I have a 1992 Dodge Dakota 5.2 2wd. I’m going to attempt to remove the transmission. Does anyone have any steps or advice or anything to watch out for? I’ve never taken a Dodge transmission out before. Thanks!

 

Pretty much the same as any other Rwd trans swap.. IT's heavy, so, have a trans jack, or something similar to help support the weight.

 

Buy or borrow a transmission jack to handle it. Electrical tape for the universal joints so they don't fall apart when you unbolt them. Either a transmission plug for the tail shaft extension or just a big baggie wired over it to stop transmission fluid from leaking every where.. A paint marker to mark the bolt locations (they are not quite symmetrical on purpose so they only bolt up one way) I have shot a bit of spray paint to mark the location. When you start unbolting the transmission, undo the bolts on the torque converter first and push it away from the flywheel. When that is done and you have the transmission out, wire a piece of wood in place to hold the torque converter in place.

When you put a transmission in, make sure the torque converter is fully engaged. Spin it while rotating it until it clicks inward three times. If you're putting a used transmission into the truck, replace the front pump seal. It saves hours of aggravation to replace a $30 part if it starts to leak later. You don't need to do that on a fresh rebuilt unit.