putting transmission back in, troubles

[Project_S13_180]

i changed trannys on my other s13 cause the shift fork broke so i got another 5 speed transmission and well...i'm having troubles getting the transmission back in....im tryin to get the input shaft back into the hole and what not but its like **** is in the way, like the body or whatever is hitting the bell housing and i cant get the transmission up high enough or close enough to put the input shaft in, i've rotated it every which way, anybody have any ideas????

[D1SR240]

you gotta make sure the back is up high enough, then you kinda gotta twist it so that if you were looking at it from the interior of the car through the shift hole, then the shifter hole would be twisted towards the passenger side, this lets the starter outline kinda thing get through, then just try and push it it. it helps to have a helper.

~swave

[phatpat240]

This is alittle extreme but you gotta do what you gotta do.I had the same problem in my s14.You need to remove the two engine mounts on the left and right side of the motor,then you need to jack up the front of the engine to get the rear to lower enough to slip on the transmission.For safety reasons don't lay under your motor while doing this.hope this helps.

[tonynalli]

jack the motor up a high as it can go, i had to take off the fan becasue it would have broken. but after i did it a few more times i was able to do it a lot easier. heres what my dad always siad JUST GET A BIGGER HAMMER

[BoyWonder]

The method I used which I think someone else here already suggested (hard to tell by the description) was to turn the transmission so the place the starter attaches to is on the bottom touching the ground to allow more clearence for the transmission up top. From there, it should be pretty easy. We had an SUV jack under a flat section of the bellhousing and just jacked it slowly, moving it forward, and jacking again, moving forward again, etc. Takes a little while, and requires 3 people to make it easy, but it didn't require any unbolting of engine mounts or jacking of the engine or anything. I think at one point we may have briefly pushed the front of the engine up to straighten it out (as it was leaning forward slightly without a transmission attached) but other than that, not much was required. Once the main shaft of the transmission is in far enough, you should be able to rotate the transmission so it's oriented correctly. I'd also suggest having the downpipe off, but chances are that came off when taking the transmission off. I guess I should also point out the fan was removed from the front of the engine during this, so I don't know if that gets in the way at all with the engine tilting. Hope that helps.

[D1SR240]

BoyWonder: that's kinda what i was trying to say about rotating the transmission so the starter can clear, but i didn't have to take off the downpipe or move the motor or anything. man i thought it was tough when me and my dad put it in, but it looks like you guys had more trouble then us. just keep trying at it, good luck.

~swave

[bvanev]

During my motor swap, I had a hell of a time getting the transmission back onto the motor, with everything out of the car, all the appropriate stands and everything, it wasn't until we put the transmission in reverse that it went in. Worked for me, might work for you.

[180fan]

yeah I rotated my buddy's transmission 90 degrees onto the sensor side to get the transmission to fit then just rotate back round the transmission while you're putting it in. It helps alot to have a jack with heavy duty wheels that move freely to do this...

[jmauld]

I just got the transmission back in my car tonight.

I was running into the same problem that you are. I just loosened the bolts in the subframe that holds the engine. This lets the engine drop just enough to get the transmission in. Only about 1/2".

Don't remove the bolts completely, and make sure that the nut has all of it's threads contacting the bolt threads.

[Dattebayo]

Yes it does help to put the transmission in gear. I can vouch for all the tricks used here, but you do not need to completely remove those bolts, exactly what he ^ said.

[Sartin2drift]

i just finished a transmission swap in my 91 hatch and was able to do it without rotating the transmission i just jacked the transmission up at an angle using 2 jacks once high enough i slid the input shaft to line up and then had a friend help m slide it up and in with minor wiggling