hydro removal

[Deleted User]

Please Tell me that this is the correct way to remove my Hydromatic transmission:
take the drive line off, remove odometer cable, remove shift levers;
attach trans jack (putting tie down around trans), take out bolts from taurus cover, then remove the eight bolts from the cross member and the trans should move straight out to the rear of the car. Please let me know if I missed any steps or missread the procedure. Thank you

[Deleted User]

you must remove engine and trans as one unit or you will damage seal when putting it back in and also back of engine is held up by trans

nick s

unfortunately I've done this task many times. I've done it over a pit, on a lift and on (4) jackstands. Jackstands are my preference. a couple things you did not mention the emergency brake cable goes though the crossmember so if you are working with the wheels on the ground, block them as you have no e-brake or park to hold the car (not that you should trust them anyway). You need to support the motor with a wide enough block to span the oil sump on a jack. The front seal is a concern, you don't have to pull the engine and trans as a unit but install a new seal regardless of what you do. The only ones i've seen leak were not replaced while apart. I always pull the mounts and drop the crossmember alone but you may be able to drop them together I can't say i've tried. A long (mine is around 36") extension and swivel is helpful for the right hand side.

[Deleted User]

You also must remove the 31 bolts that hold the torus cover to the flywheel, or you will be in great danger of bending the input shafts. Walt.

[Deleted User]

I should have mentioned that I am replacing the rear main seal and am not pulling the engine and trans as a unit, I thought I could remove the transmission as a unit and am confused as to how, if I have to remove the 31 bolts, so be it, but looking at the cross member I thought I could just drop the whole unit with the trans mount in place. The car is on axle stands, so I just want to know the best way to remove the trans to replace the seal. Thank you.

[Deleted User]

You can not drop the trans as you have to pull it back to get it to clear the main shaft. The top 2 bolts are hard to get to from the bottom, floor board has to be removed after you remove the front lower cushion and slid the frame unit back 3 inches after you remove the frame bolts. Another way is remove the carpet, and you will see 2 covers at the top of the floor panel, remove and remove the top 2 bolts. Your car has to be high enough to slide the trans out from under it, as the bell housing stays on the trans, until you remove the torque cover plates. It's a big job. The main thing is to support the engine. With the pan on you can not work on the rear main seal. Walt.

Marconi

One thing you must do is remove the downshift lever, the outside one, on the trans. If it hooks on anything it will twist off the detent inside the trans and you'll be in 4th gear by the time you hit 10mph! You need to remove the crossmember from the trans or you won't be able to pull the trans back and then drop it down. Hydros have a pilot shaft that rides in a bushing in the rear of the crankshaft like a manual trans. Careful that thing weighs around 275 lbs with the tarus and bell housing on it! Good luck. BTW definitely replace the front seal while it's out.

TwinH

Here's a walk thru changing the front seal on an Olds hydro my buddy did.

hydro front seal install

Marconi

Nice job on taking pix of operations, however this is on a 60 Olds which is a different trans, Jetaway Hydromatic56 to 60, however it's close enough. Differences are,1 there are about 30 5/16" capscrews that bolt your torus to the flywheel, remove these; there are no coller lines on your transmission; 3 with the trans out to get to the front seal you'll see a large nut w/ a sheet metal lock bent over one of the flats, remove these, pull of what will come off till you come to one with a snap ring, remove the snap ring and the rest of the torus units and you should be able to see the edge of the seal. It will look similar to the pix of the Jetaway trans. Good luck.