Hey, anyone pulled gearbox out on jackstands? If so do i need to jack rear up too or just front(2 or 4 jackstands) and how high do i need to lift car to get enough clearance to get box out. Also dont have a trans jack or support bar, thinking will support engine with strops to my trusses in my garage and pull off trans with trolley jack. Any ideas? Looking to do clutch and lsd.

 

Helped an auto tech remove/install several transmissions. Manual and automatic transmissions. (At other times the transmission was removed along with the engine and then put back in the car along with the engine.)

He got the car up on jack stands. Car was level. And high enough to ensure the transmission would come out from under the car.

He used a transmission jack. One on wheels with a very low collapsed height but one that had sufficient travel to go up high enough to support the transmission so it could be unbolted. Once unbolted and any hoses/lines/harness connections free the jack was lowered and then carefully moved out from under the car.

(I think the transmission jack was rented.)

Small blocks/pieces of wood were handy to shim/support the transmission to support the transmission. Nowadays some jacks have adjustable support arms and support posts and pieces of wood are unnecessary. But you want to be sure the transmission is well supported, stable, and can't roll or slide off its supports as the transmission is lowered or moved out from under the car and then when it moved back under the car then raised into position to be installed back in the car.

 

I've done this both with jackstands and with a quickjack. With a transmission jack and without, about 20 times on the R53. Agree with pretty much everything @RockC said.

Supporting the engine with a floor jack or just another jack stand under the oil pan with a block of wood to distribute the load is sufficient. A floor jack is better so you can adjust the angle of the engine to make transmisison R&R easier. If this is your first time, definitely have a helper with you to aid in positioning, aligning, and manhandling the transmission into place. It's not difficult, but until you've done it a few times, you'll go crazy trying to get it to line up. The trick is to tilt the engine/transmission assembly ~10 degrees down to the passenger side to allow everything to easily clear the frame rail.

Where are you located? Feel free to message me directly if you get stuck or have questions.

 

A low transmission scissor jack can be rented for $35/day. The trans is small but heavy and realigning it can be a problem for one person.

 

Jackstands front and rear, lifted to about 15" clearance to the floor

 

​​​​​​Ok. Thanks for that will make sure i tilt the engine down. Unfortunately i dont think i have anyone to help me. I just had a thought, maybe i could use a chain block hooked to my truss in the garage and lift the trans through the eyelet for reassembly? That way i have more clearance under the trans to help me guide it in, do you think this is a good idea?

 

Using a transmission jack would make the solo route much more possible, but lining up the trans with the engine for reinstallation can still be frustrating. Supporting from up top could be a viable solution. As long as you can get it balanced somewhat close to the center of gravity. That might almost be easier, as you could focus your efforts on positioning and not worry about stabilizing/balancing on the jack. Let us know how it goes!

 

Will do once I receive the fork bushings and guide tube from the dealership then i will attempt the job, also trying out a blackline lsd which is 60% of what a quaife costs here in NZ

 

On my R50 (different gearbox, but overall the same) we dropped the gearbox using 3 jackstands (2 for the front, one to rest the engine overnight), 2 floor jacks (one for the engine, one for the gearbox) and 2 persons.
It's possible to do it alone with only that (I've seen videos of people doing just that), but you have to be strong enough to lift and align the gearbox alone. Being 2 allows to have one person below to stabilize the gearbox on a floor jack and one above guiding the gearbox in. It's also easier to wrestle the subframe in and out when you're 2.

As others said, if you are alone and absolutely cannot get any help for those steps, you're probably better off using a transmission jack.

 

I just solo completed swapping the clutch in my R53. A rented transmission scissor jack certainly made the task easier as did removing every functional system that obstructed access to the transmission. This is not my daily so schedule is not an issue. By the way, BMW designers can kiss my *** for creating that bracket that hides the top rear-most transmission bolt -- the one under the octopus cluster. I'm going to notch a chunk from the top before I reinstall it so that access can be a bit easier in the future. Also, as everyone indicates, getting the trans to line back up is a real PITA. By aligning the driver's side near the garage wall I was able to brace myself against that wall and use both feet to manipulate the transmission into place. To answer everyone's question -- this can be done solo if you're as hard-headed as I am. Now, as a 76-year-old, this morning I feel like I just played a rugby match but the clutch and transmission are back in the car. Now all I have to do is everything else!

 

I just reassembled my transmission to the engine for the second time outside the car. I can't imagine how I would have done it with the engine still in the car. 😳

 

I'm of this camp as well.
I feel like its easier to pull the engine and trans together to do the job.
(instead of pulling the subframe)
​​​​​