[JFP in PA]

What I do not understand is why you didn’t pull the seized engine and trans out as a unit, then disassemble them; would have been a Hell of a lot easier…….

While I heard all the arguments about removing just the transmission and leaving the torque converter in the car, it is the exact wrong way to do it. The torque converter has an internally splined stator and turbine units that have to be engaged by jiggling the unit until the fine splines line up, and then be pushed in further and rotated until the large slot on the converter’s collar has to engage the front pump. This is “fiddly” to do with the transmission sitting on the bench, so I cannot imagine doing it with the converter first bolted to the flex plate. You would also be risking the seal on the pump housing if you accidentally loaded or pinched it trying to wiggle the transmission to get the converter to properly engage while bolted in. I would never attempt to do it this way, the probability of leaks or damage is just too big.

The correct way is to disconnect the battery, pull the starter, remove the panel behind the seat, bring the engine around until the notch for any of cylinders 4, 5, or 6 is aligned with the pin boss on the block, insert the short 9595 pin into the crank pulley, insert the long 9595 pin into the bell housing opening (if it does not want to go in, go back and check the crank is actually at on one of the correct cylinder notches). Porsche tells you to then use a special tool to hold a 6MM long Allen socket while you undo two of the six converter bolts, but it can be done without special tool 9596 if you are careful NOT TO DROP THEM (this is critical on reassembly). Then pull the long and short pins, rotate the engine 120 degrees until the notch aligns again so you can get at the other four converter bolts the same way with the pins engaged. When all the converter bolts are removed, reinstall the long pin in the bell housing to hold the converter while removing the combined trans and converter from the car, undo everything else that needs to come off (mounts, hoses, etc.). Then using a trans jack, slide the trans and converter away from the engine and lower it. Reinstallation is the reverse.