Transmission install kicking my butt

[Smedley]

That's what she said.....;D


Sorry couldn't help it.

"Thats what she said" has been said over a 1,000 times during this process....a sense of humor helps.

 

[Smedley]

New development. Decided to divorce the transmission and tcase. Easy enough, but I bumped it out of first and the bearing on the back of the transmission shifted out and the shift levers will not move much now. What did I do now?

Also, I realigned the clutch, the alignment tool slides in and out easier now. However, my buddy and I tried to slide the transmission in without the bell housing and it is still an inch away from fully seating. Again, the only thing I swapped out was the flywheel, so the parts I am trying to put together, were already together.

 

[Pa PITT]

I was thinking there is a retainer. that holds that bearing into your trans body. It has 4 small bolts holding it in plave.
Too me it looks like it's missing.
It's been 12 years since I've had mine out.

 

[Broncobowsher]

When the main shaft pulled out some bearings dropped out of place. Need to do a mini rebuild of the transmission to get them all back in place. No parts are needed, just time and some tools.

This is why I don't separate the transfer case when I pull the transmission.

 

[centex77]

What am I missing? Pulled the 3 speed manual and tcase together to put in a new flywheel. The flywheel is the only thing that is new. Got the flywheel and clutch installed, used a clutch alignment tool. I am using a transmission jack. The bellhousing is attached to the transmission so the throwout bearing is in place. I bought some longer bolts for the bellhousing to engine and have them all started. It should be aligned or pretty close. I think I have the splines in the clutch, but I still have 1" to go and it won't go. What am I missing?

Ran into a similar issue on mine and turned out the tip of the alignment tool that goes into the flywheel was just a hair to small so while it looked aligned it wasn't and wouldn't allow the trans to line up. Wrapped the tip in a few layers of tape to thicken it up and tried again and it slipped right in.

1977 Ford Bronco/Fiberglass Body/302 bored .030/balanced/Twisted Wedge aluminum heads/cam/5spd/Locked w/ 4.10’s/35” BFG/4” suspension/3” body

 

[DirtDonk]

Decided to divorce the transmission and tcase.

Very sorry to hear you made that call when you were already extending your job time farther out than you wanted. I'm sure it was just to make things easier to move around, but it was literally asking for trouble.
Now you have to disassemble the transmission.

Easy enough, but I bumped it out of first and the bearing on the back of the transmission shifted out and the shift levers will not move much now. What did I do now?

Sounds like you knew to put it in first, but were you aware you had to "lock" it in gear? Supposed to fabricate a tool out of 3/8" rod, but you can also zip tie things in place.
Unfortunately even with a pair that have recently been separated, all it takes is a little English between them to get the output shaft to stick and pull the bearing and shaft out, dropping the bearings that were mentioned. There is only a little bit of leeway (maybe 3/8" or so?) and after that things happen quickly.

They are basically the loose roller bearings that are retained in the recessed area between the input shaft and output shaft, and how the two shafts are supported in the middle to do their thing.
They just fell out and into the bottom of the transmission case. Easy enough to put them back in with a little grease to hold them in place temporarily, but you have to pull things almost completely apart to do it.

Also, I realigned the clutch, the alignment tool slides in and out easier now. However, my buddy and I tried to slide the transmission in without the bell housing and it is still an inch away from fully seating.

That's maybe a good thing, but the tool moving in easier does not necessarily mean it's perfect. Hopefully the only thing working against you is the clutch still slightly misaligned.
But I would use a bright light to peek inside the pilot bearing and make sure nothing is inside that could be blocking anything. No burrs on the bushing (is it a bronze bushing or a needle bearing type?) and no grease.
If you packed any grease in the pocket you could be blocking yourself with hydraulic pressure.

Again, the only thing I swapped out was the flywheel, so the parts I am trying to put together, were already together.

That's good news, but should definitely look up inside the end of the crank to see if anything got lodged inside.
When you get to the point of installing the trans for good, with the bell housing in place, you may find it handy to have an extra jack to hand to lift the front of the engine up and tilt the rear lower. Or just do it ahead of time and hold it in place with something.

Good luck! Sorry to hear you're having to go to so much trouble.

Paul

 

[pennyduke]

When you remove the input shaft from the Transmission use it to align your clutch. It really sucks that those stupid bearings fall out with the slightest movement of the shaft. Been there done that.

 

[MonsterBIlly]

check the flywheel? did you get a 157 tooth or the larger, which I think is 162? just a thought. maybe the wrong flywheel.

 

[Broncobowsher]

check the flywheel? did you get a 157 tooth or the larger, which I think is 162? just a thought. maybe the wrong flywheel.

Not the issue. The clutch would never have bolted up if it was the wrong size flywheel.

 

[Smedley]

What I found was the clutch alignment tool had a lot of play in the crank, so I wrapped the end with tape until it was a snug fit. Then I realigned the clutch. The trans eventually slid in, while I pushed on the clutch. It also helped that I divorced the trans and tcase. Luckily after messing that up, I had a local Bronco buddy that had a spare 3 speed and I used that. The trans jack cradle I borrowed was useless. I made one with some blocks of wood that way way more useful. The top bolts on the tcase were a b#$%^ trying to snug up, but everything went together eventually.

 

[Teal68]

Good to hear you got it done!