Hey guys, I’m replacing my brothers 5.7 hemi this weekend with a new/rebuilt 5.7 hemi and was wondering if it is possible for the trans to stay in the truck? It’s a 2004 dodge ram 5.7 hemi 4x4 auto trans. I’m going to be doing it over the weekend at the ahoo
i work at and was discussing it with one of the other techs and he told me he did two previously and the trans can’t be left in the truck they must come out as a unit. That seems to be wrong based off of what I’m seeing online but I wanted to double check. If it can
stay in how would you guy’s support it? Ratchet straps? Or can it still sit in the trans mounts? Also
any other tips you think I should know before diving into this?

 

Why would you NOT be able to pull just the engine?????

 

This guy is a good tech but he exaggerates a lot of stuff and makes everything seem much harder than it really is. I just wanted to be sure that there wasn’t some craziness I wasn’t aware of I was about to get myself into though. Are there any things I should look out for or be aware of that you know of? I’ve been told
that the heads need to come off in the engine bay before pulling the motor.

 

I have never pulled one myself. I don't work on 'em anymore, I am just the internet information source..... and I stopped wrench turnin' before the Hemi's even came out. So, with that said..... I don't know how far back under the cowl the engine sits, or how much room there is in front of it...... Take a good look, and see what you think. Likely have to tilt the motor up some, to get the oil pan to clear the crossmember.... aside from that, I don't see what would stop you from just pulling the motor. Best bet would be to pick up a factory service manual, and see what the procedures in there have to say. You can generally find 'em on EBay or Amazon for under 40 bucks for the PDF version. Print copies are hideously expensive. And if you are gonna work on 'em, you NEED the FACTORY service manual. Haynes and Chiltons just won't cut it. It ain't the 70's any more, when things were SIMPLE.

 

I have access to alldata through the shop I work at, it is extremely detailed in my experience with it but I will check on a factory service manual as well since this truck is my brothers and I’ll be doing all the work on it in the future.

 

I like to pull engines and trans together, and separate them after. Same going in. I think I would count on pulling the rad and brake booster so there aren't any accidental damage. I like to pull the eng/trans from a fixed point (steel support beam in roof) and roll the vehicle away from the eng/trans. I think I would unbolt the exhaust manifolds and leave the exhaust sitting in there.

 

I planned on just using a cherry picker and chain. Is there a reason I shouldn’t do it this way?

 

If you have a good concrete floor that will allow the cherry picker to roll around easily, (well, as easily as you would expect with a couple hundred pounds hanging off of it....) that will work fine.

 

should I be concerned about not having the special lift tool for the hemi engines?

 

Just be careful what you use for lift points. You REALLY don't wanna drop the engine.