure the engine is 100% and needs noting you could leave it in but the trans then has to come out the bottom which can be tricky without a lift because of the height needed.   If you take em both they can come out of the top so less underside clearance needed.  Down side is its heavier and you have to also remove the hood which feels like it weights as much as the engine.

Has your engine already got a new timing chain?  No leaks?    IF you take em both and the engine is fine you at least get chance to clean everything real good both on the engine and under the hood. 

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Not sure how much difference there is in the engine bays of the '78 to the '72, but it is a lot easier to remove the engine and transmission as a unit, then remove the trans once everything is out on a bench.

If the engine hasn't been out before, I can say that the most difficult task will be to remove the dust cover that is in front of the Torque Converter.   If you cannot get the bolt that holds the left end of the cover undone, and the pivot point is rusted up, it is time for total removal.

Notice the lifting rig I made for lifting.   It is perfectly balanced, and As it was the first time I used it, and it was in its' design stage, I hadn't got around to welding lugs on it to stop the hook from accidentally sliding.   Hence the small chains for protection.

Bruce.

[bcroe]

To drop the trans from the bottom, the engine has to be supported and moved forward
enough for the ring gear to clear the bell housing.  My inclination would be to remove
the trans & final drive together.  Never actually set all this up to do. 

You can pull the engine from the top, I see the biggest problem as getting the hood out
of the way.  Yea the flywheel cover comes off and the converter bolts, like any other car,
with the final drive chained up.  I never pull the whole drive train at once BECAUSE
1.  Its a lot of weight, and
2.  Its very easy to damage other surrounding stuff in the process. 
With the engine out, I easily pull the trans & final drive together. 
And if that seems like a lot of trouble, try it on the fuel injected version.  Bruce Roe

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

G'day Bruce,

I see you have never tried to remove a flywheel cover for a '72 Front Wheel Drive unit.   I suspect the '78 would be the same, unless the factory did something specific to change the design.

These two-piece pieces are impossible to remove as you would a "normal" one.

Bruce.

[TJ Hopland]

I helped a friend do a 77 and I don't remember it seeming any different than my 73 which I have done a few times now over the last 20 years.    I'm thinking 71-78 is pretty much the same overall.

[waterzap]

Engine is fine. Timing chain done, with just the cover removed. Few oil leaks, but not much. Had some transmission leaks, and just tightened the bolts, and that fixed it too. I am actually planning to take the engine out of my other FWD car that starts with a T. Have a bad cylinder and someone offered me a rebuilt short block at a good price. Will have to transfer all the good bits from the current engine though. Bad thing is, the transmission will also have to be rebuilt in the future. So was wondering when I do that, will the shop have to take it all out again. The T and C cars are like Jeckyl and Hyde. The one is a donkey that will start up all the time and I can drive anywhere. The other is a race horse that gets sick often. The one was just taken better care of I guess. Its not a bad car. I am just trying to nurse it back to 100% health

[bcroe]

G'day Bruce,

I see you have never tried to remove a flywheel cover for a '72 Front Wheel Drive unit.   I suspect the '78 would be the same, unless the factory did something specific to change the design.

These two-piece pieces are impossible to remove as you would a "normal" one.  Bruce.    

Well off the top of my head, cars I have removed the engine from the TH425 trans include
3 @ 66 Toros, a 72 Toro, 3 @ 78 Toros, and a 75 Eldo.  And the TH425 in my 79 Eldo is made
up of parts from many of the above.  Once you know to remove the 4 bolts (one from above),
I never saw a problem working with this 2 piece cover; I don't remember if Olds & Cad are
identical.  I have a bigger problem that the Cad requires pulling the cross over shaft to clear
the oil pan; Olds does not.  Bruce Roe

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

This is the fastening I am referring to.

I replaced mine with a slot-headed hold-down screw from a SBC Rocker Cover when I did work on mine.

It is easy to get at this "bolt" with the exhaust manifold removed, but still a pain to attack what everything is in place.   And when everything is dirty and yucky, it is a messy job.

I think that most people when putting the cover back on will omit this bolt.

Bruce.

[waterzap]

Very nice. Thank you Bruce. Now I know what to look for once I take everything apart. I had replaced the exhaust manifold gaskets not long ago, so they should come off easily. Used a Nickel anti seize too, which is good up to 2400 F, so should come loose.

[bcroe]

This is the fastening I am referring to
I replaced mine with a slot-headed hold-down screw from a SBC Rocker Cover when I did work on mine.

It is easy to get at this "bolt" with the exhaust manifold removed, but still a pain to attack what everything is in place.   And when everything is dirty and yucky, it is a messy job.

I think that most people when putting the cover back on will omit this bolt.  Bruce. > 

Looks like the trans fluid cooling lines are a big obstacle.  When I transplanted my switch pitch
TH425 into my 79 Eldo, I ran the lines over the bell housing to the other side.  Still not a lot of
space, because the exhausts on my small block 403 are pretty low.  Guess I ought to upgrade
to a 500 someday.  Bruce Roe