rusnak

I thought I'd drop in and pass on some more things from my (almost finished) clutch replacement job.

Attaching engine and tranny: On my 915 with guide tube this was royal pain. After about 4 hours of pushing the engine around the garage with my tranny, and then trying to hammer the two together with a plastic mallet (not a good idea), I finally hit on the winning solution. My engine was supported by an ATV jack with a platform. I removed the ATV jack handle, and backed it up against the house, and pushed like hell while holding the tranny with both hands. Then I sort of corkscrewed the guide tube into the throwout bearing until one bolt was started. I put a nut on that one, and then went around and around in circles with the tail of the transmission. Then ...."foop!"...all 4 bolts were sticking thru the bellhousing. I never thought this would be a difficult step because I used the clutch/flywheel alignment tool when I bolted everything up on the engine.

Engine installation: Dont forget to take a quick look into the oil breather hose to center the breather restrictor cone. Use a second jack to raise the transmission and support it while guiding the shift rod into the tunnel. You don't want to let the shift rod hit the tunnel, or to support the weight of the transmission. The mounting bolts are 12mm with 1.5 thread pitch. I used a tap to clean out the threads, which were very dirty.

If your axles/boots/cv joints are bad, it might be more cost effective to replace the entire assembly. If just two cv joints are bad, it's still better to re-pack your own. But if the boots are bad, just bite the bullet and get the entire assembly. Hard decision because you're looking at around $800-$900 for the pair.

theiceman

wow seams that putting it back together should not be that hard. Glad you got her done though.

User 4221

Thanks for the tips Rusnak. My project is moving sloooooooowly. I just now got it on the stand and am planning the dis-assembly.

I'm taking my time and cleaning things as I go along.

theiceman

i have aways wondered .. how do you get a very heavy engine from a dolly on the floor to bolted on an engine stand?

Block and tackle from the ceiling ?

User 4221

I wouldn't trust my 1977 vintage stick frame home to support the weight of the engine.

So I use one of these:




+




I had the engine hoist left over from an FJ1200 motorcycle build a few years ago so it has come in handy for this and pulling fence posts.

ivangene

lookin good Scott!

I helped a fellow RL member swap a transmission on the garage floor into a 2000 996 (6 speed) and I think the most un-nerving part was the fact that the trans. never "dropped in" (like on an old chevy truck, when its all lined up it ..... shlunck, awe, there it goes) nope... had to draw it up with the bolts - like Rusnak we pushed and pushed and wiggled and it just never "fell into place"

That was a starnge and oddly a tad scary feeling sucking up those bolts as I felt like we were not aligned (even though I knew we were) and I was worried about bending the PP prongs, or jamming the input shaft on the tras to the flywheel... turned out we did it right but I will never forget how badly that felt.

I have not done an older car yet but from Rus's post it sounds like the same type of fit up...

Thats a big list you have there

Ed Hughes

That is strange that it took that much force to mate the two, rusnak. Once everthing is in the right plane with mine, they slide right together.

whalebird

Great job Scott & Oliver. I see no reason you will have any problems. I've never had any real problems getting the two halves back together, but I always had an actual input shaft from the respective trans. to use as a clutch centering tool.
Staying clean and organized is the best insurance for proper assembly. Removing and replacing tools for each sub-step of the process is a good practice as well. Much time is lost digging for tools, and yeilding correct results requires project managment. Clean, organized facilities, and proper project managment are the biggest challenges for the DIY, along with adequate tools. Take your time and enjoy this process. You will be proud when this is done...you too rus.
My engine project is on hold right now, but frankly, I enjoy a project as much as driving the car. I'm always looking for an excuse to tear into it.
Keep the pics coming and ask lots of questions here scott/rus. For us outsiders, helping is a big part of the fun too.

rusnak

Not to hijack.......just an anecdote in case yours does the same thing:

My trannny guide tube must not have been perfectly aligned. The hubs were turning freely, so it was not as if the input shaft was not lining up with the clutch - did not get that far. What I did was wiggle and move the nose of the tranny around in a circle while pushing against the engine, which was on the jack against the exterior wall of the house. The trick was to find a way to keep the engine from moving while I pushed the tranny into it. Very cumbersome, given the weight if the tranny. So the guide tube was hanging up on the to bearing.

Once the correct alignment was found, it literally popped into place.

ivangene

OK - am am glad to hear it "popped into place"

THAT is what I expect when things are right... I can assure you the 996 never did that I I have heard that is the norm, not some miss-aligned part

User 4221

Welp... It has been a while as life and work got in the way. However, the engine is re-assembled and the engine bay is ready with a new sound pad. Several late nights and a few weekend days helped get things done.

I'm waiting on the transmission to get done with new axle flange bearings, synchros and a few needle cages.... This should be done this week.

I hope to get the driveline back in the car this week and drive it next weekend.... Crossing fingers!

Oh, yeah, one more thing that should be added to the "Engine Out" list is the main vacuum hose that is 15/32" and runs from the rear bulkhead, up behind the cross member and into the engine compartment. Doing this with engine-in would be a major PITA.

I had the injectors tested and cleaned. They went in with a good spray pattern and 98% flow. They came back with a good spray pattern and 99-100% flow on each.

The engine-mounted oil cooler was flushed, cleaned and inspected. No leaks or failures.

All-in-all, I did some overkill work (I don't want to do this again for a long time) but I'm impressed with how solid this car is. I bought it with minimal documentation but it has really surprised me how well things like the cooler and injectors tested out.

I will post some pics shortly

User 4221

Here's a pic of the completed engine. Not much to see but a fairly clean engine
Before any of you wise acres give me hell about the engine carrier being dirty, I am using the broken unit as a lift for hoisting the engine up/down as you can see from the holes I've drilled into it.

For the fan, I used a wire wheel mounted to a bench grinder to get the aluminum cleaned. I then used Never-Dull to finish it.

Ed Hughes

I still woulda shot it with a quick coat of paint.

User 4221

Awright! I'll post a pic of the new one so you can mentally put the pics together

User 4221

The engine and trans are bolted back together. The release arm insertion was a little weird but no biggie.

I've got everything ready for the engine/trans re-installation. Hopefully will happen tomorrow night or it will push to next week due to work, etc.

I'm really looking forward to bolting up the Stage 8 fasteners on the CV.

Ed, have you installed yours yet?