Vailshred

Anyone have any experience or know a DIY thread on downpipe removal with a tip transmission?? I guess my main questions are

Should I do it? I have all the tools..

Average time? This is my daily driver.. Can it be done in a day?

Or should i pay my mechanic $520?

Thanks

usmcB5

are you using a lift? if so maybe 8 hours with access to air tools

twv5004

its a pain in the *** mostly time spent stairing at a bolt and saying how the hell do i get that out, ur gona need crazy extentions and flex joints for your ratchet....and if you strip any bolts good luck getting em out with out a full pull, i have 95% of my engine out, motor mounts and drive shaft left, and i still have them on, you can hit 3 outa 4 bolts on both but the last one is a pain, i striped mine so on with the pull, but basicly pull all your covers, and y pipe airbox ect anything you can unclip and move outa the way is a help, then its just getting the bolts out from the top and via wheel wells from beneth the axles the top 3 you get from above and the botom one from the axle be creative with extentions and flexes, also you need to remove your axle heat sheilds, and be ready to beat the hell outa your hands shoving them into the dark voids of the 2.7 and puting ur weight into it

joeffrS4

The trick I learned was a set of swivel sockets from Sears. I used a 17mm swivel socket with another swivel attached and then a 12" and a 6" extension. The combination of swivels made it easy to get all the nuts off within 30 minutes. The uppers have to be removed from above. I heated an old 17mm combination wrench in a vise and bent it with a hammer to about a 15 degree angle. this allowed the wrench to slide on the upper nut on both sides while clearing the firewall. The pipes could not be removed even with the engine removed though so I'm guessing you would have to drop the sub-frame to create enough room for the cats to clear the trans. Good luck if you try this one.