Engine Pull Experts - I NEED HELP!!
 

OK....we have EVERYTHING disconnected from the motor.....all the bell housing bolts are out (we found 6 total) and we also remove the 6 bolts from the flywheel to the clutch. For some reason the motor and trans will not separate....we get about 1/4 inch of separation then the transmission keeps going upward when we lift the motor. What are we missing??? Did we miss a bell housing bolt somewhere?? We knew about the clutch needing to be dis engaged, but we couldn't do it (didn't have a long enough screw driver) so instead we tried the other route I've seen discussed and removed the 6 bolts from the flywheel.

Really hard to say, are you sure you have everything off the engne? Post some pics.

Oh yea everything is off, basically just the transmission is the only thing holding it down. All lines are disconnected, the mounts are off, exhaust is unhooked, basically just the transmission is holding us back.

I can get pics if need be, but I'm not sure if they will be much help. They are exactly what I described, that the engine is separated from the transmission maybe 1/4 of an inch all around but for some reason it is still stuck. It's strange because we unbolted the fly wheel, really it should come off with ease even without disengaging the clutch if I'm not mistaken.

Probably overlooked a bolt or something.

All bolts are gone.... there is no way the tranny would separate from the engine 1/4 inch all the way around with a bolt left in. Is it just the clutch that needs to be decompressed?

slave cylinder??

I had this same problem and i pulled all of the 6 flywheel bolts and still couldnt get it to seperate. You need to release the throw out bearing iirc.

There is a video at the bottom of this page showing how
http://www.zeroglabs.com/rx7/index.htm

yep the throwout bearing is sticking in the clutch.. you have 2 options.. goto autozone and buy a longer screwdriver which will cost you less than 5 dollars.

Or pry like hell and let the beaing break free.. you will be buying a new bearing at the bare minimum.

Or separate the clutch from the flywheel. That way you possibly wont need a new wedge collar. Just open the bottom inpection plate on the transmission and loosen the visible bolt, then use a 19mm socket on the front main pulley to turn the engine until you can remove all 6.

There is a trick to getting the collar off and I couldnt do it until the third time I pulled my transmission...

The tranny shaft is more than 1/4" into the e-shaft. The tranny will rise a little as the motor is being pulled. You just need to support it with a jack until you get the motor high enough to pull it forward a little bit to actually make the separation happen.

Thanks for the link :)

Yes that seems to be the problem, thanks. I'll let you guys know when it is out, hopefully later today when I get home.

This is one reason why I chose to pull the motor and trannie as a unit.

As you said, if you missed a bolt it wouldn't be separating 1/4". If you removed 6 bolts from the flywheel you shouldn't need to worry about the throwout bearing. Get a screwdriver between the clutch and the flywheel and pop them apart. Even with the 6 bolts removed, the clutch can stick to the flywheel. If you're already separated, then there is nothing holding you up; just support the tranny, lift and pull the motor.

Much easier to release the clutch collar though... just watch that video linked above and go get you a long screwdriver. Piece of cake once you understand how it works.

And "pry like hell til the bearing breaks free" is NOT the way to do it (nor will you be successful).

Well it's out.... here is the video of it coming out: http://www.carforums.net/showthread.php?t=26165


BTW it turned out there was rust holding the clutch plate and flywheel together.... that's why it wouldn't come apart. A little bit if WD40 and prying them apart and it separated with no problem.