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Message: [QUOTE="Dave_Nevada, post: 1498151, member: 29749"] TIME SAVER HINT: There's one thing I did that many don't do on engine or transmission tear-downs. I bought myself several cheap plastic containers for small parts at Harbor Crap. What a time saver!! I didn't stress ONCE wondering where all the bolts and parts went back into this beast. Each time I pulled bolts or parts, I categorized them by writing where they went with a Sharpie on the little well bottom where I dropped them in. Think that's anal? Maybe, but it was time well spent. You can be an arse and wing it, and waste tons of time wondering if you left something out, or you can save yourself that grief by taking your time and do it like I did. I have worked on machinery my entire adult life, that is a hard won habit I learned. So put that main 36mm shaft nut (2wd), 1 5/8" Main detent, the reverse switch and the (19 qty) 10mm bolts from the rear case in the plastic box now. You will see later how much this helps. Okay, let's get to it. First tool you will want to make: Make yourself a pair of hooks to pull the gear set out of the main housing. Shape them like a couple of big ol' fishing hooks. Use whatever you want as long as it will hold 200 lbs. I tried carabiners, no go. Just won't fit in the right places. Don't waste your money or time. Then fasten the hooks on the ends of the pulling chain you bought at Home Depot (See my list). Rods about 12" each will do. Use your hammer, an impact socket to form the rod's little end in a vice. Look at the Intermediate housing, see the cross hatch castings? You're going to attach the hooks around those cast aluminum bars at 9 and 3 o'clock when you use your engine puller to lift up on the gear set. But first- let's remove the three Allen head case bolts from the Intermediate housing. Models [U][B]after[/B][/U] the early 99 only had two. These Allen bolts are located at 3, 9 and 8 o' clock on an early 99, 3 and 9 o' clock on the rest. The extra Allen bolt at 8 o' clock is something NOT detailed in the GM manual. That's because they didn't have the ZF6 in 99. Put the Allen bolts in your plastic container and MARK on the container where they go. Do this for each small part and bolt you remove. Okay, we are at the point we can pull the gear set. Hopefully by now you've taken an ample amount of pictures of the way the transmission gear set is assembled. if you haven't please do that now. I swear to you, you'll be happy later on that you did. Install your pulling hooks around the cast arms of the intermediate housing. Have Soldier 'B' begin jacking the engine hoist up, take the slack out of the chain. Stop when the slack is gone. Look at everything, look good? Jack the engine hoist some more, lifting the entire trans about an inch off the deck. with your RUBBER mallet, smack the main case around the mating surface of the two cases. (Intermediate and Main). They should separate. If not, you're not tapping hard enough. Now you can lift the entire main gear set out of the main housing. Let it set for a few minutes, let the fluid drain off it. Get your CLEAN rags out, you know what to do. You know that table I said to build with a 2.5" hole? BTW- I used a solid core door for its heft. Put the table under the input shaft of your gear set and lower the gear set VERTICALLY onto the work table/bench. By now you can see the gear set is heavy. I hope your table is stout enough to handle the 200 lb weight. Time to take more photos. For those of you that have never done this repair before, time to study how this thing looks BEFORE you tear it apart. Pictures are a God send. BTW- if you will turn your attention over to the the main case, you will see the oil pump in the 6 o'clock position of the main housing. It is mounted in there with a snap ring. The oil pump is unique to Ford, GM does not use it. DUMB DUMB DUMB. Did i say that was dumb?? When you remove the oil pump, it (if you have to change the main case), you will remove the countershaft bearing race, the bearing pre-load shim (DO NOT TOSS THE SHIM- KEEP IT), then the snap ring. You will look at it and wonder, how the frick will that thing come out? Easy Grasshopper, pull it out with a pair of vice grips fastened to its drive shaft. Work it back and forth, it will lift straight up and out. You won't hurt it, it's hardened steel. BTW- the oil pump does NOT develop pressure. It's strictly for oil flow, like a water pump. Can the idea of trying to install a pressure gauge down-line, it doesn't work that way. (I read some where some dude was trying to do that without knowing how it actually works). Next, turn your attention to the plastic trough coming off the input shaft bearing area. Depending on the miles, spend the money, get a new one. It's plastic! That feeds splash oil to the main bearing of the input shaft and is crucial to be in good shape. Notice the little black orifice next to the oil pump? That's a one way valve for the oil pump, That keeps capillary hydraulic back feed from occurring in your hydraulic cooling system. Think anti-siphon valve in your lawn sprinkler systems. Leave it alone. Okay, that about does it for now. Coming up: Tools I needed to do this job. You don't need as many as Ford tries to sell you (image that), and I will tell you ways to save yourself some major bucks on what you will need. Stuff like- a steel schedule 40 cylinder 6" x 18" for some press work. Neither Ford or GM manuals mention anything of this. I'll tel you why when we get there. Back to that blasted pedal tree. (sigh). [/QUOTE]