s13 ka24de: replacing clutch... HELP!!

[fashionsurge]

ok ive got a 92 240sx. im about a week into a simple clutch replacement... ive spent the last 8 hours (3 nights) trying to get the f'n transmission back in! the whole project kept getting delayed with small problems but now ive hit a big one. ive tried angling the transmission every way possible but i cant get the bell housing to clear the the firewall enough to get the transmission high enough to line up. ive tried jacking the engine. ive loosened the top bolts on the motor mounts. ive had someone pull the engine forward while i push the transmission up and forward. nothing has helped. i desperately need some advice now. ive read a few write-ups on replacing the clutch and it seems that ive done everything right, only i cant get my transmission back in like everyone else.

i do have a couple questions though and maybe its obvious and stupid but im just really frustrated and im not thinking very clearly anymore. i have the car on jackstands up front under the crossmember. the back wheels are on the ground. 1) would jacking up the back end of the car help with the install??? 2) should my front jackstands be on the side mounting points rather than the crossmember??? i was thinking that maybe the jackstands were pushing my engine up too high, causing my to lose clearance with the firewall/transmission.

anyway, thanks for your time and effortchris

[s13sr20chris]

where you are jacking from should not cause probs at all. did you use a clutch alignment tool? angling the trans does kind of suck but thats how it must be done. have you changed anything while the trans was out? it had to come out somehow right? i know you said you tried it but i usually jack on the front crank pulley ever so slightly when i do them.

[fashionsurge]

the transmission was hard coming out too. we used a big screwdriver to pry the transmission from the clutch disk.

ive been jacking the engine with a block of wood at the oil pan as far foward as possible. maybe thats a problem

thanks,chris

[fashionsurge]

ok i have the shaft of the transmission through the clutch disk but i have like an inch or so left to go before im all the way in. ive been trying to angle the transmission different ways with the motor but im not having any luck. also i know the splines have to line up before it will fit, but how do i do that??? ive tried spinning the shaft from the rear of the trans while its in neutral but i dont know if thats working???

can anyone advise me? i seriously need to get this done quick!

thanks--chris

[Nismo_Freak]

ok i have the shaft of the transmission through the clutch disk but i have like an inch or so left to go before im all the way in. ive been trying to angle the transmission different ways with the motor but im not having any luck. also i know the splines have to line up before it will fit, but how do i do that??? ive tried spinning the shaft from the rear of the trans while its in neutral but i dont know if thats working???

can anyone advise me? i seriously need to get this done quick!

thanks--chris

Spinning the output section of the transmission with it in neutral isn't going to rotate the input shaft. Basically the only method is to pull it out and try again. It'll take a few tries, and get two people under the car so you can twist the transmission once it's at the entry point. Once it's meshed you can spin the transmission around and slide it in.

[s13sr20chris]

yeah, if the splines are in the clutch disc then there are only two things holding you up. 1)pilot bushing-did you replace it? if not thats ok.2)alignment dowels-theese are only like 1/2 long so you may not be up to them yet.anything else is external. just be careful. dont beat the crap out of it. its easy to knock the clutch fork loose by being too rough.

[fashionsurge]

ok, i finally got it in...i had a friend turn the flywheel (there was just enough showing to get a screwdriver into the teeth) and it rotated the shaft at the rear of the transmission so i figured the splines had lined up. it still didnt want to slide in though. so i got a piece of wood and a mallet and "persuaded" it to go all the way in. everything bolted back up just fine and we were test driving in less than an hour.

i have a feeling that my pilot bushing may be way too tight on the front of the shaft though and it may not have been good for me to push it in like that. either that or somethings seriously wrong with my throwout bearing b/c whenever i push the clutch in i get a HORRIFIC SQUEELING SCREECHING ALMOST GRINDING sound and i smell like burnt metal and i can even see some faint smoke coming from the bellhousing. but as soon as i release the clutch then everything sounds perfect.

do you guys have any ideas???whats wrong with me and this project!?! everything's going very wrong!!

thanks so much for your help, i seriously appreciate it--chris

[s13sr20chris]

did you replace the to bearing? it sounds like you prob put it on backwards. i hate to say it bro but you prob need to pull her back out.

[fashionsurge]

oh crap. i am know EXTREMELY DEPRESSED.how could i be so stupid!? and impatient!?

s13sr20chris, thank you for your help. although i was too late to actually benefit from it. i should have read this yesterday.

after i drove the car a while with the screeching sounds, i lost pressure in the clutch pedal. i bled the slave but still had probs. the slave was leaking badly thru the dust boot so i took it all apart and noticed the pistoncup was busted. bought a whole brand new slave assembly for a serious $15!! still had no pressure.

never could get pressure. so i gave in and sent the car to a mechanic friend. he fixed it but said something was seriously wrong. i told him to go ahead and pull the transmission and fix it b/c i am SOOOOOO FRUSTRATED with it. well he diagnosed the problem as a BACKWARDS THROWOUT BEARING!!!? and i will need a whole new clutch kit i wanted to puke. i still want to puke. i probably will puke before i get her back. i cant believe i could be so stupid. i made a simple mistake and its going to end up costing me like $500+ freaking bucks! so pissed i want to cry

thank you anyways sr20chris. ive learned a lot through this. fyi to anyone replacing to bearing on ka24de, the round side goes out not the flat side. i suck

--chris

[s13sr20chris]

sorry bro. that sucks.

[PhaneSoul]

*Note To Self* Pay alot of attention on how stuff comes out of the transmission when i do my clutch wednesday.....