Ive been fighting this thing for over 2 hours now. I had to replace the front diff mount and top mounts, now putting it back in I cannot get the damn 2 studs sticking out of the front mount to drop into the 2 slots on the crossmember. Doesnt matter if i do the front first or the rear first, the studs end up being about an inch too far forward of the slots and will not go in no matter how hard i pry and how loud I cuss. How in the hell do I get these in!? Is there a secret to it that Im not aware of or a technique Im not seeing? Please dear god help me out, Im shaking Im so pissed off at the damn thing

88' T2 if it matters

 

It's kinda tricky, but personally, I just have a friend hold the front to keep it level (KEEPING IT LEVEL ON ALL THREE DIMENTIONS IS THE KEY POINT) and I use my legs to hold it and push it into place, then my friend will put the bolts in.



But the EASIEST way to do it is with the car flipped over I've done that quite a few times . . . .

 

Its not getting it in there and level, its like the demesions are off by an inch. The top mounts can be pulled up tight and the front mount still is like 1'' too far forward

 

Then something is assembled wrong or bent. Check it over stem to stern......it should drop right in.

 

Don't be a *****.

 

both top mount studs look straight and the front mount bracket with the 2 slots looks unbent and straight as well. mount is assembled correctly cause there isnt really any way to do it wrong. Its just not going. I have the crossmember loosened and dropped a few inches and still it wont ******* go

 

dont be a dick, *******

 

It is not totally nessisary, but you might want to totally remove the rear subframe\crossmember just to get it out of your way.

Why wont it go in level? Please be sure to have a friend helping you, this is not a job to be done alone.

 

well itsn ot going in level because the crossmember is still in the way, so the front section has to go up and over the crossmember, then you get the top mounts started onto the studs sticking down, pull it up tight and then its in there level, but the front mount is still off by 3/4''-1'' and i can pry it a little but it still wont go in. Even tried grinding a little off the edge on the 2 slots so it would maybe slide into the groove. No such luck. Im sort of not wanting to remove the rear crossmember. Plus Im not sure how stable the rear will be since its sitting on ramps and Im doing all of this laying on my back with 2' of clearance. Its so damn frustrating

 

After doing mine 3 times in a few weeks, I've found it easiest to put the front diff mount in first. Sliding the front in, at an angle, and kind of lifting the rear into place. Thread on the nuts a few threads to keep things relatively simple, and then start to tighten tem evenly.

If you want to PM me, feel free. Also, I wrote a write up for this a while back. Check my created threads from a long time ago... there may be some helpful tips in there, I don't remember though.

Good luck man, and if you get too frustrated just take a step back and chill out for a few minutes.

James

 

well thats just it, it wont go. ive done the front mounts first and when i jack the rear into place the studs are hitting wya off centerof the holes they are supposed to go into to. nothing looks bent but it has to be cause it wont go

 

Drop the entire rear subframe, install the diff, and reinstall the subframe. You'll be glad you did. Dropping the whole subframe sounds a bit daunting, but is really quite easy to do.

 

The above is always an option.

But I don't know what to say.....it should go in without any issues. Something has to be bent/broken or installed incorrectly in order to end up with an inch gap. There's no tricks to installing it other than methods and procedures. And following any of them in your case leads to having an inch gap between the front diff mount and its subframe bracket........................something's wrong dude.

 

I would normally agree with classicauto about this, but I had a terrible experience with my first front diff mount install which sounds similar to your situation. I fought with mine, which was on a lift, for about five hours. The more I failed, the more upset I got. I tried loosening various parts and installing it from different angles, but it would never go in. After leaving it on the lift overnight, I came in the next morning and had it installed in about thirty minutes. For each subsequent attempt, I've dropped the subframe which has consistently been the best/easiest option for me.

 

Thanks for the help guys. I was successful finally. I stood up and yelled and jumped around like I had just defeated an army for my independance. I ended up taking a bottle jack out of another vehicle and putting it between the bottom lip of the differential housing and the crossmember and pushed them apart far enough so that the studs fell into the slots. Now I just button it up and I hope everything works out, dont see why it wont. And to think it only took me 6 hours Everything I work on seems to not work like it should. Its either rusted too much and I break a bolt, something is bent or broken. Something is hard to reach and I dont have the right tools for it. NOTHING ever goes smoothly for me. Been working on cars for years and have yet to have anything go smooth

 

Glad it worked out Finally FCKING..I started off With One FC..I now am Lookin at Car Three..The more I wrench on it,The Better I get..I Try not to think of it as "frustration"but Learning..and YEP it sure has Taught me alot!..So,Now you know How to Do that..and Know what Not to do!..On to the Next Chapter!..(good to see you and the car Escaped from the Garage in One Piece!)

 

yeah im on 2 rx7's and have a 3rd right now, a freinds that im fixing. about to have a permanent 3rd to add to the group. 87' T2, 83' GS and about to have an 84' GSL. Ive been wrenching on cars for a good many years but have only been working on rotaries for about 2 years I guess. So Im still learning a little here and there

 

Im on RX #4, and i know EXACTLY how you feel, seems like no matter what repair i do (at least the major ones) i run into problems... ive almost refused to even touch the exhaust... everytime i work on it, its rusted, i break bolts, strip them.


I had the same problem as you with my diff when i was installing my 4.3 I had to use a breaker bar to pry it into place, took prolly 4 hours between me, and my friend. And when it finaly goes into place it seems super easy, and i always wonder, wtf? why couldnt it have worked the first time like that?

 

exactly. once i thought up my plan of the bottle jack if went right in no problem. took about 6 hours with just me, laying on my back in my backyard on a piece of carpet. Sucked. Once i got it back in though it only took about 15 minutes to get the axles and driveshaft back on and took the car for a test drive without the rear section of exhaust on it. Im in love with the sound, too bad its not my car