Need opinions on why my axle circlip didn't come out????

[95DsManiac]

Hey all. So, let me start by saying I searched for hours and couldn't find any info on my "problem".

Three days ago I started a clutch job with some friends. We always start around 6 pm and call it a night around 10pm. The first night we got the transmission out and got the old clutch, pp, and flywheel out.

Yesterday I got the flywheel resurfaced and we started putting everything back together. We calle DIT a night early that night because people were busy.

So, today we got back on it around 6pm and we totally forgot that the passanger side axle was stuck. Well not the axle itself because it broke off (before clutch job, it needed changing because tore boot). The end piece of the axle was the only thing stuck in the transmission. The part with the green piece and a little of bit of the rubber boot piece. I hope you all can picture what I'm saying. Well it took about 2 1/2 hours to get that thing out. We literally got it out about a 1 1/2 hours ago.

When it came out we noticed that the axle circlip didn't come out with the axle or what was left of the axle that was in the transmission. I wasn't the one who actually got it out but when I was watching him pry it out you can see when it initially popped loose but he still had to pry it off even after it loosened.

We were all freaking out, (me especially since it is my car and I just lost my wallet there two days ago with 2 grand in it and someone took it so I'm broke and can't fix the tranny if it is broke). I got a magnet thingy and stuck it in there and nothing came out. I even unscrewed the drain plug and drained it of all it's fluid and stuck the magnet in there as well. Still nothing is coming out. I still can't seem to figure this out. I searched and searched but I can't find anyone that had the same problem.

I thought maybe whoever I purchased the car from put an axle on that didnt have it on there, but then I thought if it would even get stuck like that????

I inspected the part we took out and on about two of the teeth that go into the transmission were chipped or "knicked". I then thought maybe that's why it wouldn't come out if there was never a clip on it???? I hope you all understand how my mind is working so hard to put it all together, so this is how I'm coming up with these assumptions.

Another question that I asked myself but couldn't answer was this: If the circlip is actually in the transmission some how, would it damage the transmission to the point of no return? Or would the gears (I'm assuming gear but I don't know what part of the tranny the axle enters and operates) crush up the circlip without harming the transmission?

Would the material of the circlip be too strong to not break up in the tranny without destroying it or would the strong material of the gears in the transmission be strong enough to break it up without breaking stuff?

These are all questions only "if" the clip is in there.

I'm just trying to figure this out. My whole clutch job just came to a haunt because I'm scared to put the axle on the car. I'm wondering why the axle would be so stuck if there wasn't a clip. Or wondering if there was a clip, where the fxxx would it go after we got the axle out? Wouldn't have the magnet picked up something? Believe me when I say this magnet is one strong magnet, it is also very long and we bent it so it can move around in there.

Please, anyone that can provide opinions please chime in. Even better, if this has happened to anyone, please tell me your story. I really need to get this car back on the road because it is at this guys house where my wallet came up missing and it is full of parts and I just don't want it there. I can't even sleep at night because I'm just going through so much stuff right now.

Thank you to all who help me out. It is more than highly appreciated.

 

[cisco818]

I doubt the broken teeth caused the axe to get stuck to the point where you had to pry it open. I'm pretty sure there was a clip in there (sorry) but if I where you I would just open up the transmission (wich only takes 5-8 minutes) and find it. I would rather be safe then sorry. Just a few minutes of your time could save you thousands of dollars in repair. The Clip is easy to break and bend but you gotta remember that the gears are real exact and. Have to mate completely in order for them to turn. What if a peice gets stuck in between the gears while your in the freeway? To be honest idk what would happen but would you wanna risk it?. I would just spend a little extra time fixing the problem instead of risking my life or spending an extra thousand on a complete transmission rebuild. Plus its better to drive with a peace of mind. Don't do somthng dangerous just so you can finish faster. Patience is everything. Remember the story the turtle and the hair? Well just take your time and go through everything correctly. I wish you the best of luck man. Keep me updated

 

[dsmgst1996]

Chances are if the small bits of your cv axle are in the tranny they would fall to the bottom and not do much harm i would change your tranny oil a couple of times over the next 1k miles tho just to get them out. As far as the c clip goes it is more than likely stuck in the slot that it locks into and would need to be gotten out to correctly reinstall a new axle. I have not had the c clip come off before but i have twisted the shaft that goes into the tranny making it a pain to get out and im sure did not do the tranny any good but still got another 25k out of it . The best way to get a cclip that is stuck out is get a light and find where it is then use a long chisle to break it into two peices then a pick to get it out of the slot its in. If its stuck bad you may need to break it into a few peices if you do this with the side your working on pointing down so any odd peices of metal fall on the ground all should be fine.

