Replacing Clutch on 1993 K1500

[rehoward]

I am about halfway done with replacing my clutch in my 1993 K1500 4wd truck. What a chore it has been!
I finally got the cross over exhaust pipe removed, the drivelines removed, and now am ready to drop the 5 speed
trans and transfer case.

My concern is, can I just unbolt the bellhousing and shove the trans toward the rear of the vehicle or do I need to
completely drop them out as a unit to gain access to the clutch and flywheel? This really has been a job from hell
and I need to get it done. The truck is jacked up and sitting 12" higher so I am crawling around under it doing the work.

If anyone has tips for accessing the clutch for replacement and dropping the trans/transfer case I would really appreciate some advice.

Thanks for your help.

Randy

 

[glock20]

If you have a really good trans jack that can support the trans/tcase all at once, do that.

Otherwise remove tcase first. Then Remove trans and drop down and completely out of the way. Not enough room to just move it back to change the clutch

 

[JPVortex]

Just swapped my 94 K1500 from auto to manual with no lift, just on jackstands in my driveway.

You need a GOOD transmission jack to drop the trans/tcase all at once, not those stupid adapters that fit on a floor jack, not the janky scissor style harbor freight has. That's the one that I do use but you will need to drop the tcase first separately and then the transmission, and even then the cheap harbor freight jack isn't all that sturdy. While that does take a bit longer, it makes it WAY easier, keeps it less awkward and less heavy of a load.

You are not going to have nearly enough room by just pushing the transmission back. You're probably going to want to take it out from underneath the vehicle to leave yourself all the room you need to remove/replace the clutch components and a place for yourself to lay to do it as well. If you keep it under there I guarantee you are going to try to lay there and while you try to install your clutch components you're going to forget the trans is there, and you'll end up banging your head/legs or something on the transmission and unnecessarily bruise yourself up and make yourself curse.... a lot.... lol.

Have patience, and don't rush things! It took me a solid 3-4 hours of rolling around moving the transmission around to get the splines lined up with the clutch and to get the pilot bushing/bearing aligned! It's a PIA but you are saving yourself a ton of money!

Best of luck on your adventure and ping me with any questions about it, as I just finished mine about a month ago, it's still fresh in my head!

 

[rehoward]

I did a brief search on the web for transmission jacks and didn't see what might be called a "good" transmission jack that was low enough to slide under a blocked up car.
what does a good transmission jack look like? Anyone have an example for me?

Randy

 

[scott2093]

didn't see what might be called a "good" transmission jack that was low enough to slide under a blocked up car.

I used this one from Hazard Fraught... No issues....not really recommending it....just saying it worked well enough... Not sure what you mean by blocked up? sounds sketchy...

800 lb. Low Lift Transmission Jack

Amazing deals on this 800Lb Low Lift Transmission Jack at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[Sean Buick 76]

I use a motorcycle Jack for jobs like this, they work great. You can add plywood if needed and be sure to use a ratchet strap or something to secure the trans to the Jack.

TMG Industrial 1500-lb Motorcycle ATV Jack Lift, 5”-16” Lifting Range, 6 Locking Positions, Swivel Casters, Bottle Jack, TMG-ALM68Default Title

The TMG-ALM68 1500 Lb Motorcycle ATV Jack Lift is the perfect solution to all your powersports lifting needs. Whether you have a motorcycle, snowmobile, ATV, or UTV, this wide-load bearing jack has a lifting range of 5” to 16”, and is designed to cater to all your maintenance or lifting demands...

tmgindustrial.ca

I treated myself to a lift a few years ago and it’s been a great investment! Now I use a Jack like this:

TMG Industrial 1100-lb Two-Stage Telescopic Transmission Jack, Foot Pedal, Swivel Casters, TMG-AJT11Default Title

The TMG-AJT11 Two-Stage Telescopic Transmission Jack will make the removal and installation on your next transmission job simple and easy to do. It has a 1100 lb carrying capacity to hold and move most transmissions with incredible effectiveness and efficiency. This jack features a working...

tmgindustrial.ca

 

[GoToGuy]

A low trans jack has twice the wheelbase width as regular floor for stability. Trans is fat, wide , heavy. When up on regular floor jack can be easy to tip over. Then it's screaming, blood, swearing, ambulance ride, broken trans parts, yeah all around bad day. Don't die dumb. Pull transfer case then pull trans. Easier done quickly beats grunting, swearing , risky, hard, really big heavy. Since you don't have a lot of working room , working the separate parts will be more efficient, and more effective .
If it was me I would invest in good trans floor jack. Although I set money aside for buying a two post lift. My " laying on the floor punch card " is full.

 

[rehoward]

So it sounds like I will have room to pull the tcase with the trans still installed in the truck?

 

[JPVortex]

So it sounds like I will have room to pull the tcase with the trans still installed in the truck?

There’s definitely room to get the tcase out with the trans installed still.

When you remove the tcase you just have to swing it in a certain way so it clears the torsion bar crossmember and rear of the transmission. Kind of need to do a “swooping action”, pretty much raise the rear of the tcase up, pull back to get it away from the trans, and then move it forward and nosedive the front of the tcase down, and then take the tcase all the way out. That clears the rear of the transmission and the torsion bar crossmember.

Now for that I am not the wisest. The way I found it easiest was just bench pressing the tcase, it’s not horribly heavy. I just used my hands to swing it down, then braced it onto my core area/stomach. Then from there rolled myself to one side a bit to set the tcase onto the ground.

 

[rehoward]

Cool. Thanks for the info.