2003 engine removal with manual transmission

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phissure

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I'm in the process of pulling the engine on a 2003 Liberty with a manual transmission. Every video and write-up I've found deals with an automatic transmission, which seems pretty straight forward. I have the service manual PDF and it says that you must remove the transmission on MT Libertys. Is this really necessary, or is there a way to pull the engine without removing the MT?

What I've done so far:

removed wiring on the engine
removed fuel rail and intake manifold
removed power steering system and AC compressor from the front
removed O2 sensors and exhaust bolts downstream of the cats.
removed most of the MT to engine bolts.
drained coolant and oil
removed radiator fan, coolant hoses, and reservoir
Working on getting the starter out. It's a pain...

I'm hoping to not have to remove the trans because I'm doing this in the garage and don't have a trans jack
 

phissure

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I took the passenger side header and cat out. The driver side looked terrible to do, so I removed the front driveshaft to give me better access to the starter that I still haven't removed. I have fat fingers, so more access definitely helps.

I just put a bit of time in every night so that my frustrations with getting parts off doesn't build. My only deadline is for the core return, which is due about Christmas. I'll keep updating this in hopes that either I figure it out and can share, or someone has a solution for me.
 
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turblediesel

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You can use 2x4 and 4x4 wood scraps in place of a transmission jack if it needs to come off to come out. Shift lever is all I can think would keep it from coming out as easy as an automatic attached to the engine.
 

phissure

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I saw a video on YouTube where they showed how to remove the MT. I'm just afraid of breaking the casing on it and having to buy another... If it comes down to it, I'll just earn the money and buy a jack. Jegs has one for $189 right now that I'm looking at.
 

turblediesel

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Personally I prefer the block method over the transmission jack. I've only used transmission jacks for pulling old VW bug engines.
 
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