Need help installing tranny with motor in

[zatomz]

Alright things are coming together and going smooth thus far but after two hours i decided to take a glass of wine and a smoke and relax for a minute and maybe you guys can shed some insite on my situation. My transmission is wedged between the sub frame and the nub for the transfer case. The rear of the transmission has maybe half an inch of clearance but the nub is grinding all over the bottom of the pressure plate and every time i try to lift it up with the engine jack it lifts on the flywheel. If i try and turn it, it catches on the firewall/subframe. It looks like i should be able to turn the tranny counter clockwise and it would slip right on.......but thats not the case. I've looked at the other 8 or so posts about this and everyone is saying get lots of people, well its just me and a friend and were now exhausted. I need maybe a picture or something that can give me a new train of thought because I've about run out of ideas. I should have put it on when the motor was out but too late for that. ..1g awd..

 

[ALP584]

Dude I have installed about 30 plus AWD and FWD Transmission on 1g or 2g. And I DID NOT have any one there to help me. With that said its not to complicated. Make sure you have enough room and maybe even take the tranny mount of the frame to get even more room, make sure the clutch and input shaft snug in and that is it. It usually takes some wiggling around to make the input shaft go in but that is honestly it, after you bolt it up put the transfer case back on and go from there.

 

[peypey's ride]

I have done it many of times by myself, its to to bad if you have a lil patience. You want to watch for the tranny close to the subframe. Kinda twist the rear of the tranny up to clear it. Also, if you have a floor jack supporting the motor from the oil pan, lower the motor as much as you can but watch the pulleys on the other side. Dont smash them. It makes it a lil easier to mount. Once you clear the lower subframe, wiggle and man handle the shaft in. It will take a lil work. Once its on you'll know. Push it on til the bell housing is flush with the tranny plate. Do not use the tranny bolts to pull the tranny in, it may #### the shaft and you may have to start over and pull the shaft out again. Hope this helps.

 

[zatomz]

alright im going to get another friend as this is a first time for me and I went ahead and removed the tranny mount. Did you guys use a lift or just the floor jack or both? should i start lifting the tranny from closer to the front of the car or closer to the rear, all of my intercooler piping and radiator are out oh and no abs either. thank you for such a quick reply. The guy who has been helping me is very knowledgable but has never installed a tranny this was which makes it a little more difficult.

 

[peypey's ride]

I assume you have the front passenger side wheel assembly just haging there? if so you will have to push it to the side. Place the tranny on a floor jack outside the car and slide it in through the wheelwell. When your in there you have to have one leg over the jack and the other next to it. I am able to help push the tranny up with my knees like this. It helps! Removing the tranny mount is ok, gives more room but when you go to put it back on mount it to the car first then raise the tranny up to it and align the studs and raise it up then through the nuts on.

 

[zatomz]

well as I was under the car trying to get the tranny on still the starter fell through the back and hit me square in the head so im sitting here bleeding pretty badly,a nice hole in my head,so I think I'm calling it a night, everytime I move my head pulsates. The wheel assembly is hanging there yes and I went ahead and removed the corner support for the subframe. We had it on the flywheel but for some reason could not get it to seat all of the way....thats when I got hit in the head.... Last I heard the guys helping me were going to pull it off again and try and see what was going on, I havent been back outside yet.I should have gotten that glass of wine like I stated earlier.

 

[Jst4Cyl]

A chain hoist is the only way I will ever use to change a DSM tranny... Imagine having Superman as an assistant you can rotate the tranny however, tilt, jiggle,shimmy whatever you want and it will stay in the air the whole time. Much easier if you ask me. If it were me I would invest in one.

Bring the back side (fire wall side of tranny) up first. And it should be cake from there.

If you are having problems with it mating up then you more than likely have it tilted up to high or low. The shaft has to be about dead on jiggle up and down and rotate forwards and backwards at the same time. This should get it on.

Also MAKE SURE YOUR DOWEL PINS ARE REAL CLOSE ALSO

 

[zatomz]

Ok, we are using a 2 ton chain hoist and we haventt tried the firewall side going up first because it looked like we were going to hit the frame rail . When I get over there tomorrow I'll try that out and see if it makes any difference, thank you.

 

[zatomz]

We figured out a while ago how to get it to line up but were having problems shimmying and shaking, its like it wants to turn to where the holes match up but it keeps catching on something so we wern't able to seat it. It needs to go back towards the block on the bottom about half an inch or so and the top was hard to tell being under the car and all but it looked like maybe two or three inches from the bellhousing to the block....then I got attacked by a starter so I got up and walked straight inside to call it a night.

