ramius665

The clutch fork is installed with the pin in. Do I need to remove it?? Starter is still out, as are S/R sensors. All of the literature I could find said to completely install the clutch/bellhousing prior to installing the engine. If I'm missing something, help!

MM951

IRRC, I installed my engine with the clutch pin in and 100% assembled

Euro951

No need to remove the bellhousing. Take the crossmember off, this will give you more wiggle room. It should slide right on with a few good jerks. (no pun intended) Also remember steering shaft orientation if you have your turbo downpipe and crossover pipes on or you will just have to do it all over again if the steering shaft isn't oriented correcly.... This should not be a difficult thing to do and if it is something else is wrong.

ramius665

Clutch fork pin is currently installed, do I need to remove it? I installed the clutch/bellhousing on Friday, but I didn't see anywhere in the engine install procedures that I have about keeping the pin out. If it'll help, I'll do it!

Starter and speed/reference sensors are currently out as well.

I'm heading to the shop in a couple of minutes to start again, I'll try to post an update in 3-4 hours. Thanks guys.

Skip Wolfe

You definitely need to be able to wiggle the engine. I was able to rock the engine back and forth on the engine mounts which was key. Get one person to rock the motor while you are pushing the input shaft in and it will pop in when you get them lined up. Also be careful you don't have any corrosion built up on the nose of the input shaft - i had that which was enough to cause it to bind. Test fitted it with a spare pilot bearing and discovered my problem after wrestling with it for hours.

Skip Wolfe

and no you don't have to remove the pin.

Richgreenster

If you have the bell housing installed all ready then NO you do not need to remove the clutch fork and pin. So all you are doing is sliding the bell housing on to the drive line? If so then it would have to be either out of align. (reuse the alignment tool) or your splines are not lining up just right. I would use your clutch fork alignment tool to make sure that you have not moved the clutch disc just enough to not allow the end of the drive shaft to go into the rear bearing. What ever you do don't force it too much or you can damage that bearing.

Richgreenster

Also if you are installing the motor with the bell housing all ready installed. It is easier to install the ref. sensors before you slide the motor on to the drive shaft. It just gives you some more room to check their adjustment to the fly wheel.

Chris White

Hopefully I am not too late to save you a major pain in the butt…
If you are having trouble with the last ½’ to 1” of fitment the problem is the clutch disk alignment – and the tool won’t help you much there…you really don’t want to take it out to screw around with it.

The ‘simple’ fix is to get a nice long prybar (or really big screw driver) and release the pressure plate with the clutch fork – just like it you were pressing the clutch pedal in. There is an inspection port where you can see the end of the clutch fork – use the lever to move the end of the fork towards the front of the engine – its pretty stiff! Once you release the pressure plate the clutch disk will float around on the drive shaft and you can easily ‘jiggle’ the front of the shaft into the pilot bearing.

I have to do this on pretty much every engine install. Always works.

Chris White

And never force any thing to fit...nothing good will ever come from that!

ramius665

Apparently we just needed 2 more people to help get everything at the right angle. Went over to the shop at 9 and got the engine fully installed by noon. Just needed to push the bellhousing up a bit to mate perfectly with the torque tube.

Thanks for all of the advice on short notice, it helped a LOT.

Tom M'Guinn

Congrats!

(Btw, for the top bellhousing bolt, I welded an extention onto a standard 19mm wrench and tightened from under the hood.)

Richgreenster

now may the fun begin.

ramius665

It was a beautiful sight to watch my car finally moving at the proper ride height. I removed the engine last August but 8 months seemed to go by fast.

M758

for the next guy.. the technique is to put the torque tube into the engine before you put the cross member to the frame. This way you an will move the engine to get it to align with the tube and get the splines to slide it. Once that is in and 4 bolts on attached you can then final postion the engine to the frame.