I need to drop the transmission out of my 04 Sierra 2wd.

Will I lose any fluid out of the tailshaft if I drain the pan first?

After removing the crossmember, will the motor hit the firewall if I allow it to tilt back? Anything I need to protect from braking?

 

Probably. Just a little though, an ounce or 2, not like a major flood or anything.

With the transmission hanging off of it, absolutely YES. With the transmission gone, maybe not.

I'll assume you mean "breaking" rather than "braking". 2 rather different things.

​​​​​​​Mostly the engine mounts. They're not exactly centered on the engine's center of gravity, so there'll be a bit of torque on them in a weird direction.

 

Thanks. So my idea was lower the transmission enough to reach top bellhousing bolts using a jack under the pan, and then drop it down once everything is free. What are people doing to keep the intake from hitting the firewall? Watched a few videos and this wasnt mentioned anywhere.

 

Most people would think that, until they actually try it.

Not sure what you're asking here.

Probably because it didn't need to be.

You'll likely find it eeeeeezier to pop the intake off and remove the top BH bolts from above. Do that, and they're right there in eeeeezy grasp. Trying to get at those MFs from underneath will add you DECADES worth of grey hair, not to mention teaching you to invent new 4-letter words.

 

I don't recall anything on the engine hitting the firewall when dropping the transmission to remove the crossmember or lowering further to reach the top bellhousing bolts? 🤔🤷

You will need a long (24") extension to reach the top bellhousing bolts though. They are 15 mm, but the brackets for the transmission dipstick and the breather hose brackets are like 13 mm or something different.

On a separate occasion, I removed the intake and accessed the top bellhousing bolts through the top. That's another option.

It's best to use a transmission jack for this task. I use a regular floor jack with a piece of wood to remove. But for reinstall, definitely should have a transmission jack.

 

It's not that hard to get a long *** extension setup and get the bolts without doing anything up top. If you must remove something then just pull the fender liners as that makes it easy to get with a wrench.

 

... forgot to mention: avoid denting the bottom of the transmission fluid pan. If you do, that can crack the filter plastic neck and you won't have any lubrication. The fluid filter sits on the top and is basically a friction fit.​​​​

 

All set. Thanks everyone. Motor does not hit the firewall when tilted all the way back.

 

True... by no means is it "hard", let alone impossible.

Just, eeeeeeezyer to do it from above. Especially putting them back in and dealing with the various other things like wiring clips that go on them, and a whole intake R&R is only like 15 minutes. If you have a lift, probably better to go in with the long extension; if laying on the ground like me, DEFINITELY eeeeeezyer to get em from above.

 

@RB04Av I just prefer the fender liner so you don't even touch it.