Lately ive heard this kinda grinding sound coming from the transmission area - and from reading up it sounds like its the pilot bearing. I don't know how many miles are on the clutch thats in there before i bought it, so i'm just going to replace it all.

I've read the step by step writeup and all of the posts on how to get the stuff apart. I'm going to have to do the change with jacks and jack stands. Does anyone have some advice on how to get the trans down and then back up?

Thanks

 

working on an answer now

 

It has been about 5 years since I did this but I have changed the clutch about 3 time. I am not the an expert, but I have been in the trenches and my first bit of advice is to DRAIN THE DAMNED TRANNY OIL! There is no fun in pulling the drive-shaft out and being baptized in 90-wt.
Especially since that is where you car will be setting for the next few hours.

1. Disconnect the battery

2. drain oil from tranny

3. remove starter ( I would go down to your local part place just to have them check it out. If a problem is looming best to be prepared. unplug back up switch wires, ect

4. there are 2 12mm bolts holding the slave cylinder for the clutch. A 12 inch extension on a ratchet will reach. Tie the slave up and do not push the clutch in after that. ( side note) Slave rebuild kits are easy and cheap. When I took the slave housing to my machine shop of choice all they did was take a rotating wire brush and give it a good reaming. Just make sure the inside cylinder is clean and pretty looking.

5. Exhaust and heat shielding. Stop now and muster up some courage. the exhaust bolt are held on by the hands of god and the shielding is held on by the grace of god. Bolts are a 12mm on the exhaust. I have found that the impact wrench would be great here. I do not have one and I would lose a fight to a paper bag so I lay on my side and use my leg to break the nut loose. of course a penetrating oil of your choice will assist you ( pb blaster, wd40, astroglide) Once the offending section of exhaust is out celebrate. I can not tell you exzactly what section to take out, I believe you will be-able to do this on your own

6. remove drive-shaft. remove the 4 12 (i think) bolts from the drive-shaft. check for loose u joints. the 1982 and older have replaceable u-joints. 83 on up you are looking on an entirely new drive-shaft if the u-joints have been compromised over the last quarter century.

7. block the tranny up with a tranny jack, or what ever you have handy. Preferably something with wheels. There are some 14mm bolts mounting the tranny to the engine.

8. Basque in the fact that this transmission is light and does not require an 900lb gorilla to handle it..This is where the wheeled jack under the transmission will come into play start working the tranny back toward the rear of the car and away from the engine. You will have to do some balancing of the tranny. Let the jack down and roll the tranny to the side.

9. The clutch is held in with 12 mm bolts. remove the old clutch . Inspect the flywheel. Ideally you would remove the flywheel and have it machined. or have a new lightweight flywheel put in its place. I have never been in the position to do this financially so I have omitted this part out. But it is Highly recommended that you at least have the flywheel turned. I will not write on how to remove the flywheel as I am lacking enough experience.

10. Put the new clutch in. Read the instructions that come with your clutch to make sure you have everything installed correctly. put everything back, bleed the clutch...and use new oil for the tranny

post script:

loctite is a good idea. the weaker stuff.

a friend would be handy for aligning the tranny to the engine. I had a bitch of a time getting the damned pieces to mate. I found that starting on the top by temporarily putting a longer bolt to act as a guide did help some. while you are cursing at the world remember how much fun this would be trying to manhandle a tranny from a 60's muscle car.

Go easy on the clutch during the breakin. I hopped on it shattered the clutch in 15 minutes and had to do the whole thing allover again.

 

That sounds like a plan. Thanks.

I think you have posted this before - but thanks for the repost.

 

nope, typed it thismorning

 

Its been printed out - i will use it as my checklist along with the FSM.

 

i got to **** with the trans yesterday. it was a pain in the ***. and the old used smelly trans oil that got on me wasnt pleasant either. so im going with drain the oil. replace it with redline trans fluid.

 

you dont need to drain the tranny oil you can use a sandwitch bag and a rubber band.. also the tranny is light enough (and i have found to be the ez'est) to just get under and bench press it out/in the trying to rock it out onto the jack sucks....

and you should always getthe flywheel turned if you doing a new clutch or you could end up with clutch chatter... its only 1 bolt a little 1 that you will proble yhave to go buy a socket for its 2 1/4.. hook the impact up to it an wate a few sex it will start to come off

now you need to get a flywheel puller to get the fly wheel off there are 2 bolt holes that are filled with black dust thos are where you are going to bolt to...or (the wrong way) you can use a hammer and hit 1 side of the flywheel and pry on the other side than switch side till it gets lose and comes off...

the pilot bearing go ahead and start cussing.....goto auto zone rent there pilot bering puller and grind the ends down a lil bit..and pull it out if that doeisnt work you are going to want to have a airgrinder to cut it a line down the middel of it and use some plyers to pill it out than tap the new 1 in...i have heard the masda pilot bearing puller works great ...but i dont have 125 bucks to drop on 1..so i cuess and bitch every time i have to pull 1

 

Benchpressing it down sounds easy enough - thats gotta be a bitch to put back up and bolt on though. (just getting a game plan - my 7 is used to my cussing and bitching - it seems to be ok with it)

 

Synchro?

 

well if the trans has never had the fluid changed, this is a good time to do it.

 

na once you get it up there it will slide into place and you can bolt it upwith out a problem it will hold its self on there

 

this is true it wont hurt anything