Gearbox removal advice

taking the gearbox out my b8 2.0 tdi manual this weekend, just wondered if anyone done the job themselves and have any tips?

 

Anybody done this guys?
Started it yesterday and got everything removed around the gearbox other then the top starter bolt, couldn’t get to it with the dpf so close.
Gonna attack it today but reading b7 guide that suggests removing the steering rack to get access?
Any advice lads before I pull the dpf out!!!

 

If the b7 is like the b6 then the steering rack is above the gearbox but on the b8 it's infront of the engine.

 

I need to remove mine. Is it a pig of a job or not to bad?

 

To be honest mate it would be easy if for 2 things for me, there’s a starter bolt going from gearbox side into starter motor with a spacer in it and I had to undo the dpf so it was loose enough to get my very long extension and socket on the bolt head, also the gearbox is huge I’ve done loads of gearbox out jobs And this weighs a ton!!
Personally I’d throw it in a garage unless you’ve got a ramp, we got this as high as we could on axle stands but that just makes it harder getting the box back in because it’s so high up!

 

Audi boxes do seem to weigh a lot I think my old A3 was one of the heaviest boxes I've done.

I should really do my clutch and flywheel. I've had the parts for over a year now mustering up the enthusiasm to do it

 

I did a B6 Quattro a couple of years back on my own in the garage at home .... damn that was heavy... I don't know what you have tools wise but I got a trolley off the local offlicence that they deliver his bread on ,,, it's a super strong plastic base with large casters on , I bolted some blocks of wood to it and then bolted on 3 scissor jacks , 2 at the front that lined up with each driveshaft output hub and one at the back to support the box under the gearstick end , it all sounds a bit Heath Robinson but I couldn't have got the box back on the gearbox spline without this setup , also I don't know what the B8 is like but the B6 has a plastic slave cylinder for the clutch which I broke putting the box back on, I should have removed it first

 

That sounds like a good bit of kit you made. The B8 gearboxes are a bit different the flywheel comes out with the box a bit like an auto torque converter.ive got a trolley jack with 800mm reach on it so I'm just going to make a plate for it to support the gearbox.

 

That's interesting, I didn't know that about the flywheel, so would you say it's easier or harder to mate back up ?? only reason I ask , I have a B8 Tdi Quattro now that has a slight judder every now and then on take off and I was thinking clutch probably will need doing sooner or later, after the toil I had with the B6 and my increasing age and lack of enthusiasm for such jobs I was going to budget for sending it into a garage (which I hate ) but if it's not as hard to mate back up I may just do it myself come the time

 

I haven't done mine yet but in theory it should be easier as you don't have to line the splines up.

 

hi guys yes your correct you have to undo the clutch and dmf from the engine side before the gearbox comes out and if you thought the gearbox was heavy enough youve got the weight of the dmf and clutch too lol, the dmf wont fall out though as theres another internal driveshaft going from ns through the dmf and into the os internal of the gearbox that you have to take out when swapping the clutch flywheel kit, easy enough to do its just 3 bolts.
ive done quite a few b6 diesels and they was easy compared to this, as i say the starter bolt next to the dpf is a bitch to get too and the top gearbox bolts arent the easiest to get too but you can just use a load of extensions to reach them.
putting the box back in can be a pain with the weight of it but once you get driveshaft flanges past the subrame sides its straight up and in however you'd think it would be easier with not having to line the splines up on the shaft but instead you have a tiny hole to guide the shaft in and theres needle bearing in the engine side you need to be careful with!

 

@glenandem how did it take you to do the job roughly?

 

taking my time i reckon about 3 hours to get it the box out with loosening the dpf from turbo manifold and hanging loose to the side, back in about 2.5 hours.
could do one quicker knowing how to tackle it next time but the part that took the longest was getting access to the starter bolts with the dpf in the way, i wonder if a petrol would be much easer if the cats smaller or further down!

 

Thats not as bad as I thought. Looking at auto data it's has a 10 hour book time to do it. Feel happier about doing it now mines a 2L TDI as well so will have to drop the dog.