How to remove the gearbox on FWD vehicles | 
​Shown on Peugeot 208 1.2 VTi PureTech

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  • OVERALL DIFFICULTY INDEX: 5/10*
  • IF YOU HAVE NO TOOLS YOU SPEND $200 TO GET THEM FOR THIS JOB
  • IF YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE YOU SPEND 1.5 HOURS TO CARRY OUT THIS JOB*
  • RISK ASSOCIATED WITH WORKING BENEATH A LIFTED VEHICLE SEE BELOW​
BEFORE YOU START
  • This pictorial shows how to separate a gearbox from a powertrain that had been previously removed from the vehicle. This is because it was required to rebuild the engine and clutch which is easier outside the vehicle.
  • If you are working beneath your vehicle and intend to remove the gearbox only, follow the instructions at the beginning of this pictorial and make sure to safely lift and secure your vehicle.
  • Above difficulty and time estimates are valid for works carried out outside the vehicle. Consider 8/10 and 4 hours for the same intervention if carried out with the powertrain still in the car.
DISCLAIMER:
Our pictorials are of informative nature and do illustrate works carried out by ourselves at our own premises for our own use and satisfaction.
Readers who envisage to carry out similar works inspired by the below method shall do this at their own risks and liability.

If you are removing the gearbox only while the powertrain is still on vehicle

The below pictorial remains valid, you need however to start by the following:
  1. Disconnecting all wires, connectors and harnesses from the gearbox
  2. Draining the gearbox
  3. Removing the driveshafts
  4. Supporting the engine with a hydraulic jack 
  5. Removing the right and rear engine mounts
  6. Proceeding with the below 

See our pictorial for powertrain removal which covers the above actions.

Powertrain preparation for gearbox removal

Place one or more wooden pieces beneath the power train in a manner to make it horizontal and to have all bolts at the gearbox circumference accessible.
Attach the engine with a rope to avoid the powertrain tilts when unscrewing the bolts around the gearbox.

Removing the gearbox of a transverse power train

Unscrew all bolts and nuts at the circumference of the gearbox.
Make sure you are slackening the bolts that hold the clutch casing to the engine, not the ones that hold the gearbox to the clutch casing.
Look well beneath the powertrain not to miss any bolt.
Remove the fixing bolts of the engine starter.
In total, only a few bolts do hold the gearbox to the engine as shown in the below tray: 8 bolts and 4 nuts.
Once you are sure that all bolts and nuts have been removed, hit the gearbox with your leg to separate it from the engine.
Insert a screwdriver in any space you were able to create to complete your action.
Be aware that the gearbox could be as heavy or slightly heavier than the engine itself !
Do not attempt such action on the car unless you had previously attached the gearbox to an engine hoist or supported it with a hydraulic jack.

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