Does any have a written procedure to swap out entire complete drive on 92 SSEi - which would include engine, transmission, axle shafts, front shocks, rotors, etc. I have a bad transmission - and have a donor car with 70,000 less miles on it. Donor car has good axle shafts, etc.

Would you recommend pulling the entire drive out as complete, or breaking down the task?

just change the trans....

http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...ic.php?t=31447

I just finished writing up the procedure for swapping out the drive train on a '95 SLE. I was gettin ready to submit it to techinfo. Wanna see it?

i think that it would be ok

Is your donor car a '92 SSEi also? Is the engine better than yours?

I have a writeup for axle shafts too, I'll include it.

OK...here'* the drivetrain swap:

Remove Engine with Transaxle 95 Bonneville SLE

I used this method to remove the engine and transaxle without assistance on a level paved driveway. This technique is helpful when the engine is seized and the trans cannot be separated from the engine in the car, or when both components need work outside the car. Make sure the legs on your hoist extend at least as far as the end of the boom. Make sure the chain and lifting shackles are strong enough for the job. For safety and convenience, it is best to have another person present to help in guiding the drive train during lifting and lowering.

Undo 5/16” negative battery cable; place away from negative terminal
Remove engine cover (twist oil filler tube, press plastic under rear retainer)
Remove relay center cover (twist locks vertical, undo speed nut)
Undo 4 13mm nuts and remove strut brace
Peel away mastic sheet from top of engine firewall electrical connector
Undo 10mm bolt in connector while lifting plastic side clips to disconnect
Replace mastic over firewall half of connector to keep clean and dry
Cover engine end of connector to keep clean
Squirt penetrating oil on bolt ends passing through exhaust manifold flange
Disconnect air temperature sensor (clip)
Remove airbox (2 ¼” screws) and air pipe to throttle body
Remove vacuum lines from vapor canister to trans vacuum modulator, throttle body taps, and fuel pressure regulator; cap ends
Undo 13mm nuts to remove cruise control servo; matchmark hole; disconnect cable from servo and servo bracket; replace keeper on end of fitting; wire to side
Undo 13mm studs on shift lever bracket
Pry nylon ball joint up off of shift lever ball
Wire bracket to side out of way
Unplug 3 electrical connectors for transaxle
Remove cables from throttle assembly; wire out of the way
Remove fuel line plastic push bolt from rear engine cover retainer
Disconnect 3/16" vacuum line from booster fitting on rear of intake man
Lift wiring harness, spread plastic clip and remove booster vacuum fitting Release pressure on fuel rail (undo cap; depress stem; use rag to absorb gas)
Clean fuel line disconnects with a brush or compressed air
Disconnect fuel lines by pinching white plastic clip under fitting and lifting fitting (use rag to absorb gasoline, cap metal pipe with clean vinyl cap)
Cover fitting ends of fuel lines with foil, plastic, etc to keep dirt out.
Release belt tensioner (15mm, ccw) and lift belt off A/C, and PS pulleys
Remove rear alternator support brace (2 x 10mm, 1 x 15mm)
Disconnect output wiring from alternator (13mm under plastic cover)
Pull output cable from alternator out from under plug wires and off to side
Remove lug nut covers and break loose lug nuts on front wheels
Jack up car; support on blocks on jackstands under rear subframe bolts
Remove wheels and right side wheelwell splash shields (plastic push bolts)
Remove 10mm bolt and free brake line retainer from right inner fender
Undo 7 10mm and 2 5/16” bolts to remove front plastic splash shield
Open radiator petcock and drain radiator
Undo 10mm pan bolts on transaxle to drain fluid; redo pan bolts
Remove stabilizer end links (13mm or 14mm deep socket)
Remove cotter pin and 18mm ball joint nut; split ball joints
Remove drive axles from transaxle (pry driver’* side, strike tripot joint with wood drift and 4-pound hammer on passenger side to pop snap ring out)
Remove two 13mm bolts from PS pump through holes in pulley
Set pump upright on subframe, wire loosely in position
Undo exhaust flange bolts (15mm)
Remove upper and lower radiator hoses
Remove 4 10mm fine thread radiator top support bolts; remove support
Remove 4 10mm fine thread fan top support bolts
Disconnect plastic clip holding wiring to R fan; unplug connector to R fan
Pull key, unplug connector to L fan
Remove 3 10mm lower fan support bolts; lift fans out
Remove 2 10mm bolts holding cooling line clips; remove lines from clips
Disconnect trans cooler lines from radiator (5/8 flare); plug and cap holes Wire cooling lines up to engine
Remove radiator, drain remaining coolant
Undo two 13mm bolts holding A/C compresor rear (box wrench)
Undo two 15mm bolts holding A/C compressor front (box wrench)
Unplug two electrical connectors from compressor
Slide compressor through harness; support compressor with wire
Remove negative battery cable ground from engine block (13mm)
Remove positive battery cable from starter (5/8")
Remove 3 15mm nuts from front engine mount
Remove 3 15mm nuts from rear engine mount
Remove plastic harness clip from PS pump
Unplug sensor from PS pump
Remove oil pressure sender; quickly replace with ¼” pipe plug
Disconnect heater hoses at tensioner bracket
Roll engine hoist into position; attach lifting shackles to engine lifting rings; raise motor and trans about 1/2”
Remove isolator portion of torque axis motor mount from car body: remove through bolt (15-18mm), loosen (do not remove) lower 18mm bolts, unclip plastic A/C hose bracket; remove top 18mm bolts; lift out
Remove 2 13mm bolts from torque strut mount to crossmember
Remove 3 13mm bolts from rear motor mount to trans
Lift and remove engine with transaxle

