Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001
Glenn:
Contacting you off-list [1800 e-mail list]. Hope it's ok.
I'm the fella who's been inquiring about transmission re-install in my '71e. After clutch kit and rear engine seal replacement. Advice I've gotten off list has been most helpful, but something I think I recall you mentioning has been especially so. Are you the one who said on some 71's the bell housing needs to be attached to transmission first and then as a unit bolted to back of engine? Others have said the bell housing should be attached to engine FIRST.......and then attach trans to bell housing. I've tried (and tried) both ways and turns out what I think was your suggestion was the only way that worked.
I finally did get the whole thing back together.......with the trans and bell housing lifted on a jack and slid into position. The other way, there was simply no way to angle the trans/input shaft to get it in the right position to go in. Just no damn room. Not done yet, however.......although its all back together, the clutch fork somehow got out of position. Its stuck all the way to the front and I can't budge the darned thing. What do you think I did wrong?
Am I correct in assuming that I probably knocked the TO bearing out of position when I inserted the input shaft??? If so, its re-do time for me??? Thanks again for advice. Really do appreciate it. Over time I hope to become experienced enough so that I can pass the favor along to other folks.
Dick Pahle
71E Charlotte, NC
Dick - Normally, the easiest way to install the manual transmission on an 1800 is to install the bell housing to the engine first. Then you put the throwout bearing in the clutch fork and carefully guide the transmission input shaft through it. When the transmission is about an inch from mating with the bell housing, some wiggling and cussing may be required. Sometimes the throwout bearing gets hung on the snout of the input shaft cover rather than sliding over it as it should. The transmission should be fully mated to the bell housing before the bolts are tightened. Tightening the bolts to pull the transmission up could possibly break something or strip the threads in the aluminum bell housing. Same goes for installations where the bell housing is attached to the transmission first. If you can't push the bell housing all the way to the engine by hand, something is not right.
Installing the bell housing to the engine first works fine with M40 and M41 transmissions, but it is not possible to do this with an M410, because the bolts that hold the the bell housing to the transmission are inserted through the bell housing from the inside. The mounting flanges on the transmission are threaded, while the holes in the bell housing are smooth. I still don't know which transmission you have, so I won't go any further into the merits of either method of installation, except to say that if you can't get the correct angle without attaching the transmission to the bell housing first, it's perfectly o.k. to do so.
Regarding your current installation problem, one possibility comes to mind. As mentioned above, it's possible the throwout bearing didn't slide onto the input shaft cover. Apparently, some wiggling and cussing is required even if you attach the bell housing before installation. I'm guessing you found that you could not get the bell housing mated to the engine without tightening the bolts. This should clue you that something is wrong. In any case, you will need to remove the transmission again to see what the problem is and fix it. When you reinstall, it might be helpful, if you encounter difficulties, to peer through the opening where the fork enters the bell housing. A flashlight and mirror might also prove helpful. -Glenn.
Dick later reported to the 1800list that he had put the throwout bearing in backwards.