transmission install problem and...Random Spring?

[Santoku240]

Hello, If you caught my posts the last couple days, you already know ive been replacing my clutch and flywheel all weekend.

WELLL.... heres the deal, the new ones are on, and im bout to shove my transmission back on there. and right now i've got two questions.

1) i tried lining up the transmission to slide it back in to place on my own (took it off with a buddy helping) and i cant seem to get the bellhousing up far enough to get the input shaft into the clutch plate, let alone line it up

the bellhousing keeps hitting the firewall.

To take it off originally, we could only slide the darn thing out to where the input shaft was still an inch or two in the clutch pressure plate, and to get it further out, we had to turn it 90 degrees onto its side to get enough clearance to pull it farther back and out.

so, i havent rotated the transmission once since i pulled it out. yet jackign it back up into the car, I cant seem to get the input shaft up far enough to get the damn thing back into the clutch pressure plate! im like 2-3 inches off when the bellhousing hits the fireall, and i ahve the input shaft just a millimeter from being stuck up against the clutchs fingers.

I'm at a loss, whats the best way to get the bad boy lined back up?

2) Ive happened to find a little black spring about a little shorter than thumb-lenghth, and about as big around as a pencil just laying on the garage floor just a foot or two away from my car.

My only guess is this thing HAD to have come from a part on my car. I cant imagine a single thing that was spring loaded though. Anyone have ANY idea what would need a spring thats about thumb length and pencil-thick?

the only thing i can think up is prehaps it goes into the shifter somewhere.... cuz my freind kinda just ripped the shifter out once we got the superhuman gasket to give and let us take it off....

SO! if any of you have any ideas on either of these problems of mine, i would LOVE to hear them!ESPECIALLY the spring... finding spare parts after a job this big is SCARY INDEED>

thanks in advance, you help is so incredibly appreciated!

[leper421]

There are 2 springs like that that return the shifter to the middle position when you let go of it. From what I remember, it shouldnt have come out unless you removed the large bolts on the side of the transmission in the back, by the shifter housing.

[Santoku240]

crap, i dont think ive removed said bolts... that spring just kind of appeared on the floor, all i've taken off was the 6 bolts that held the shifter down to the top of the transmission.

soooooo.... i guess i get to figure out how to re-install this then

but hey! thanks for tellin me where it comes from, that will be a huge help!

So now all thats left is figuring out how to get the transmission back into the damn car.

[leper421]

Theres your problem... you dont have to remove the six bolt to take the shifter out. I was wrong about where exactly the spring came from, but I was close. Look around your garage floor for a ball bearing too.

[s13sr20chris]

you really want that spring in the hole when you put it back. try having someone push the front of the motor up or the back of the motor down. it will tilt on its two mounts letting you bolt up the transmission at an angle. angle is the key here.

[Santoku240]

crap okay i think that definately is that spring.. I'll go check it now.

So, for tilting the motor, do i have to loosen the motor mounts first? because my motor mounts are like... impossible to budge. im afraid either the bolt, or socket, will snap before anything gives way on those buggers...

So yeah... I'll give it a go without loosening them first but I figure i should ask. Thanks for the help everyone!

BTW: the bearing you mentioned with that spring... how necessary is it? what exactly is this spring and bearing doing? thanks again!

[Santoku240]

ah... found both the spring and bearing... they are now in there and taped down for the install. will remove the tape when it comes time to replace the covor.

HOWEVER! how am i to tilt the engine to get the transmission to line up and install? I tried placing a jack at the front edge of the oil-pan and jacking it up but that just lifts the car

and having my friend push it just doesnt float. sure we can get it to tilt a small margin, but only for about 5 or so seconds before we lose grip :\

thanks for all the help!

[240tek]

I know there have been quite a few threads about the transmission not fitting back in. I've never dealt with it, but do a search for it. I remember one of the solutions was to turn the transmission on the jack then lift it up, and turn it back. But, that seems like a clearance issue, where yours seems more like a problem of lining it up flush. A search of the forums may be fruitful. PEACE. Tek.

[Santoku240]

yeah... i tried a couple searches with no luck... i'll try some more. thanks

[240tek]

When I found it I was actually searching for another thing. I was having problems with my transmission and was looking for answers, or possibly to replace it. So maybe if you search for something like "trouble shifting", or "new transmission", etc, you might come across it. From what I remember it was a fairly long thread. PEACE. Tek.

[C-Kwik]

Everytime I've dropped the transmission, and put one back in, I've had to rotate it about 180 degrees. I've done 3 on 240sx's.

And as far as the shifter is concerned, it is actually held in with a snap ring. You didn't need to take the whole cover off. If you remove the lower boot, you can see the ring inside. Kind of shaped like a C. All you need is a set of snap ring pliers to fit into the holes on each end to squeeze it together and the ring can then be removed. Then the shifter pops right out.

[s13sr20chris]

lining up trannys is something you just learn by doing it. it always sucks the first time. this applys to fwd too. you just fight it and fight it untill you get it. from then on, its cake. at my shop we have lifts, trans jacks, etc. wanna know how i do any 2wd manual transmission? me and someone else put it on our shoulders and shove it up in there. if you do it by hand you have a lot of control and you can shake the crap out of it while pushing. sometimes that helps. i saw a guy having trouble getting his in one time. he had the input shaft lined up and everything, it just would not go the last 1/2 inch. so he hangs by the torsion bars(d21 hardbody truck) and kicks it in! sometimes you have to manhandle them.

[Santoku240]

Heh damn, what a way to get the job done!

Anyways... I think I've found a way. I searched some more with various search strings... and amidst the 347523986592385629387562398573 posts asking Q's about VLSD's i actually happened to find one that actually pertained to my search. Granted it was talking about the SR20DET and the ka transmission with a bellhousing swap, but regardless it had some VERY useful info.

SO, to let you guys know what i beleive ive found is hte way to get it done (havent actually done it yet, but tested the idea and found it sound) :

Disconnect the downpipe from the catalytic converter, use the downpipe as a lever to rock the engine back, angling the thing so that the transmission can be installled at an angle, getting around the space restrictions of the firewall.

last night after reading that, i went and did so. (Well, that is, i disonnected the downpipe... im going to need a friend over today to help with the transmission part)and sure enough, the engine rocks back and forth like a dream. i can pull it down the extra inch or so i need to get the input shaft into the splined area of the clutch plate. from there, i can inch the transmission forward and twist it to align the splines and finish the job.... FINALLY!

wooo!

only took me... oh. a week :P lol.

Thats what i get for jumping head first into such a hard project with only minimal car work experience :P

Thank you all for all the help you have provided... Without these forums and you people, I'd probably have had a 2-week job on my hands simply cuz i keep running into small troubles :P

Your help has been greatly appreciated... I think i'll be able to finish the job without any more questions from here. Thank you all much!