To separate the engine from the transaxle:

While drive train is on hoist, remove flywheel covers (10mm), starter (5/16” and 15mm), and flex plate to torque converter bolts (11/16 or 18mm)
Set drive train down on oil pan and trans pan on a 4-ft 2 x 12 oiled board
Undo 13mm bolts and remove trans to engine bracket
Remove 18mm bolts holding trans to engine from driver’* side
With a long extension and 11/16” socket, remove backwards bolt
Wiggle and slide trans apart from engine on oiled board
If engine is seized, trans can be removed with torque converter attached to flex plate

To prevent twisting or stressing the transaxle case, the transmission to engine bracket (passenger side) should be the first attachment removed from the drivetrain when separating the engine and the transaxle and the last attachment made when joining the two. Make sure that when you attach and tighten the bracket that the big fasteners holding the engine and trans are already tight and that no stress or twist is on the R output leg of the trans. Install all four bolts finger-tight, then tighten the bolts into the engine first, and the bolts into the trans last.

Remove and Replace Notes:

Before you begin to take things apart, consider taking several photos to document the placement of wiring harness components, and the routing of belts and vacuum hoses.

When you remove a part, start the fasteners back in their proper holes for storage. When that is not practical, store them in marked ziploc bags. Yeah, you think you’ll remember, but just wait ‘til you are looking at that pile of parts 3 weeks from now and asking yourself: “now, where did I put….or where do these go?” An empty trunk lined with newspaper makes a safe storage area for delicate parts that must be kept clean.

An assortment of small vinyl caps and plugs can be purchased in many auto parts stores. Larger pipe caps can often be found (sometimes for free) at stores that sell plumbing supplies.

When hooking up the drive train to the hoist, make sure the round, rear alternator brace is removed so the chain can run straight from rear lifting eye to the lifting link. In addition to the two short chains on the lifting eyes, an adjustable nylon strap with hook ends can be run from the crossover pipe, between the fuel rail and plenum and to the lifting point to keep the L end of the drive train closer to level for removal and installation. If the lift point is kept close to the bottom of the boom, it is not necessary to remove the hood of the car.

Save $34 by removing the oil sender and plugging the hole. This delicate component is very easily broken with a little bump when lifting and lowering the drive train.

When dropping in the drive train, set the front mount bolts in place through the holes in the front crossmember, then lower until the rear mount can be attached to the transaxle with the bolts loose in the holes in the rear crossmember. Attach the isolator and assemble the torque axis engine mount with the throughbolt before completely relieving weight on the hoist.

The 15mm bolt holding the front of the A/C compressor to the engine bracket closest to the engine is difficult to tighten. A 3/8” drive universal joint and short 15mm socket helps with a 12-point box wrench for final tightening.

And here'* the driveaxle writeup:

Remove & Replace Drive Axles ’95 SLE Bonneville

Lift and support car; remove wheel
Remove 10mm bolt holding brake line to inner right fender
Remove stabilizer bar end link
Remove 34mm axle nut; hold hub with big screwdriver in rotor slot
Break spindle (axle shaft) loose from hub with mallet or tool
Remove cotter pin from 18mm ball joint nut; remove nut
Turn steering wheel to lock on same side (for right ball joint, turn to R) From front, split ball joint with fork or lever tool
Turn steering wheel to straight ahead
Push or pry down lower control arm to separate ball joint post from knuckle
Bend ball joint post toward front
Turn wheel to lock on opposite side (for right axle, turn to L)
Push outer end of axle in through hub assembly while pulling knuckle out and toward rear
Pull back knuckle and hold in place with rope or wire to subframe corner
Align axle shaft as straight as possible and safe for outward movement
If the trans has not been drained, place a drain pan under the shaft seal to catch trans fluid when the shaft is removed

For the passenger side axle:
Locate a 24 to 30-inch wood drift (old sledge hammer handle or similar)
From driver'* side underneath, place end of drift on inner tripot housing,
Hold drift as close to horizontal as possible between engine and trans
Strike drift with 4-pound hammer to pop shaft past snap ring lock
Keep inner joint perpendicular to trans; lift & pull inner housing straight out
Take care not to drag splines across lip seal

For the driver'* side axle:
Use a large 15 to 18-inch heavy screwdriver or a short tire iron
Wedge tool against tripot housing and strike bottom end of tool inward hard with hand to lever shaft out past the snap ring groove

Reverse to install

Note: Make sure the shaft is straight when you install it through the seal. Once the splines have been engaged, the shaft must be pushed in with a forceful motion to compress the snap ring and get the shaft to seat. If you cannot get the shaft all the way in, install the spindle through the hub, straighten the wheel, lower the control arm, and sit down facing the rotor. Put a foot on either side of the rotor, and give a sharp push with your legs to pop the shaft into place.

Do not pull on axle shafts when removing or installing, the inner CV joint can come apart if you do.

The difference in amount of effort between changing just the trans and changing the trans and engine is minimal. Especially since your donor engine has low mileage, I'd swap both the engine and trans.