Need help getting transmission back in

[91RMKS13]

I need help getting the transmission back in after installing a new clutch. It seems that I cant lift it up high enought to stab the spline into the clutch because the bell housing hits the firewall. We thought about trying to lift the front of the motor (using a jack on a pulley) to tilt the motor back, not sure if this would work. Any suggestions?

[nightkid86]

read this:zerothread/181139

to stab it in, jack up the front of the engine and also make sure to take off the CAS until you get it installed.

[91RMKS13]

I think we are going to try something we read in a writeup for an S14. Still any suggestions would help.

Is it supposed to take 3 jacks/4 jackstands to change the clutch ?

[nightkid86]

" This is the hardest step to do. You now get to stab your 5 speed gearbox into the clutch/pilot bushing. This step took us a good 6 hours and multiple attempts. Some people say that the transmission must be rotated while jacking it up so the starter hump points down, the rotated into place once it is mated to the transmission, we did not do this and still got it into place. We finally got it to work by: Putting one jack in the middle of the 5 speed (at its center of gravity on a flat spot) and another jack at the very back of the transmission. This allows you to wag the transmission side to side and up and down. Next loosen the engine mounts that hold the mount to the body – not the engine to the mount, with these loose, jack up the front of the engine so you have a better approach angle with the transmission. Remove the exhaust piping that runs from the header to the cat so you can have more room to slide the transmission in there, you may want to have a rubber mallet to hammer the back of the transmission in. Jack the transmission up and slide stab/wrestle/hammer/cuss the transmission to slide onto the pilot bearing/clutch. Easier said then done. We had to keep going up and down with the transmission. Also, once it is in if it is not perfect, it will not fit on all the way – you may want to try spinning the flywheel to help line everything up. Do not let the transmission shaft handle a whole lot of weight otherwise it will bend the shaft or break your clutch. We found the clutch part out the hard way. Bolt in all the bellhousing bolts and put on the starter. Then, slowly raise the back of the transmission while you lower the front of the engine and reattach the crossmember and bolt the crossmember back in to hold the back of the transmission up. You should now be able to take all the jacks out from under the transmission and put back in all sensors and vac. lines."

[nightkid86]

I did that last week and worked fine for me

[91RMKS13]

Haha I found your thead after I started this one.

Mucho thanks for the help. If it works I feel like I owe you a beer (but I am broke so your going to have to buy it sorry).

[nightkid86]

haha, alright I'll go buy myself one

once I turn 21...damnit

PS - lots of people say to turn the transmission so the starter hump clears...but we just took out the exhaust and it went in fine. Don't break your clutch plate though!

[91RMKS13]

Thanks a lot man. We had trouble getting the tailshaft past an exhaust hanger, But we did manage to get it in. Now we are trying to get the shaft from the transmission to slide in the motor. But since we got this far we felt is was time for a break.

[blabla]

That thread reminds me of my clutch job during the winter lol

It took us about 1h30 to get it back in -- we were exhausted -- for some reason - a one point it just all went it at once including the shaft -- I had my roomate on my engine -- while i was f-ing around with it -- it didnt work -- I had my girlfreind sitting on the engine while we were messing with the transmission it didnt work -- finaly we just started rotating it at various angle and at one of them it all went in -- including the shaft -- we just had to rotate back to normal and bolt it.

That is were you wish your roomate's freind that use to play football was here -- that guy had a magical touch with trany -- he could not take a bolt off without breaking it -- but when the time came to putting back a transmission in -- we would give him a call -- and voila the job was done on the first try...

anyway -- good luck with the rest and don't forget about the break in period

[240sx88]

When i did my clutch swap it was impossible to get that transmission back in, but what i did was turn the tanny to where the bell hosing for the starter is pointing down and then slid it in and spun it into the right bolt patterns...have fun

[tyrannix]

i helped somone do this once, it was on an r32 skyline, but same principle should apply.

loosen your motor mounts and subframe bolts (loosen, dont remove.... or remove, then put back in 2 turns so it has some good bite)

now you should be able to tilt the engine back enough to play with it

this might only work on a big lift, but it looks like everyone else had luck rotating it after its in (remember to take off your shifter )

im about to reinstall my transmission after the giken twin plate gets here

CJ

[otterman]

I just got done putting my transmission back in after a clutch swap last week. It was a pain in the ***, we had it on the spindles we just couldn't get it to slide in. We jacked up on the motor, turned the transmission then finally just decided to grunt it in and it finally went in. I havn't had time to drive it much but hopefully when I get back from vaction I can get my 750mile clutch break in over with.

Now that the transmission is back in the car runs fine, just that the car sort of bounces around a bit driving down the road. I never noticed it before the clutch swap but that could because I was never "feeling" for problems driving it. It stays pretty constant and it still bounces while the car's in gear and while the cars out of gear. Could there be something wrong or has my crappy stock strus/springs finally given up after being held up in the air for so long (it was in the air for about a week waiting for the clutch to arrive).

I guess I should also mention that it only bounces while moving.. if it bounced like that just sitting still I'd know something was wrong lol.