 

[95DsManiac]

Thanks for the replys.

Cisco: true, I shouldn't rush it. Can you tell me how I would take the transmission apart? Is it easy when its in the car? Do I need to buy seals? What part of the transmission do I take apart? Like you said, there is nothing like driving your dsm that you put 10k or more into with a little piece of mind. I can't say for sure how much hp I have but I would guess between 350-390ish at 22-24psi, so I kinda need that piece of mind to drive this car. It is my DD. .

Dsmgst1996: I don't know what you mean by the part it gets tuck at. Trust me I had a flash light, long magnet, and a special tool trying to find it last it for an hour with no luck. Can you provide pictures of what you mean so I can give it a try?

 

[cisco818]

you need to take it off unfortunately BUT luckily i gathered up a few videos to help this go by much easier. once you get it off it only takes like 8 minutes to open it. especially since you got buddies (lucky bastard )
and to your other question yes you will need a seal. its only ten bucks and make sure you get the one that withstands 500 degrees in heat (just to be on the safe side) its basicalyy a silicone you put around before you close it back up. ok so lets get started.

FIRST: check this video out on how to remove the transmission
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGDw73GoIeE&feature=youtube_gdata_player]Trans & Clutch 1 - Remove Transmission - YouTube[/ame]

SECOND: check this video out showing how to open it. (note: there are three bolts (in step 3) that you will need to remove. in the video they are vertical but mines where straight from each other. dont let that confuse you if thats your case) youll see what im talking about. ALSO they speak in a diffrent lenguage but thats not my goal. my goal is to teach you visually in this one
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDUZ8NE4370&feature=youtube_gdata_player]manual transmission disassembly - YouTube[/ame]

THIRD: somthing they dont show in that last ^ video that i learned the hard way is when you take the first cap off the transmission there are going to be two gears. you cant remove those gears unless you grind the nut right where its folded into the nut. it sounds confusing but its simple. if you watch the video there is a really short part where you will see them grind the nut (48 seconds into the video). just tought id put the video to simplify my explenation. keep your eyes open cus its a short video.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKsJSb_Khsc&feature=youtube_gdata_player]DSM Transmission - 01 - Disassembly.wmv - YouTube[/ame]

FOURTH: open the whole tranny and look for your clip (good luck) then put the sealant around the edges of the tranny and put it back together. (i would practice it first before actually putting the sillicone on because the reverse bolt(its torx bolt meaning star shaped bolt) is kinda hard to align. its not as hard as you think. after you done all that and put the transmission back you will need to bleed the clutch wich isnt hard at all. hers how
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWKybsZMHZs&feature=youtube_gdata_player]Trans & Clutch 6 - Bench Bleeding the Clutch - YouTube[/ame]

another tip. go through all the videos before actually getting your hands dirty and if you watch it with your buddies itll be better because they might catch somthing that you missed. best of luck to you and if you have questions over anything feel free to ask us. (i hope i didnt mispell anything ) oh and if you need a grinder you can rent one at home depot. but hopefully a neighbor will have one. i do know that there is a ryobi grinder in home depot for only 29.99 for sale. but ask around OR take it to a mechanic and ask them if they can do you a favor and grind them for you. it only takes like 5 seconds in each nut, id doubt they would charge for that

 

[95DsManiac]

Well due to personal things going on (just found out were having. Baby) I just put the axle on. So far nothing is going wrong after 200 miles. The only thing that is happening is its hard to go into first. Like I got to push it hard. And now it grinds no matter what into reverse and I don't even have to put my foot in the clutch to go in reverse. I don't know if this is clutch related or because of the axle situation. Also when going from a stop the car shakes like crazy. I haven't seemed to figure out a way around it.

The clutch was a used exedy stage 2 3 puck clutch kit with new oem TOB. I used mt 85 redline fluid. The clutch looked really good like close to new, but I was told it had between 1-5k on it. Do you break in a used clutch, could this be the shaking or do you think it is the axle clip problem?

Question off the topic as well: do you break in a freshly resurfaced flywheel? Or used clutch?

 

[cisco818]

Did you our a clip on the axle?

Did you put a clip on the axle?