Manual Transmission won't detach from engine ( 2001 Pathfinder VG35 )

[IRONFIST]

Hey everyone, 

I'm finally working on my Pathfinder build and am having the silliest issue. 

First off this is an off road build I'm working on, I already have a 100 series ( LX470 ) for over-landing but this Pathfinder is going to be my fun weekend warrior vehicle.

The build is a 2002 Pathfinder LE, it has a a blown engine but otherwise solid and minimal rust vehicle.  This vehicle I bought for this build specifically.

The donor vehicle is my 2001 Pathfinder SE with the Manual transmission, this was my daily driver in college but when I was teaching my sister how to drive manual in it she toasted the clutch,  when I got under it to get working on the clutch I realized that rust had eaten away far too much of the vehicle and so it has now become the donor vehicle.  So before anyone gets mad this is me saving one Pathfinder with another.  

So far I've gotten the engine out of the 2002 Pathfinder LE,  and I've pulled both the engine and trans out of the 2001 Pathfinder.  For some reason though I can't get the transmission to slide off the engine. Any ideas?  I was told there were a couple cotter pins I needed to take out and I reached in and got those, but I don't see what else is keeping it on?  

[Slartibartfast]

I imagine the same rust that ate the body has gotten in around any dowel pins it might have, and/or between the input shaft and the pilot bearing. I would soak those with penetrating oil, try a little heat, give it another go. Is it locked up tight like the bolts are still in, or is it wiggling but catching somewhere?

 

IIRC the intake is different auto/manual (one has power valves and one doesn't), so don't throw out the dead engine until you're sure you've got everything you need off it!

[IRONFIST]

I was actually wondering if I had to swap over those power valves or just keep the manual as is,  seems like power valves are a bit of a liability? 

[hawairish]

Speculating here, but them only thing holding them together should just be the bellhousing bolts.  I can't imagine how cotter pins could be used here.  But, any misalignment between engine and transmission when trying to split them will cause binding on the alignment dowels and input shaft.  Super important to make sure things are as straight as possible.  How do you have things supported when trying to split them?

 

Are there any tabs or gaps where a pry bar can fit to start splitting them?  It's common for those to exist.  A dead blow hammer is also a good tool to have here to smack the bellhousing without damaging it.

 

So in the end, are you just mating the 2001 engine to the 2002 AT, or are you converting to manual?  As Slartibartfast mentioned, you'll need parts engine parts (like the lower intake plenum for sure, and maybe the intake manifold).  If doing a manual swap...I imagine that would be far more involved, but having the full donor helps tremendously.

[Slartibartfast]

I would expect the computer to get upset if the power valves weren't present. Loctite the screws while it's apart, should be fine after that.

 

Manual swap might be tough to find parts for. A guy on here a while back had a hell of a time trying to find a new flywheel for his VQ R50.

 

I had a look at the MT section of the service manual, looks like they want you to remove the crank position sensor from the bellhousing before pulling the trans. Maybe that's hanging up? It also shows a snap pin on the withdrawal shaft (guessing that's the pin you pulled). The manual's a free download from Nicoclub if you haven't picked that up yet.

Edited September 23 by Slartibartfast

[hawairish]

I would think the computer wouldn't like them missing...but I'm not sure how it would know?  There are no sensors on the valves themselves, but maybe it'd manifest as a vacuum leak, because that's what actuates the valves.

 

Just looked at the removal instructions in the MT section, too.  Honestly, I'm baffled by them.  It does say to remove the snap pin and withdrawal shaft, but also to remove the withdrawal lever (I really want to just call that the release fork!) and release bearing.  Pretty impossible to remove the bearing from the input shaft when it's obstructed by the clutch, flywheel, and engine, let alone doing so through a small hole on the side of the transmission.  But I can't even imagine how removing any of that stuff would be necessary because they're all connected to the bellhousing/transmission.  The install has all the parts reassembled before mating it to the engine, so seems really odd why they'd need to be removed at all.  Nissan doing dumb things again.

[Nick.Holland78]

I have a hydrolocked VQ35 engine, auto transmission. I can't remove the transmission from the engine the 'normal' way since the crankshaft won't turn. Can't unbolt the torque converter.

 

Decided to drop the entire drivetrain out the bottom. I posted a few pics from today on Facebook. 

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/i3yeRwYLR69cEhrB/?mibextid=xfxF2i

 

Detaching connections was the same as removing transfer case, transmission, then engine except for the difficult to reach bolts. Took off the front facia. Detached the lower control arms and steering tie rods. Then sat the engine down on the subframe. Jacking the truck so high just took slow incremental care.