e30 guys...i need some tips...etc

[esty]

most may not remember but summer before last i hired my tenants to r&r the 5 speed trans in my e30...we got all of the bolts out but one starter bolt and one of the top bolts...

i hired a good neighbor who's handy as hell to finish it for me and today he tried...i just came in from the shop from checking on progress...

the trans is unbolted, the starter is out and you can see clearance all around it, maybe 1/4 inch or more but the sucker won't come off...it's like something inside the bellhousing has a grip on it...nothing on the outside is holding it or preventing it from sliding back

it's off of the guide pins as well...are there any secrets to getting it to slide back...

[SteveJ]

Maybe try lifting on the front of the motor as someone pulls the trans back?

It could also be the output shaft is binding on the pilot bearing.

Doh! edit- INPUT shaft.

[esty]

Maybe try lifting on the front of the motor as someone pulls the trans back?

It could also be the output shaft is binding on the pilot bearing.

we tried raising the front of the motor...raising, lowering...nothing seem'd to help

[viali8]

might be some help at

r3vlimited.com

e30tech.com

[Harv]

Hook up the slave cylinder and pump the clutch. That may get it. Of course it could pop the slave. Could be the input shaft is rusted to the pilot beeering.

John

[ahlem]

Was the TO bearing functional before the effort to remove the trans? Shifter connected or disconnected? If everything is off and ready to come apart, take the load off the trans by supporting it SAFELY and give it a wedgie. More specifically, make a couple wood or hard plastic wedges and carefully work them in. Be sure you disconnected the lower cover at the rear of the oil pan and the small bolts on the metal cover that goes between the engine and transmission. Look for any secret bolts on the driver's side hiding up around the starter. RealOEM diagram shows how many there are. Harbor Freight has this really useful prybar that looks like a screwdriver about 24" long. If this is an auto, be sure not to force it back together or you can trash the pump. On e30tech.com, you can download the manual if you look carefully. This applies to the m20b25 motor from a 6 cylinder i version. Wedgie in small amounts equally from side to side. This is a much easier job when the motor comes out with the transmission. I saw a write up on e30tech.com where someone did an auto to manual swap that would be real helpful. Good luck and try not to invent too many words.

[esty]

thanks Ahlem ...it's a 5 speed...mario, my neighbor was using a 2 foot pry bar back and forth at each side but only managed to get it to where it is now...about 1/4 to 1/2 inch out

i'll tell him to try wedges...he's certain that everything is disconnected

[Davo]

There is a small bolt with a 10mm head that come in from the front on the passenger side under the exhaust manifold. It holds a tin plate, if you don't get that one the trans will go back against that piece of tin and stop.

[esty]

There is a small bolt with a 10mm head that come in from the front on the passenger side under the exhaust manifold. It holds a tin plate, if you don't get that one the trans will go back against that piece of tin and stop.

we got that lil bugger...mario found it after trying awhile to move the tranny...it's hard to see up there...especially if it's greasy

[Davo]

When I pulled the transmission for my black 2002 to do a 5 speed conversion we encounter a unique problem. The transmission just came back a 1/2 inch and that was it. My son was helping me. He is an autotech that started off when he was in high school working afternoons at a transmission shop. He is 45 now and has done hundreds or maybe thousands of clutch jobs. Anyway after fighting the transmission for a while he reached in with a box end wrench and removed each pressure plate bolt turning the engine over from the front to make them all accessable. When the transmission came out it brought the clutch and the pilot bearing with it. We found that someone had ground a champher on the end of the pilot shaft, probably to get it to slide in easier, the end of the shaft had split and expanded inside the pilot shaft. I had a hard time getting the bearing off even out of the car and finally just through the whole thing away together. You just never know what you will find on older cars.

[02fanatic]

Working under an E30 with the 6-cyl engine and pulling and re-installing a 5-Speed is one of the toughest jobs I've ever done (lying on my back under the car)!

Loosen the engine mounts for sure, and also the steering rack.

You'll need a host of extensions and fittings with sockets to reach the tranny bolts on the top of the trans (you have to go by "feel"). Lowering the engine is the key!

Good Luck!