[justYncredible]

so ive been trying to install my transmission for about 2 days now with no success. first i tried by myself then my neighbor gave me a hand. we just cant get this thing to line up right. i followed the article to remove the transmission but i just cant do the reverse order of it. i raised the engine enough to bolt up the rear mount to the motor so its not tilted as much, but still no luck.

any tips or tricks?

i found this and im thinking about trying this. basically just hover over my engine and literally pick it up from on top.

 

[94GSRteggy]

If you hung the input shaft on the clutch disc it might be bent or out of alignment.

A method that really helps when there arn't extra sets of hands around is to buy longer than stock bolts for the top 2 bellhousing bolts and cut the heads off. Thread them into the engine and you can then hang the trans on them as you slide it on. Give it a shot, it should help.

 

[91_LS]

Correct^^ the clutch plate/disk might not be alined,so the shaft is/might be hitting it. Might want to buy the clutch aline tool as well,not that much and it helps.

 

[drcheap]

Getting the input shaft to line up right and slide in is one of the most difficult parts of the whole process...especially with only two hands! I really like 94GSRteggy's idea of using some headless bolts as a way to make sure the thing is at least lined up with the block. That would help a lot with making sure the shaft is going in at the correct angle.

Often, even when going in the correct angle, the input shaft can be off by like half a spline, so you may have to actually rotate the shaft a tiny bit and try again a couple of times.

 

[MasterP_Nice]

I had one hell of a time getting the tranny and engine connected OFF the car. I can only imagine what a PITA it is with the engine installed.

My suggestion would be to rent a good transmission jack. They come with these adjustment knobs for the pitch and roll. This way you could make small, controlled adjustments until they're aligned.

 

[x2fast2belegalx]

Getting the input shaft to line up right and slide in is one of the most difficult parts of the whole process...especially with only two hands! I really like 94GSRteggy's idea of using some headless bolts as a way to make sure the thing is at least lined up with the block. That would help a lot with making sure the shaft is going in at the correct angle.

Often, even when going in the correct angle, the input shaft can be off by like half a spline, so you may have to actually rotate the shaft a tiny bit and try again a couple of times.

this. it is such a pain to get the trans lined up with the clutch splines. especially when trying to stick your hand up there to turn the shaft barely. it takes time but it should not take two days. maybe i just have more practice. either way just be glad it isnt as heavy as a rwd trans

 

[justYncredible]

Correct^^ the clutch plate/disk might not be alined,so the shaft is/might be hitting it. Might want to buy the clutch aline tool as well,not that much and it helps.

i used the clutch alignment tool to install the clutch completely and then i removed it when i was done.

 

[justYncredible]

I had one hell of a time getting the tranny and engine connected OFF the car. I can only imagine what a PITA it is with the engine installed.

My suggestion would be to rent a good transmission jack. They come with these adjustment knobs for the pitch and roll. This way you could make small, controlled adjustments until they're aligned.

i had a dream about renting a transmission jack last night lol
i think ill do just that and see if autozone has them for rent

 

[luck4rmkc]

The main problem I usually have is lining up the splines on the input shaft to the clutch disk. I generally have to pull the trans back down 3-5 times to turn the input shaft a little and keep hoping I get lucky... Can you tell whether the problem is with spline alignment or is it after the splines are aligned and it begins to slide in?

 

[justYncredible]

The main problem I usually have is lining up the splines on the input shaft to the clutch disk. I generally have to pull the trans back down 3-5 times to turn the input shaft a little and keep hoping I get lucky... Can you tell whether the problem is with spline alignment or is it after the splines are aligned and it begins to slide in?

The problem is getting the tranny at the right angle to insert into the block. The engine is leaning some what and it's not easy to match that angle to marry to the block. I'm thinking with a tranny lift this will go a lot easier. But I'm still up for suggestions because I want to get this car back on the ground again!

 

[MeltMan]

Yeah matching the angle is the toughest part.

I let the engine hang on the drivers side 2 mounts, then angle the transmission to match as best I can then jiggle and push a lot, cuss, swig some beer, jiggle and push some more, get a bolt started and I'm golden.

It's something you just kind of get the hang of honestly.

 

[JointheRejects]

what i've done is: remove the rear mount and place a block of wood with a jack on the engine so you can raise or lower it to the desired angle, and then try to find another jack to lift the tranny, lift it up to the right height, tilt back and have one person line it up and another to push it up into the engine...

that's the worse part of doing a clutch job is getting the tranny back on


good luck

 

[94GSRteggy]

The headless bolt method really does save some headaches. You could even have a buddy on the crank bolt with a 19mm rotating it slowly to insure spline alignment. Works every time.

 

[justYncredible]

One thing I notice is if the transmission leans to much it'll start to leak fluid. I'm determined to get this tranny back on
I just think a tranny jack is my best bet

 

[MeltMan]

Err... you should always drain the thing unless you want to swim in transmission fluid.

It's about 100% more PITA if you dont drain it. Nothing worse than a floor covered in transmission fluid and trying to slip it back on.

 

[RacerZook]

Like the headless bolt idea. A length of all thread, cut to length would be cheaper and work as well. Combination of that and melts method of kickin, swearin and swillin should work well.

 

[MeltMan]

One thing I notice is if the transmission leans to much it'll start to leak fluid. I'm determined to get this tranny back on
I just think a tranny jack is my best bet

A tranny jack might be overkill. Just use your scissor jack under the engine and your floor jack under the trans.

 

[justYncredible]

A tranny jack might be overkill. Just use your scissor jack under the engine and your floor jack under the trans.

I was referring to that lol
I just call it a tranny lift lol
And about the fluid...I've already swam in it lol

Edit:
Correction I can't use my scissor jack that cones with he car. My Car is lifted pretty high

 

[MeltMan]

Yeah I swam in it one time when a friend was too cheap to drain it. I was pretty mad about it and swore to never again drop a trans without draining it.

 

[luck4rmkc]

what i've done is: remove the rear mount and place a block of wood with a jack on the engine so you can raise or lower it to the desired angle, and then try to find another jack to lift the tranny, lift it up to the right height, tilt back and have one person line it up and another to push it up into the engine...

that's the worse part of doing a clutch job is getting the tranny back on


good luck

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