So I replaced the clutch and pressure plate and I'm ready to put the tranny back on. But the motor seems to have moved and the tranny wont line up anymore. I try to move it to align but the shift linkage is in the way. What do I do? Need help....

-Chris

 

Do you mean it won't slide on that last inch or so?

When you put the pressure plate / clutch on did you use an alignment tool so the splines would line right up?

 

The clutch is all aligned I used the tool. I guess the motor moved and now the motor is at an angle and the tranny wont line up. I'm gonna try jacking up the front of the motor and holding it like that and trying again.

Any other suggestions?

 

oh, that's fairly simple. The motor is only supported by the two mounting pads so it's easy for the motor to move. I imagine since the pads are towards the back of the motor that the motor is tilted forward and down. Like you said put a jack under the edge of the oil pan with a block of wood distributing the weight (be careful) or use an engine hoist to lift the front of the engine up enough to slide the transmission on. No big deal!

 

I'm not sure what you're talking about right there. I'm gonna get a jack and I was gonna try and jack the front end of the motor up a bit. Now you're saying that I need to jack it up on the edge of the oil pan and use a block of wood where? To do what? I need a little more detail. I apreciate your help.

-Chris

 

You are saying the same thing I did I was just trying to say avoid bending the lip of the oil pan if that is where you are going to jack. I don' tknow what kind of jack you have but I just try to distribute weight on parts I care about so it doesn't bend them up. That's all. Good luck!

 

I'm callin' it a night. But I got how to do it and set it up. Thanks for your help I apreciate it.

-Chris

 

tilt the engine back. try wiggling the tranny around in a circular motion(gently) when tryingto re-install. when i did my first 2 tranny installs I tipped the driveshaft side lower than i thought it should be and it slipped right in. good luck. benchpressing a tranny for 4 hours is a good workout!

 

You'll see the forward most point you can jack it up WITH WOOD (to distribute the weight across the width of the oil pan still accessible from under the car before you can't access the oil pan (subframe). Place a block of wood (atleast ~8-10" wide) on the jack and raise it up to the oil pan. Keep going and you'll see the block start to tilt back (so that the "female" part of the flywheel/eshaft is tilting more downwards than previously). Then raise the tranny up and it should slide in pretty easily.

I banged my head on that for about 2-3 hours before realizing that the motor had tilted forward due to the location of the engine mounts and weight distrubtion over those said mounts.

 

Dude... before you try to put that thing back in... if you used the PLASTIC alignment tool that came with the clutch.... you had best eyeball the clutch alignment VERY carefully before you try and put it in.... I used the tool, and at first glance, it looked good... but it was like a millimeter off and the tranny would not go in. When looking down through the clutch hub to the eccentric shaft end, the edges of the splines need to be EXACTLY symettrical with the camfer on the end of the eccentric shaft, and i mean EXACTLY.

From what i gather, the only alignment tool worth a crap is the racingbeat/ mazdatrix metal ones, which, i believe, is just an old transmission input shaft with a ring welded on it.

 

dude i had your same problem. lube up the tips of the input shaft a little it helps soooo much putting it back it. this is also the part of the job where it helps to have 2 people. i was lazy and didnt want to take off the splash gaurd. so i just had someone push the engine from the top and i went under the car and jacked the tranny up and i worked it around a little and it went it after some persuasion . i used some of the bolts to get it started although people here say not to do that .. i did it and it helped out alot

 

Thats commmon, its not really a problem, its just what happens. Happened to me as well. Use a Hydralic jack to help you support the tranny and such while u wiggle it around tryign to get it back in. My friend was helping me.. It was quite frusteratining, but i eventually got it.

 

I tilted the motor back using a stick to wedge between the steering pump bracket & the radiator support brace.

Also loosen the pressure plate & re-align the clutch.
The typical clutch alignment tool has too much play & has to be wiggled to center it.

 

I've been able to do the wiggle trick on a stock clutch and pressure plate before.... But this damn thing is supposed to have 440lb/ft of holding capacity and I believe it.. it wasn't budging!!!!

as for the jack thing... dude, i'm oldschool, i tilt the motor back, sit the bitch on my chest and then lift 'er up into position.. they aren't that heavy and if you are directly under it, its really not that bad. 90% of the trannies i have done to this point have given me NO problems going back in cause I eyeballed the clutch hub and got it right the first time. Well, if i use an alignment tool again, it will be the metal kind!!!!!

 

what worked for me was have you or a friend get under the tranny and lift it up while the other help slide it foward and once it's lined up put a few bolt in and bolt the the tranny mount and get the rest of the tanny bolts in.