Raise and safely support the vehicle and remove the front wheels. Remove
the battery and battery box and the air cleaner and ducting.
Remove the splash shield and drain the transaxle oil.
Disconnect the speedometer cable, throttle cable, shift cable and the wiring
from the transaxle.
If necessary, properly relieve the fuel system pressure and disconnect the
fuel lines.
If the fuel filter is mounted to the transaxle, unbolt its mounting bracket
and position it aside.
Unbolt any exhaust crossover, coolant, vacuum or EGR pipe mounting brackets
from the transaxle.
Fig. 1: Exploded view of a typical automatic transaxle
assembly mounting and related components
On 2.0L engines, remove the intake manifold support bracket.
Disconnect the wiring and remove the starter.
On 4WD models, matchmark the flanges and remove the driveshaft.
Disconnect the exhaust pipe from the manifold and the catalytic converter
and remove the pipe.
Disconnect the tie rod ends and lower ball joints and remove the halfshafts.
Use special tool 49 G030 455 or equivalent to hold the differential side gears
in place when the halfshafts are removed.
On 4WD models, to remove the differential lock motor, remove the sensor
switch. Insert a small screwdriver into the hole and turn the rod 1⁄2 turn
counterclockwise. Remove the bolts and remove the motor.
Remove the torque converter–to–flywheel nuts and/or bolts.
Disconnect the oil cooler hoses and plug them to prevent leakage.
Install the necessary lifting equipment and support the engine from above.
Remove the lower mounting frame and support the transaxle from below with
a jack.
Remove the front and left rear mounts and allow the engine/transaxle to
tilt towards the left.
Remove the bolts and slide the transaxle away from the engine to lower it
out of the vehicle. Do not let the torque converter fall out.
To install:
Make sure the torque converter is properly placed and carefully guide the
transaxle into place. Start all the transaxle–to–engine bolts,
then tighten them to specifications.
The remainder of the installation is the reverse of the removal procedure.
