CrazyDude

Hey folks. So even though I've taken it out and put it back in 3 times, I can't seem to do it this time. S5 NA.

Is the tranmission supposed to just slot right in? Or am I mean to have to use all the bell housing bolts to tighten in up to the engine?
It also seems that the tail end of it is hitting the back edge of the shifter hole.... do I need to tilt the engine somehow to get it all to fit?

Nothing like trying to bench press a transmission under the car to remindm me how out of shape I am....

Thanks!

blackball7

iTrader: (1)

is the clutch centered? Biggest mistake and waste of time for most people.

Hecubus84

iTrader: (1)

Never, never, never do this.

Check your pilot bearing.

aznpoopy

assuming nothing else is wrong.

get a block of wood
put it on the front of the motor somewhere that's not retarded
now jack up the wood very slightly to tilt the engine

now try again. tranny should slide in one splines are aligned. nearly practically all the way in. if it doesn't go all the way in do not tighten it in with the bolts. go back and double check everything. retry.

CrazyDude

The pilot bearing seems fine, I just installed a new one. I put my finger in and it spins fine. The alignment tool fits in OK, but I've noticed it has to be _dead_ on for it to slot in. I'm worried that the splines aren't engaging..... I guess I'll put a wrench on the engine and turn it a little bit and see if I can get it to mesh....
Probably re-align before I try it again.

I'm close to machining a few rods with the M10 thread (or whatever it is) on one end and a pretty close fit in the clearance holes in the bell housing so I can make sure I get the alignment right....

grrr why can't the whole bottom half of the bell housing just be a separate piece that bolts on!! I feel like that would make this a lot easier....

BASTARD

iTrader: (4)

this is what I do...

i finger tighten the clutch plate so i can still barely move the disk around with the clutch centering tool... i then make sure that the clutch tool slips in and out easily... if it doesn't, I move the disk around and try again... i do this until the clutch tool slips in and out with ease

I then torque the clutch plate down to spec and then try sliping the clutch tool in and out again... if it hangs up i will loosen the clutch plate and re center the disk

when mating the tranny with the engine... make sure that the transmission is "inline" with the engine... easiest way is to keep the same gap all the way around between the engine and the bell housing... if the gap is 1" on the top, then it should also be 1" on the bottom on the left and on the right

it should just slip right in, you can always grab the tail housing and wiggle it while your pushing in...

sometimes if you have too much grease on the pilot bearing it can hydro lock, which can make it a little harder to get all the way in... just keep pushing( you may need to remove some of the grease)

JunpoweR

iTrader: (1)

IDK but when i do it just wiggle, giggle, push, pull and it usually goes in.
But as everyone said Make sure the disc is alignes properly.

Soma

I had to remove my tranny so many times this year I actually cut out a notch near the back edge of the shifter hole to make life easier. I wish Mazda would have done this in the first place, the tranny always likes to get hooked up there.
I've found jacking up the front end of the car higher than the rear also helps. If the splines aren't lining up, try inserting the driveshaft and rotating it a little.
Ohh, and the $99 dollar tranny jack at harbor frieght is well worth the investment!
If you damage that pilot bearing seal trying to force it in, you could very well be doing the job again in the near future.

CrazyDude

Aha, ok, it's in now. Undoing the engine mounts and jacking up the front of the engine helped a lot. I also squirmed into a position where my head was right under the flywheel so I could hold up the tail end with my knees.... I got pretty dirty, but it popped straight in!

I was replacing a broken clutch fork (piece of junk...), but I also downgraded from a heavy pretty plate to a normal one... what a difference! it feels like it's barely there now. Although I do think I need to bleed the clutch system.