help with tranmission removal-seems like its stuck

[andrave]

ok I'm back, trying to put this stage 1 clutch in my s13, sohc, 5 speed.
I took all the bolts out of the tranmission where it bolts into the engine, took the starter out, took the driveshaft and the crosmembers (both the driveshaft and the tranmission)
a gap has opened between the tranmission and the bell housnig it bolts to, yuu can see the teeth on the flywheel... but the transmission won't come off.  I tried tilting it down, up, sideways, prying it, jiggling it... can anyone please help me?   thanks as usual....

[Ryan of Velocity]

Have you tried using a BIG pry bar?  I have a big one just for tranny popping off:p  They can be a bitch sometimes, wrap a rag around the end of the bar slide it in the gap and pry all the way around (or as best as you can) it will eventually pop off.  If not than there is something still holding it on?  If you have a FSM I would take a gander at it and start counting bolts.  I couldn't pop the tranny off my VR4 and then I realized after looking at the FSM that there was a bolt still in that I would have never found just eyeballing it!

If all else fails, tie a rope around the ass end of the tranny then tie the other end of the rope to a truck.... and well you know the rest:p

[andrave]

the chilton's service manual I have for the car says there are seven bolts holding it in.
Well, I counted 7 plus the two for the starter which made 9.
And I have eye sight pretty well around the whole thing and if I was a betting man my money-all of it- says there are no more bolts.  
Can the tranmission be damaged, by really pulling on it hard?  how do you keep it from falling?  I'm trying to do this on jackstands and its friggin hard...
Thanks for your help, though...

[Ryan of Velocity]

Hmm, if you're going it on jackstands I would suggest tying the tranny up so it doesn't fall on your head.  You can just open your doors and run a rope through the car and then under the car and under the tranny and tie it so you can lay under neath it and wiggle it back and forth.

If the tranny hasn't been out in a while the splines aren't going to let the shaft slide out real easy.  Basically you just need to twist it back and forth and pull from underneath the car and see if you can get someone to pry at the same time.

It's a pain in the ass but it'll come off!  Just keep working it.  Oh and don't worry too much about yanking the shit out of it.  Just yank like a mofo and it'll budge.

[oberkill]

A trick I like to use on garage tranny swaps is to find a long small diameter bolt that you have a nut for. Basically small enough so it will go through the bottom bolt hole but long enough that you have a few inchs wiggle room. If you slide it through one of the lower holes and put the nut on that will keep it from falling on your head! Then lay under the tranny with your head towards the end of the transmission and your feet near the engine. Grab the end of the tranny with your hands and steady the main part of the tranny with your legs. Then wiggle back and forth as well as pull until the damn thing comes free. It wont fall but it may try to spin some. Then is a acrobatic game to get back out and drop the tranny without causing yourself pain..... This is sorta a pain to do but works very well. Be sure you have the car very stable and the car is not going to slide anywhere. If the car drops while you are in this position it is going to be very messy for someone to clean up.......

Alan

[turbo240sx]

your not the only one that had this problem. the easiest way i did it was drain the fluid. turn it upside down and the pull out while pushing up too. you need 2 people. the starter hump on the bell housing wont clear the underside of the body on an s-13 if you pull it out in the upright position. its a pain in the ass. wait till you put it back in its even more fun. do it the same way, good luck.

[andrave]

I found the problem-
the previous owner had managed to snap off a stud in the damn transmission....
so I had the pleasure of extracting that, and then with the help of my brother and a massive crowbar and 10 feet of rope I popped the tranny off.
swapped the clutch and bolted it all back up... took me bout 12 hours to get it all off, and I bolted it all back up in around 2... learning experience for me, for sure.
only problem is my tranny fill plug is stuck on there so I had to fill it up through the shifter hole... I can't get it to budge, even tried use a jack and the car's weight to turn the wrench under it.. no luck.  but screw it, its full of fluid again and all is good.
I didn't have any clearance problems.. and I had two jacks and my brother helping me position it, putting it back on, and once I got the shaft in I had to use a C clamp to get the tranny and the bell housing back together to bolt em up.. no biggie though.
thanks for your help, guys...

[Drift Style S14]

want to know why you couldn't get it off, well its because you need to rotate the tranny either clock wise or counter clock wise just a little bit, then it should slide off really easy. The reason i know this is because i did a clutch job on my s 13 before i donated it.