Installing transmission for 3 hours, still stuck. 0.75" Gap, pilot bearing?

[rcfanatic]

The transmission is bolted to the engine, but it is not fastened to the car. Two things still hanging me up.. getting that top starter bolt and moving this motor toward the rear. Then I can be done with this project.

[BimmerTim]

Is the tranny mount in yet?

[rcfanatic]

I've been using a 4x4 and a jack to lift at the oil pan. Problem is once I lift it, I can't get leverage to shove the engine backward. I think lifting it also shoves it against the firewall, complicating the problem of I guess having to not only shove it backwards but tilt it as well.

[BimmerTim]

What about a 2x4 under the oil pan and a jack?

How did you get it off the mounts?

[rcfanatic]

Right, yeah I live in an apt and I don't have the space to keep an engine lift

[BimmerTim]

Engine lift?

[rcfanatic]

Also, how can I get my engine moved back toward the rear. I've never had it forward of the mounts like this and can't find a way to gain leverage with a cheater bar

[rcfanatic]

So does anyone else have suggestions on that top starter bolt, short of removing the intake manifold?

[drumad]

iono.. I'm about 1000 miles in on this new clutch and all is fine? No vibrations or alignment issues. haha. My engine mounts were shot so shoving the tranny towards the engine wouldnt work since the mounts would give and render my force useless.

Plus I had the rear of the tranny being held up by a rope from the interior. The clamps allowed me to effective just push the shaft into the bushing directly vs having the engine move.

I probably shouldve explained that I wasnt exactly forcing it to hard with the vice grips. Just using it to effectively do what I said above.

edit: if the vice grips didnt insert the shaft so easily I wouldnt have went further with it btw.

[rcfanatic]

Hearing about you guys using clamps and vicegrips to get the tranny to mate up makes me cringe, as long as you don't throw the clutch alignment off while you're installing the tranny it should slide almost the whole way on with little effort, the last 1/4" or so it will kind of spring back but forcing it before then is asking to damage something.

I agree it made me cringe too.. but it was the best way I could think of to determine if something was binding. Only clamped it about 0.100" to ensure that I didn't ruin anything in the process

[Adrian_Visser]

Hearing about you guys using clamps and vicegrips to get the tranny to mate up makes me cringe, as long as you don't throw the clutch alignment off while you're installing the tranny it should slide almost the whole way on with little effort, the last 1/4" or so it will kind of spring back but forcing it before then is asking to damage something.

[rcfanatic]

I didn't have to apply substantial torque to the bolts for the transmission to mate up.. so it's not like anything was binding. It just provided me a way to uniformly seat the tranny from all around the bellhousing.

Before I pressed the pilot bearing in further, the transmission sprung back after trying to use clamps (with substantial torque).. so in that case there was binding, which is why I reevaluated the bearing

[rcfanatic]

What is supporting the engine right now?


You shouldn't have to "suck" the transmission on with the tranny bolts. It should slide in nice and flush. The fact that your engine isn't sitting properly now either makes me think that something is still wrong. Did you put any grease on the input shaft?

From the best I can tell, the engine is supported by the engine mounts, they just aren't aligned normally. I used lots of grease on the input shaft where it inserts into the pilot bearing, and where the throwout bearing rides. Also between the release fork and throwout bearing, and on the inside of the throwout where it rides on the shaft. Guess I should have lubed the splines as well..

[KenC]

What is supporting the engine right now?


You shouldn't have to "suck" the transmission on with the tranny bolts. It should slide in nice and flush. The fact that your engine isn't sitting properly now either makes me think that something is still wrong. Did you put any grease on the input shaft?

[rcfanatic]

If anything it seems like this would open up more room by having the engine forward