2003 ford ranger auto trans removal

Disconnect battery remove drive shaft, remove starter ,remove mounts undo bolts around bell housing,leave one bolt in so it won,t fall out, remove speedo wires and trans pipes if auto undo bolts to convertor put a floor jack under it and ,then remove the remaining bolt lower Trans down.

On Chevy transmissions there is, on the input shaft, there are two (2) little tabs at the 12 and 6 O'clock position or 180 degrees from one another. When installing the transmission these can often break leaving the transmission useless. It will need to be taken apart and checked on. If it is broken then you can easily replace it from a junkyard trans. (just look forward to a day in the yard tearing apart a transmission) and replace it accordingly.
Keep in mind when reinstaling the replaced transmission, that you HAVE to line these up by spinning the Torque Converter untill it slips on easily. otherwise it will just break again.

Passenger side, 2 bolts, 2 wires,(one wire is held on with a nut)

Well to start, you need to remove the shifter from the transmission. Then remove the driveshaft. Then unplug the plugs from the side of the transmission and disconnect the clutch fluid line. Then remove the crossmember. Unbolt the bellhousing bolts. Then have a friend help you remove the transmission. Then unbolt the clutch.

1. Disconnect the cable from negative battery terminal.
2. Raisew vehicle and support it securely on jackstands.
3. If the starter has a heat shield, remove it. Remove the protective plastic cap and disconnect the wirring from terminals on the starter solenoid.
4. Remove the starter motor mounting bolts and detach the starter from the engine.
5. Installation is the reverse of removal.
Tourque teh starter bolts to 18ft-lbs

many of these trucks have a mazda trans in them, to remove these shifters you will need to remove the 4 phillips head screws from the corners of the trim around the shifter boot and pull it up out of your way. it's not necessary to remove the boot from the shifter, just lift it up for access to the top of the trans. at the base of the shifter on the top of the trans you will see a plate attached with torx head screws. remove all but 2 of them, now make sure the trans is in neutral and remove the last 2 screws and pull the shifter straight up. the shifter is now out leaving a big hole open on the top of the trans for dirt to fal into so put a wrag in it or screw a piece of cardboard to it. installation is the reverse. good luck

This Seems Pretty Cut & Dry Although I Have Removed Exhaust to Gain Access to Starters on the 3.0L THIS IS Instructions PER> ALLDATA

REMOVAL

WARNING: WHEN REPAIRING STARTER MOTOR OR PERFORMING ANY MAINTENANCE IN THE AREA OF THE STARTER MOTOR, NOTE THE HEAVY GAUGE INPUT LEAD CONNECTED TO THE STARTER SOLENOID IS HOT AT ALL TIMES. MAKE SURE THE PROTECTIVE CAP IS INSTALLED OVER THE TERMINAL AND IS REPLACED AFTER REPAIR.

1. Disconnect the battery ground cable.

2. Remove the ground strap bolt
3 Remove the nuts and lower the starter motor.
4 Remove the cap

1. Remove the terminal nuts and remove the starter motor.

INSTALLATION

1. Follow the removal procedure in reverse order.

Oh lord, are you in for some work. First of all you will need a transmission jack, a must and a couple of strong guys if you don't have a lift. First things first. Disconnect neg. bat. cable. Raise up on jack stands. Disconnect drive shafts and tape bearings caps on drive shafts. Remove Starter. Disconnect wiring harness plugs from transmission and transfer case. The wiring harness connection on the shift linkage does not remove. There are 2 connectors and are glued at factory. Remove whole shift linkage unit from side of trans. Remove exhaust. Remove dust cover. Mark spot on flywheel and tourque converter, then remove bolts from flywheel. Support trans. with jack. Remove transfer case bolts from trans. Remove mount nuts from transfer case bolts. Remove bell housing bolts from motor to trans. Remove bolts from crossover support for transfer case mount from the main frame. Raise up transmission and remove crossover support. One guy now supports transfer case and other works transfer case loose. The transfer has to be jockeyed around until it drops out. It will not come straight out or down because of the tor. bar support frame. It has to be wiggled out and down. Guy supporting transfer case gets trans fluid bath and this is all muscle work. With transfer case out, put another jack under motor for support or risk breaking motor mounts and other things. Slide transmission back and lower down and its free, It is a very dirty, oily, nasty hard job. I just went through it. I wouldn't do it again. If you can afford it, take it to a pro. Well worth it. Remember once started, your pretty much commited. Reverse the whole thing to install. Good Luck

you mite need a crows foot wrench.

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. Remove the gearshift lever assembly from the control housing.
3. Cover the opening in the control housing with a cloth to prevent dirt from falling into the unit.
4. Raise the vehicle and support it safely.
5. On 2WD vehicles, matchmark the driveshaft to the rear axle flange. Position a drain pan under the tailend of the transmission. Remove the driveshaft-to-rear axle flange fasteners and pull the driveshaft rearward to disconnect it from the transmission.
6. Disconnect the clutch hydraulic line a the clutch housing. Plug the lines.
7. Disconnect the speedometer from the transfer case/extension housing.
8. Disconnect the starter motor, back-up lamp and, if equipped, neutral sensing switch harness connector.
9. Place a wood block on a service jack and position the jack under the engine oil pan.
10. On 4WD vehicles, remove the transfer case from the vehicle.
11. Remove the starter motor.
12. Position a transmission jack, under the transmission.
13. Remove the transmission-to-engine retaining bolts and washers.
14. Remove the nuts and bolts attaching the transmission mount and damper to the crossmember.
15. Remove the nuts and bolts attaching the crossmember to the frame side rails and remove the crossmember.
16. Lower the engine jack slightly to angle the transmission assembly. Work the clutch housing off the locating dowels and slide the clutch housing and the transmission rearward until the input shaft clears the clutch disc.
17. Lower the transmission jack and remove the transmission from the vehicle.

To install:

1. Check that the mating surfaces of the clutch housing, engine rear and dowel holes are free of burrs, dirt and paint.
2. Place the transmission on the transmission jack. Position the transmission under the vehicle, then raise it into position. Align the input shaft splines with the clutch disc splines and work the transmission forward into the locating dowels.
3. Install the transmission-to-engine retaining bolts and washers. Tighten the retaining bolts to specifications. Remove the transmission jack.
4. Install the starter motor. Tighten the attaching nuts.
5. Raise the engine and install the rear crossmember, insulator and damper and attaching nuts and bolts. Tighten and torque the bolts to specification.
6. On 4WD vehicles, install the transfer case.
7. On 2WD vehicles, insert the driveshaft into the transmission extension housing and install the center bearing attaching nuts, washers and lockwashers. Connect the driveshaft to the rear axle drive flange.
8. Connect the starter motor, back-up lamp and, if equipped, neutral sensing switch connectors.
9. Connect the hydraulic clutch line and bleed the system.
10. Install the speedometer cable.
11. Check and adjust the fluid level.
12. Lower the vehicle.
13. Install the gearshift lever assembly. Install the boot cover and bolts.
14. Reconnect the negative battery cable.
15. Check for proper shifting and operation of the transmission.

The above was pulled frrom:
http://www.autozone.com/shopping/repairGuide.htm?pageId=0900c152800391da

hope this helps