worf928

BTDT too. I got my clutch assembly hung up on one of the spacers. I thought I was dead. After talking with a few old timers I turned the engine the wrong way.

You can turn the engine slowly in the "wrong" direction as long as you turn it slowly in the right direction before you try to start it.

Turn it slowly in the "right" direction when you are done getting that pin out of the way. The tension on the belt and cam chains will be all wrong from turning the wrong direction. So, you could definitely screw stuff up if you tried to start the car after the engines been turned in the "wrong" direction unless you first turn it in the "right" direction. Ideally you would check your t-belt tension and cam chains before you reversed it though.

Maybe I'm wrong and my '89 will blow up. Eventually. It's been four years. A year after I turned the engine in the "wrong" direction I re-checked my cam timing using the factory method. Same timing as before.

FlyingDog

Ahh... gotcha. Without an engine over my head I didn't think of that little problem with the flywheel being attached to the engine.

I would be very careful rotating backwards. Maybe try something like 30* back, 15* forward, 30* back, 15* forward... to make sure everything stays aligned. You may want to wrench assist the cams over their lobes to reduce stress on the belt tensioner, and pull the spark plugs if you haven't already. Also, when you're done and everything is reassembled, hand crank the engine through several full rotations checking timing repeatedly.

We all may be way over cautious about the reverse rotation thing, but better safe than sorry.

Edited to add: Listen to Dave C. He knows more than me.

Mike Frye

Thanks everyone. Wish I had decided to do this before I backed off those top bell housing bolts. That one on the passenger side is a PITA. You gotta have girl hands to get in there. I was actually kneeling on the cross brace trying to squeeze by paw in there.

BTW- Who's got tuesday evening in the poll for me whacking myself in the head with a clutch? Let me know what the over-under is and maybe I'll get into the action.

Bill Ball

LONG wrenches help for those top bolts. I have small hands, and I'm amazed you got enough leverage as well as got your hands down there.

Mike Frye

Actually Bill,

I used your write-up about the rear main seal as a guide. I was going to drop you a PM thanking you. I used the 17mm gear wrench with the flexible head, but once it's broken loose, there's not enough tension on the bolt to make the rachet turn. I had to stick my hand down there to hand-loosen it.

Thanks again for the write-up and pics, they were very helpful.

I have to say, I had no idea what a cheese-bolt was . I think we call them torx out here on the right coast.

Mrmerlin

cheese head could denote a 12 point bolt head or triple square as opposed to a allen head 6 point and a torx is a 6 point rounded head, if your careful IE dont try to spin the motor too fast you will be OK to turn the motor backwards to get the pins moved if your really worried then you could get a helper and with a wrench on the right cam gear bolt help to turn the engine backwards,while you turn the crank.... only gotchas there are the possibility of the cam pulley bolt loosening. As stated before the splined shaft only needs to move rearwards enough to clear the back side of the flywheel it stays in the cluch pack when you drop out the clutch . I was wondering if you put the little wire spacers in the pressure plate before you released the hold down bolts?? These hold the pressure plate in the slightly released position and aid in the reinstalling Ususally the new pressure plate already has these spacers installled, once the plate is tightened the spacers fall out

Stan.Shaw@Excell.Net

Top bell housing bolts can be access from up top by pulling the air filter housing.

ErnestSw

In my experience "cheese head" refers to the shape of the head that takes an allen wrench, not a 12 point or torx.

Bill Ball

Right. There's no other way, but even then it requires some long wrenches/extensions and some persistence.

Mike Frye

The more I learn, the less I know...

That is definitely a WSM-type quote. One line, so simple, but...

Mike Frye

Sorry everyone, I just can't seem to get this figured out. I'm exhausted but I know I'm close and I've got to get it done.

I rotated the engine backward , got the pins back in and backed out the bolts, the pressure plate came free, now everything is loose, but I can't get the central shaft back far enough to clear the clutch.

First pic is before I pushed the coupling back farther and took out the bolts from the pressure plate. Second one is a little blurry, but you can see that the central shaft is back right up against the main shaft, but there's not enough clearance for anything to drop down. The front of the central shaft is still through the flywheel (pilot bearing?) and nothing is coming down.





I tried wiggling the central shaft around the main shaft, but it hangs on the coupling and won't go back far enough. What am I missing?

(Thanks for your patience and any ideas)

Please type slowly and use small words.

jon928se

This happened to someone else recently here.

I guess your problem now is that the pilot bearing (or maybe just it's inner race) has come part way out of the fllywheel, not far enough back to fall out completely but far enough back to stop the pilot shaft clearing it. You may be able to move the clutch pack backwards enough to be able to see (I can't remember if there is enough rooom) and maybe get a thin screwdriver to it to poke it back into the flywheel.

worf928

It really looks like the intermediate shaft (what you call the central shaft) is back far enough to clear the pilot bearing. Let's do the checklist:

Starter out of the way: check
Pinch collar slid back: check
I-shaft slid back: check
(edit) Guide tube loose: check
All bolts out of the plate: ?
Release Arm Popped off the ball joint: ? (watch out...)

It really looks like the clutch assembly is ready to drop. Have you (carefully) pried-back the release arm lever (pretend you are the slave piston) to get the PP loose? The PP is often "stuck on" the flywheel and those locator pins don't help.

Lucky you have the two marker pins facing down.

Stan.Shaw@Excell.Net

The shaft definitely will come further back. Can you spin it?

You could plan on sacrificing the shaft, put a pair of vice grips on the point between the two splines, and pry it backwards.

worf928

Stan, look at the second picture. It looks like the i-shaft is back far enough to touch the main shaft in the TT?