 

[Jst4Cyl]

We figured out a while ago how to get it to line up but were having problems shimmying and shaking, its like it wants to turn to where the holes match up but it keeps catching on something so we wern't able to seat it. It needs to go back towards the block on the bottom about half an inch or so and the top was hard to tell being under the car and all but it looked like maybe two or three inches from the bellhousing to the block....then I got attacked by a starter so I got up and walked straight inside to call it a night.

Have someone push on the end case of the tranny (towards the block) while you lift and jiggle it.

BTW, you did use the clutch alignment tool right?

 

[turboglenn]

I've had mine out a few times and it's always been a pain to get back in. But, i've also done it by myself everytime. i use a floorjack to get it up and to where the bellhousing is hoing to clear teh flywheel. Then I take off the entire right side suspension, lay on my back and use my legs with my feet against the tranny's back plate and just shake the living crap out of it while also pushing with my legs. I usually will have to re-align it a few times using theis method, and then one of the times it will just fall into place. I swish there was some easy fix i could tell you, but the only advice i have it to rotate the trans to where that back part that hits the subframe up above teh part where it's hitting and let it fall back into place when you start shaking it.

I always seem to have a hard time just like you are, so don't feel like you're the only one cursed with it

 

[peypey's ride]

Just wondering if you got the tranny in yet or not? How bad was your first time installing a tranny? Mine was BAD! I was by myself with a cast on my right leg from the knee down(broken ankle) and a dislocated left shoulder, but I toughed it out and I was so proud when I got it done! Hope your heads ok? What the heck was your starter down there to begin with?

 

[RoasT BeeF]

Honestly, I find it to be more difficult when people are helping. I am another who has done my own about 5 times by myself. I just wrap a strap around the ass end of the trans, grab the strap with one hand and the bell housing with the other - about right where the starter would sit. Takes awhile, but its easier than trying to coordinate 1 or more people to all work in unison in order to get the trans exactly where it needs to be. It's a bi***, but it can be done.

 

[Calan]

I've removed/installed mine twice, and it was a royal PITA both times. It just never wants to clear that extra 2 inches or so... but once it does... it pops right in place. As mentioned, it just takes a lot of wiggling, studying, and experimenting to find the exact angle it needs to be at.

The second time around I used a strong 2x4 placed across the firewall (battery location) and the front brace (radiator), supported on piles of thick rags (I didn't have a hoist available). I then tied a rope to the tranny and wrapped it around the 2x4... by carefully turning the 2x4 and "winding" the rope, I could raise/lower and keep the tranny suspended while I repositioned the jack underneath it and wiggled it around.

Not pretty, but it worked

 

[zatomz]

I apologize for not responding quickly but I just started a new job and it requires me to be nocturnal. I'm going this morning after work and take another crack at it. I have to go get a new alignment tool because I do think that's what stopping it from going in all the way. I have a small friend who can fit in the wheel well so he comes in handy ,the other is tall so he's on the top and I am by no means fat so I fit perfectly underneath....its a good team (we look like a bunch of monkeys). anyways I will let you guys know what happens after I re-align it. Thanks guys

 

[VapedTalon]

Zatomz may I suggest that you work it from up top on your next try. When I did my transmission I was underneeth and my one friend was working it from the top. We ended up messing around with it for 45 minutes without getting it into position. It gets hard to explain what is going on between the two view points. We took a break for food and a beer and then we swapped positions. It took maybe 2 minutes after we swapped because we both knew exactly what was happening to the other person.

P.S When we did it the second time I pretty much just leaned over my fender and picked the transmission up by myself and pushed it in(the transmission was raised off the ground sitting on wood so I could reach it.).

 

[zatomz]

Once again I'm getting back a little late but vaped talon: I did what you said after I realigned the clutch, I hoisted it from the top having one person guide and myself jack and I almost cried it went on so easily.....a whole 5 minutes and I had everything hooked up. Thank you guys for your assistance I'm sure this will come in handy for someone in the future. I'm almost done with my build ill be posting again with pictures to show my work. I think I have all of the stage one and two mods on dsmtuners plus a lot more oh yea and I got those new guages machv had that turn black when you turn the car off! I can't wait to see what those look like when hooked up..Alright sorry ill finish this another time...Thanks

 

[VapedTalon]

I'm glad I could help . I still have to put my transmission in again(Cracked bell housing had to get welded). I'm not really looking forward to it but I may try getting it in by myself