Bellhousing Bolt Question

[Trenton]

I have a 1998 Chevrolet K3500 with the 5.7 Vortec/4L80e/BW4401. I'm trying to remove the engine and I can't get to the bellhousing bolts. What is the best way to get to the bolts, and what size are they? I can't get the bottom bellhousing part off because the exhaust is in the way. Would it be easier to pull the whole drivetrain? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Trigger_guard]

The bolts are 14mm. With a few having a 13mm nut on top that hold various brackets. They are beyond a pain in the ass. I usually do three from the bottom. The rest you get by straddling the engine. And using every type of wrench at your disposal. I don't remember how I dealt with the exhaust as I haven't messed with an auto in a while. But you might unhook the downpipe and shove it out of the way. Or cut it and band it back together later.

It's a long greasy process. But you'll get it

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[Dropped88]

You will have to loosen the downpipe to get enough room to drop out tgat inspection plate on bottom

 

[SAATR]

Unbolt the exhaust flanges, disconnect the O2 sensors and drop the pipe assembly out of the truck. Now the inspection cover will come right out. Remove the torque converter to flywheel bolts if you haven't already. Jack up and support the transmission. Now you need a 3 foot 1/2" drive extension with an impact and a 1/2" drive impact to pull the top bolts, or sit on top of the engine and do them with a combination of ratchets, sockets, and ratchet wrenches. Leave the bottom 2 bolts for last.

 

[White96k2500]

Me and my father in law got the inspection plate off by me pulling on the exhaust as hard as i could and he pulled it out and got it back in the same way, it was hard but it worked. I couldn’t unbolt the exhaust from the manifolds i left them connected to the exhaust through the whole engine swap process

 

[Trenton]

You will have to loosen the downpipe to get enough room to drop out tgat inspection plate on bottom

Unfortunately the previous owner had the exhaust welded so I can't remove it without cutting it off.

 

[White96k2500]

you may can get a rachet strap and hook it to a crossmember or the frame and stretch the exam out of the way

 

[Pinger]

When I had the oil pan off (Vortec 5.7) I had to loosen the inspection cover but rather than break the exhaust to remove it, I just jiggled it to access the studs I needed to get to. From there though, it wouldn't have impeded engine removal.
Surely though, you are going to have to disconnect the exhaust for engine removal anyway?

 

[Erik the Awful]

I disconnected the manifolds from the engine and let the exhaust hang, intact. I had no problem with the cover.

 

[Schurkey]

The bolts are 14mm. With a few having a 13mm nut on top that hold various brackets. They are beyond a pain in the ass. I usually do three from the bottom. The rest you get by straddling the engine. And using every type of wrench at your disposal.

I don't remember my '88 K1500 5/7L having metric studs and nuts. Maybe it does, and it's just been too long to remember properly. However, I'm moderately sure they're 3/8-16 thread, 9/16 wrenching surface on the stud that threads into the block, with a nut and perhaps a smaller thread--5/16, maybe (???) on the rear portion. The nuts hold various brackets--dipstick tube, fuel plumbing brackets, I think 5 out of 6 studs had "something" hooked to them and none of it was fun. Because the studs are double-ended, you can't use a "short" socket on them. You'll need at least a mid-length if not a deep socket.

Now you need a 3 foot 1/2" drive extension with an impact and a 1/2" drive impact to pull the top bolts, or sit on top of the engine and do them with a combination of ratchets, sockets, and ratchet wrenches.

I suggest the SK 46174 and SK 46175 impact-rated 1/2" female to 3/8" male adapters. The 46174 is 23" long, the 46175 is 35" long. If you're only going to buy one, get the 35" long unit. MADE IN USA, and priced far less than, for example, Snap-On.

These give you the input power of a 1/2" rattle-wrench, with the compact, space-saving 3/8" male square to fit a 3/8" drive impact swivel socket on the other end. They are a total lifesaver for bellhousing bolts on RWD vehicles, especially if you can drop the trans mount and tilt the engine. Without tilting the engine, you may not be able to get to the two top bolts/studs unless the floorpan has LOTS of clearance. Some do...some don't.

Of course, in actual use, these become two- and three-foot torsion bars, so don't expect a huge amount of tightening power when used with an impact gun. Not a problem, they'll deliver more power than needed to tighten a 3/8 bolt, or to loosen it unless it's genuinely seized. Because these are 1/2" extensions except for the very end, they deliver far more torque than a similarly-long 3/8 extension.


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