Transmission stuck 1/4 - 1/2 out of bellhousing when reinstalling

-

Sirsmiley9

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2020
Messages
149
Reaction score
19
Location
Florida
My transmission wont go that last 1/2 to get fully installed. its close enough ive got bolts snug in it, but I've heard to push the clutch in, but its hanging on a cherry picker so thats not really an option right now. Anybody got some advice to get it that last bit in.
 
Sounds like its either hung on the bearing retainer or the crank pilot bushing. Is your engine a factory manual trans? What all are we working with here, engine, trans car wise? We need more info

If its not a factory manual trans engine you might need to modify (i.e. shorten) the trans input shaft end and use a pilot bearing and adapter that goes in the torque converter hub bore on the crank.
 
good information to include lol, its a factory a833 with od that came off a slant six, but its being put on a magnum 360 hanging on a cherry picker. its going in a 76 duster, but i dont think that affects much in this
 
Being a Magnum 360 might be your issue. They used the needle bearing pilot that fits an adapter to go in the torque converter hub location on the crank. What are you using for a pilot bearing? The Mag crank may not be drill deep enough for an A833 or OD input shaft length as they never came with one. I'm unfamiliar with the slant version of the 833 and OD.
 
Did you use a clutch Pilot Shaft to line up your clutch disc in the first place ?

Clutch disc is probably off center and the pilot bearing in the flywheel is not lining up with the transmission input shaft.
 
yeah I did it fits past that and fits up snug, so i know its going in most of the way, and ive found this issue on a couple other forums for other cars. However the solution always mentioned is to push the clutch in, which is very difficult without the leverage
 
This is how close to it

0B960A95-B6D5-4751-9DF6-8B5071F0FC0C.jpeg
 
Turn the crank shaft over a couple revolutions with a ratchet and a socket.

Then see if you can depress the clutch. If so depress the clutch and roll the engine over again by hand. See if the trans pops forward.

Don't use the starter yet to turn it over, you may brake something until you get this figured out.
 
Boy I wonder if the hole in the older bell housing is just a hair smaller that the raised front section on the newer trans.

They have a way of changing all that stuff over time, just to goof a guy up.
 
Boy I wonder if the hole in the older bell housing is just a hair smaller that the raised front section on the newer trans.

They have a way of changing all that stuff over time, just to goof a guy up.
do you mean the hole where the where the bearing retainer goes into the transmission? Because I made sure those fit in together before putting the bellhousing on
 
I would take the 4 mount bolts out of the trans ( with the engine supported ) then see if you can rotate the trans to see if it is locked tight to the bell housing.

You should be able to rotate the trans if all parts are the correct ones.

Can also back the trans all the way out of the clutch disc. Put the trans in 4th gear and put the drive shaft in the tail and rotate it 180° then try her again, with the trans in neutral.
 
Is the engine sitting all the way down on the front engine mounts?

I know you said you have it on the cherry picker yet.

You want that gap at the trans to be parallel with the bell housing.

I have wiped a very thin layer of grease on the input splines and the clutch disc spline area. Wipe it on, then wipe it back off with a wrag so there is just a film left behind to help it go together. Don't want any excess getting up to the clutch assembly.
 
Trans nose cone stuck in a cocked throwout bearing??
This would explain why it is hard to depress the clutch. Throwout bearing is jambed and can't press forward to engage with the pressure plate fingers.

Process of Elimination, got to keep ruling things out until you find the real problem.
 
You'd better come up with an ACCURATE way to measure that hole depth, use a straightedge across the bell surface, etc. You sure the front bearing retainer fits the bell? I don't just mean the same size, maybe it's got a big ow-ee in the outer surface. Any chance the clutch disc is in backwards?
 
I thought the newer engines used a pilot bearing and had a shorter input shaft. And the older engines used a pilot bushing and longer input shaft.
 
The crank is not drilled for a manual transmission. Take the transmission back off and cut a smidgen more off than the gap between the bellhousing and block. Dress the end with an angle grinder so it has a good bevel all the way around, clean it up and reinstall.
 
I would take the 4 mount bolts out of the trans ( with the engine supported ) then see if you can rotate the trans to see if it is locked tight to the bell housing.

You should be able to rotate the trans if all parts are the correct ones.
I tried to take it out of gear and rotate it but it doesn’t any more now that it’s further in I wonder if the pilot bearing is the wrong type then
 
The crank may have been pushed far enuff forward to cause binding between the thrust bearing/block/crank, jamming up everything.
Loosen the trans bolts, see if it then loosens up and turns, - if I'm understanding what you said correctly.
Good luck
 
-
Back
Top