Transmission not separating from motor - clutch replacement job

[gtom]

Hello Z community,

So I'm working on replacing my clutch and I've disconnected everything from the transmission. The motor and the transmission are on separate jacks. I've tried lowering and raising both jacks, shaking and pulling and tapping with a hammer and block of wood, but the transmission won't budge.

Any tips on how I can break this transmission free from the motor?

Thanks,

gtom

[Reverend]

You are doing it the hard way, attach the tranny back to engine and pull them both off. Its wayyyy easier. I did it in 1.5 hours. You'll save a LOT of elbow grease, believe me.

[jfa.series1]

Check topside that you have disconnected the carb linkage - its in the FSM. This allows the back of the engine to drop enough for the tranny to pull back cleanly.

[madkaw]

BFH-3lb dead blow might incourage movement;)

[Zed Head]

Might be stuck on the dowels, or even paint on the dust shield, or paint on the dowels. Maybe spray some PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench in the holes and around the interface. If there's any gap opening up at all anywhere you could stick a plastic wedge in it, or piece of wood (something soft), to get the leverage to work on the other areas. You might have to move it a fraction of a mm at a time.

If you're handy you might also be able to work up a pulling device, from a gear-puller, to stick in a bolt hole and pull on the edge of the transmission. But that might also break the housing, so it's risky. A dead-blow hammer has a similar risk. A sledge tapping a piece of wood might shock it free. Same breakage risk, don't hit too hard.

[superlen]

+1 on pulling both together, although you would still have them "stickified" lying on your garage floor. It's easiser to pry them apart when they are on the floor though using any/all the methods already posted. You can also try to wedge a small screwdriver in between the two pieces near the dowels. Just a tad of wedge on one side, then the other, then back. Continue tapping all around with deadblow while the wedge is exerting some pressure. Sooner or later something will give.

Note: You have to be careful with method as you can get an incredible amount of force in one concentrated area. I've done it many times & luckily have never broke anything (other than the scredriver) but I'm always worried when doing it.

Len

[zKars]

Nice job taking those pictures so all the bolt/attachment points between the trans and block in question can't be seen clearly...

There are four "big" bolts (two on top, two on the sides, all from trans into engine block), and two little bolts (trans to cover plate, on the bottom) holding it together. Got them all?

Other than that, what Madkaw says. Hit it son, just hit it....

Drop the trans jack so the engine jack point and the engine mounts are doing ALL the support. Make sure the trans is free to rise and fall an inch or so as you jack the engine jack up and down a bit.

Then reapply the trans jack to JUST take a tiny amount of the weight off the trans. Now you KNOW there is no bending force at the trans/engine point, if you trans jack is at the trans balance point. Now yank that tranny straight back off the engine.

You did take the drive shaft off, right? and the shifter is out of the trans hole in the tunnel?

Edited March 17, 2014 by zKars

[EuroDat]

Its the dowels thats more than likely holding it together. Just a small amount of corrosion (aluminium oxide) will freeze up the dowel pins. PB blaster of ATF/acetone mix might get in and loosen it up.

Be carefull using a hammer. The extruded areas extending out past the block are tempting targets, but are also prone to cracking and breaking off. Better to use a drift or something that will get closer to the engine block. Try to hit close to the bottom section of the left side of the engine block and the top section above the starter. That is the general location of the lower ring around the bottom left bolt and the top dowel.

Chas

[Zedyone_kenobi]

I recommend getting rid of the strap on the harbor freight transmission jack ( I have two now, )

Since you tighted the strap you could be putting a downward/upward moment on the front of the transmission. Let the transmission just sit on the jack. It will not fall off, (probably). That way you can be assured you are not binding it at all. It does not take much. I just did the same procedure, with the floor jack under the engine and the trans jack under the transmission. I ended up jacking up the engine until I could see movement in the transmission and engine, then slowly let it down until only the engine moved. At that precise moment I knew the transmission was not being held.

If you think this is hard, wait until you try to get them back together.

[grannyknot]

You won't hear many people say this but it does work, grab and old wood chisel and tap it into the seam between the tranny and engine block in 4-6 places and keep rotating those positions until you see them separating and keep at it until the dowels come out(about 1/2 inch) then it will be free. The problem is almost certainly the corrosion between the dis-similar

metals.

Before you mate them back together you will need to take a file and remove any lip or gouge on the transmission that may have happened during separation.

[gtom]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Broke the transmission free today by jabbing the top corner of the bellhousing with the end of a 2x4. (about 3' long) Works like a charm...

[Namerow]

Bf2x4?