Mike S

OK...the motor is out and I'm trying to get the bellhousing off but the stupid thing won't come off. I've removed all the bolts and the reference sensors. It'll come out about an inch or so and then it hits something and won't come any further. I can see the clutch fork hitting where the slave cylinder pushes on it. How do I release the clutch fork? Do I just have to pull harder?

dualblade

you've gotta loosen the clutch fork out before the bellhousing can come off. there's a rod that goes through the clutch fork that has to be pulled out and then the fork will be loose enough to come off. if you haven't done this, reply and i'll get some pictures and describe it better.

Mike S

I think I know that bolt. It's a small 10mm one. I pulled it out (had a locking nut on it). The factory manual states that you should thread another bolt into the hole below that 10mm one for leverage. I'm assuming that this won't help me pull the fork out.

So.....how does the fork come out? Do I just wiggle it free? Side to side?

Dare

I *just* did this 5 minutes ago...you need to move the fork so that it comes out from behind the release bearing. I just stuck my fingers in the hole where the clutch slave goes an wiggle the fork until it came loose.

EDIT: I just re-read your post and I wasn't sure whether you've removed the shaft that the fork rotates on. This is the thing you thread the bolt into to get leverage on (I use one of the bolts from the slave cylinder). You definitely need to remove this before the housing will come off.

Next job for me is removing the clutch/flywheel and getting the engine on the stand. BTW, do you have bolts needed to mount the engine to the stand? I'm just about to go out looking for some, so I be interested in what you're using and where you found it.

DerSchlechtSpecht

Now the simple explanation. After you removed the four main bolts, and the reference sensors. Remove the small bolt that has the lock nut on it. Then look in the vacinity above where the starter should be, there is a hole occupied by the shaft that holds the clutch fork in place. Since the shaft does not stick out of the housing they tapped a hole in the middle of it so you can take one of the slave cylinder bolts, thread it into the shaft, than with a pair of pliars holding onto the bolts pull the shaft out. Depending on how it was lubed it may come out easy or need alot of force. Non the less this shaft must be removed or the bell housing will not come off.

Christian

dualblade

yes you know the right spot. the 10mm bolt with the lock nut is what keeps the rod from sliding out. you must now thread a bolt into the open hole below as that hole is the end of the rod that holds the fork in place. you thread a bolt in and pull on the bolt head (really super hard cause that thing is probably in there solidly). i would try to do something to the end of the rod before you thread a bolt in to wake it up a bit. whacking it with a rubber mallet a few times might help, and even if not, it's fun to wail on things with a rubber mallet one of the bolts from the job did happen to be the right size and thread but now i can't remember which one it is (sorry i know that's not helpful). the factory manual says what size bolt you need so you can always just make a hardware store run. once everything comes out then all this will make much more sense. it just sounds funny cause you can't see the inside of the bellhousing very well

Charlotte944

Thread a LONG 8mm 1.25 thread (13mm hex head) bolt with a nut and washer through a deep well socket and into the clutch fork pin. When the bolt bottoms out, use the nut to "jack" the clutch fork pin out. Once the pin is out you can remove the clutch fork from the release bearing and then pull the bell housing.

Kevin Baker

If the rod is stuck in REALLY well, you can thread a long bolt through a section of copper pipe (slightly larger in ID than the OD of the shaft) with a washer on the end to "draw" the shaft out.

dualblade

lol, i just remembered, this is what i did (except without the nut). i just kept tightening the bolt until the shaft spun freely and then it was easy to pull out. didn't bother with the nut idea cause i had a new shaft so i didn't care if the bolt or the shaft's threads got messed up (tho i figured they'd hold and they did)

adrial

The bolts that hold the front control arm mount worked nicely for me, that in combination with the 2 identical bolts used on the bell housing.

Dare

Yup, looks like those would work nicely. Unfortunately I need to get the car back on its front wheels, so I'm going need those bolts. Thanks for the suggestion though. At least I know what to look for now!

Big E

Save some headaches, skinned knuckles, and time, and apply liberal amounts of PB Blaster before you even start. Probably wasted 3 hours wrestling that stupid shaft out.

Mike S

Ahhh....i got it!!!! I thought the threaded bolt pushed the rod up and out...but you actually pull it down and out. Thanks for all the help and quick responses guys. Whooohooo!

dualblade

no prob, happy to help. i guess once you got the housing off you saw where that shaft went and why it needed to come out, right?