TD5 gearbox removal

Hi all. I'm removing the gearbox on my 2000 TD5. The top nut on the starter is rounded and cannot remove it.
Can the gearbox come out with the starter motor still attached?
Thanks.

The stud the nut fits on is fitted into the gearbox. What size socket have you been using?

It fits through the engine plate, but you would need to remove the bellhousing to remove the plate.

Irwin bolt removers are very good but they don't seem to do 15mm.

Thank you. Managed to get the nut off in the end. I think the issue was it had been done up by some sort of ape.
I have a new starter that has been sat in the shed for a while. Needed to replace it last year but had the same problem so replaced the bushes in situ. As I had a new starter, I undid the long 10mm bolts that run along the starter and got as much of it out of the way as possible.
I now have a gearbox that can separate from the engine but doesn't want to. Going to have to put an engine hoist in through the door to take the weight I think.
Is there anyone near Godalming, Surrey that has a hoist or experience I can borrow/exchange for a beer?
Thanks again all. My Landy love is fading but sure she'll win me back again!

How were you going to support it without a hoist? They are heavy. Have you taken all 9 bolts out?

brianconwy said:

How were you going to support it without a hoist? They are heavy. Have you taken all 9 bolts out?

Click to expand...

Can be done with 2 trolley jacks...if the ground is suitable!

brianconwy said:

How were you going to support it without a hoist? They are heavy. Have you taken all 9 bolts out?

Click to expand...

Through the passenger door. Have taken the centre console out and drilled out the rivets to remove the panel above the transfer box. I've taken out all the bolts I could find. I think there were 7 or 8 however at least one was absent.
I've managed to lever the box away enough that the bottom of the bellhousing was at least 20mm from the engine block. I could see the flywheel. My assumption is that if there was a bolt still in place, I wouldn't be able to separate them that much.
I was trying with a couple of jack's however because of the front being up on ramps and the engine angled back as far as possible, the gearbox is at quite a steep angle towards the ground. I've dropped the transfer box to reduce the weight and I'm working on my driveway. Couldn't get the jack's to roll back so the box wouldn't really come away. My other concern with the jack is if the box falls off the jack (seems likely), I'll never lift the gearbox back up again. On a hoist the strap will be underneath and I'll be able to get it up (ahem).
I'm attacking this again next week. Hopefully my arms will have recovered by then. Any hints or tips would be greatly appreciated. I've read loads of guides on various sites but it seems to come down to this weighty balancing act now.
Need to get this fixed soon as I'm driving round in my brother's toylander and I want my girl back!

The reason I asked about the bolts is that there is a tiny bolt that fits through the plate at the top on the passenger side in the engine bay. I had to use quite a lot of force to extract ours.

@brianconwy and I had a conversation about this a couple of months ago....
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/engine-to-bellhousing-bolts.346340/
Hope it helps.

brianconwy said:

The reason I asked about the bolts is that there is a tiny bolt that fits through the plate at the top on the passenger side in the engine bay. I had to use quite a lot of force to extract ours.

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Does this face forward or backwards? (Undo from engine end or gearbox end?)

Beneagles said:

@brianconwy and I had a conversation about this a couple of months ago....
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/engine-to-bellhousing-bolts.346340/
Hope it helps.

Click to expand...

That may well be the problem. Thanks.

Looking back at the old post, I made the mistake of not bending back the tabs by the top two bolts which meant it needed more force to pull the gearbox out. I had to bend them further to get the gearbox back on anyway.