SaturnHKS

So I finally broke down and got the O.E. Exedy clutch kit for my '84 GS. Also have a new trans mount, motor mounts, FD alt & dual pulley, Bonez race pipe, and other goodies on the way...but first things first. I gotta replace the clutch on this thing. I've never done it on an RX-7. On the Subarus I normally work on, it was a lot easier to pull the engine to do the clutch than it was to drop the transmission. I was planning to pull the motor to do the clutch in mine, but I was on the phone with Chris at Rotary Performance earlier, and he said it would be way easier to do it by dropping the transmission. I had never thought of that. Would I just undo the driveshaft, exhaust, and trans mounts, and let it tip back do get it out, or do I have to unbolt more ****? Can anyone give me some advice re: which is easier?

I should add that I do NOT have a lift, so this is work that will be done laying on my back on a cold garage floor, haha...

AE8616v

bench pressings the trans back in by your self is about the hardest part

donald cardosi

I cargo straped the trans to the floor jack then you can move it like a transmission jack if the floor is clean.

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

honestly, for me this is a tough one. i've done it both ways based on my tools and workspace at the time. what i will say is this, it was somewhat easier for me to torque the clutch bolts with engine out and on the floor. other than that, it didn't much matter.

i guess if i had to choose though, i would lean a little closer to taking the engine out, but that probably has more to do with my not particularly liking a car over me than it being "easier" beacuse it's not.

Twilightoptics

iTrader: (1)

Pull the trans. Can't imagine wanting to pull the boxer motor to get to the trans on a subie. Done 3-4 early 90's and it's super easy to pull the trans.

That said, the rx7 is even easier. If you pull the engine you're just adding work for yourself because all the trans stuff that gets pulled on or off the car get's done either way.

SaturnHKS

I know on a Subaru I can have the motor out in a stopwatch-verifiable 45 minutes, but that's probably due to having done a million of 'em more than anything else...so is my assumption correct that the trans will slide right out if I undo the rear mount? Or will I have to pop the engine mounts too and jack up the front to get enough of an angle? I just figured it might be easier to pull the engine, doesn't look that hard. At least not compared to the BMW 5-series I'm also working on!

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

drop the trans! since you're changing the rear mount and the exhaust, it'll be halfway out already....

since the engine mounts are on the front of the engine, the engine will actually tilt backwards

Twilightoptics

iTrader: (1)

^ what he said.

I put a jack with wood under the motor to support it, and then loosen the last bolt on the bell housing and the trans slides right out. Make sure you drain it or put a plug in the tailshaft.

Cake.

IIRC Trans weighs 50-75lbs. It's lighter than a Muncie or aluminum Super T-10, or even T5. I was so amazed how light it is. No torque, no beefy gears lol.

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

no. it's defintitely not heavy. when i pulled the tranny in my MR2, i was amazed at how unbelievably heavy the damn this was!!! the Rx-7 spoiled me, i guess.

i had an experience once where i had a bitch of a time lining up the mounting bracket for the tranny on my Rx-7 and basically my muscles fatigued to the point i had to just let it drop on my chest (a controlled drop) however, it ripped the bloody speedo cable out the back of the dash and that perhaps influenced my leaning toward taking the motor out since i simply don't have to deal with all that balancing act ****.

on the other hand (pun intended) i usually have motors out (or in) in less than an hour. however i also have an engine lift now - so if i had to do it all in the street again, that time is meaningless if i'm working by myself. i have a garage now. i've come a long way.

BeenJaminJames

With a cherry picker, carb, and rats nest delete it's much easier to pull the motor. If you're changing tranny mounts just drop the trans. Much easier if you have a buddy, wrap a rope or strap around the tailshaft and run it up through the shifter hole, have your buddy lift the trans from inside while you line the input shaft up.

DriveFast7

iTrader: (1)

Just drop the trans, much easier than pulling the motor. Be sure to use a clutch alignment tool when installing the pressure plate. Bungee cord the trans to a floorjack to lift it up. Grease the pilot bearing and put a dab of anti-seize on the input shaft splines and the input shaft itself where the throwout bearing slides on. And on the tips clutch fork & the pivot.

DarkDrakeX

there soo much more stuff to disco on pulling a engine than just the trans. Ive pulled them like 6x now on my back not hard...

BeenJaminJames

Yep, but careful with the grease, too much is a bad thing here

DerrickS

Do some searching because there is a lot of good info already on pulling the trans. I just put a replacement trans in my -se and I wouldn't say it was that hard.

Pull the shifter out, pull the exhaust and heat shields, drive shaft, starter, slave cylinder, support the transmission, take out the bolts, remove the speedo cable, remove the trans mount, pull the trans out.
I did this on ramps and jack stands, and found I didn't have enough room to pull the trans out the bottom of the car. I had to take it off the jack while under the car, and then slide it out on the floor. Putting it back in was a bitch because of that. I had to lift the trans onto the jack while underneath the car. Uhhhgg.
Support the motor near the back so it doesn't fall, but let it angle down a bit. That makes lining it up much easier. Might as well replace the rear trans seal while your doing this as well.
Good luck!

bshusted

iTrader: (1)

I'd say pull the transmission, but don't forget about the waterfall of oil when you pull the drive shaft. I just used a regular jack to raise and lower. Wasn't real bad. 10x easier than my Audi. I thought that the hardest part was refilling the oil in the transmission. Ended up snaking a hose though the shifter hole.

rwatson5651

iTrader: (5)

I cut the front off an old drive shaft to serve as a "plug" for the trans so that the fluid wouldnt leak out and so I wouldnt have to refil the trans. Saves time and mess.

bshusted

iTrader: (1)

If I had a spare drive shaft I would definitely do this. ^

SaturnHKS

I ended up getting 3 quarts of Redline MT-90 for the trans. I'm just going to drain the whole thing, should make moving it around a lot easier too. I'm sure at 120k it's due for a change anyways.

twinkletoes

iTrader: (17)

I've taken 3 transmissions out and done clutch jobs. The last one was with my friend. Get airtools and a good friend who also knows what theyre doing. We took out his TII tranny, switched clutch, flywheel, new bearings in 30 minutes or less.. Air tools are your friend!!!

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

You want to drain it first anyway - - makes it several pounds lighter.