1997 pontiac bonneville trans replacement

[hotroddal]

i got a 97 pontiac bonneville and i need to rplace the trans. i am looking for a general guidline on how to go about doing this, i have a hoist in my shop just so you know and i plan on using it for the job. thanks you uch appreciated, i have searched the internet but could not find anything useful.

[tx200m]

Should find it here. http://www.gmforum.com

[Mosh]

You need a rack to raise the car, a engine support device, and a transmission jack to lower the trans.

The cradle is 2 piece and can be removed in 1/2. The driver side half will come out.
Support the back side of the engine near the flywheel with a bar and chain across the engine compartment.
Raise the car, remove left front ball joint and stab link from spindle.
I leave the driver axle attached at the spindle and just pop it from the trans and let it hang with the spindle.
Take out 3-4 bolts at the rear subframe near that stabilizer bar. They are 13mm..
Take out 3 bolts connecting the left cradle half to the right half over by AC compressor. Also the 2 front motor mount bolts near the starter from the cradle.
Remove driver side front cradle bolt near front bumper.
I like to have the trans jack under the pan before I remove the cradle.
Remove cradle, then the rear trans mount from trans and the pass side axle housing mount, then commence to replacing trans. You can pop the passenger side axle out as you lower the trans down out.
NOTE!!! There is a bolt that goes in from the passenger side at the bellhousing. Right above the long output casing of the trans at the engine block. It is a 18mm bolt. You need a very long extension to get it out from the passenger side and they are very tight from the factory. Dont break your oil pressure switch while doing that bolt.


With the car on a rack, this is a more simple job than what it looks. I have yanked a ton of these..
Make sure you flush the trans cooler very well before running the new trans.
You are looking at about a 6-8 hour job with simple hand tools.
There is obviously some other steps here that I cant cover all of them unless I type 3 pages. SO DONT FOLLOW ME WORD FOR WORD..There is other steps as well.
The rest should be common sense type stuff if you are used to working on cars.
A Haynes manual from Autozone would be a wise investement for 30$ before doing this job.

[briano]

I think mosh wrote the repair manual for this job. One thing, is the cradle a two piece on the Bonny. I just did a Buick Regal and it was a single piece cradle

[hotroddal]

hey thanks alot for the informaion, ive been wrenching for years but only on the muscle cars and that sort which is a totally different animal compared to the new age, why cant they keep things simple like back then?? ha ha anyways i appreciate the tips and thats all i needed to know i just wanted to get an idea on whats going on before i jump in and tie up my hoist for a while, thanks again guys.

[Mosh]

hey thanks alot for the informaion, ive been wrenching for years but only on the muscle cars and that sort which is a totally different animal compared to the new age, why cant they keep things simple like back then?? ha ha anyways i appreciate the tips and thats all i needed to know i just wanted to get an idea on whats going on before i jump in and tie up my hoist for a while, thanks again guys.
You are welcome, and good luck. It is not that bad of a job.

[fabiodriven]

God bless Mosh. Every time I post something automotive he is a wealth of knowledge.