1. Home
  2. Subaru Cars Forum
  3. How to separate transmission from engine?

How to separate transmission from engine?

Hi all,

I'm trying to pull the transmission out of an '01 Legacy in my garage, in order to replace the clutch. Well, after getting all the surrounding accessories taken apart and disconnected, I took off the bolts holding the trans. to the engine and tried to pull it out, and it won't budge. I've spent most of this afternoon beating and prying on it with various blunt instruments, to no avail.

It makes me wonder if there's one more bolt in there that I didn't take out; although I've looked a thousand times it's rather dark under there and my Haynes manual is very vague as to exactly how many bolts there are and where located. I have taken out four long bolts and removed four nuts from studs, for a total of 8 connections (including where the starter mounts). If someone has a transmission case nearby, or a better diagram than I have, can you tell me if that's all there is holding it together?

One other thing--there are what appear to be a couple of iron pins where the transmission bell housing meets the engine, about 1/2 inch long. Does anyone know what these are, if they hold it together, why the manual doesn't mention them and how to get them out?

Oh, almost forgot to mention--it's a manual transmission.

Thanks for any assistance.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Throllop
Loading thread data ...

8 sounds abour right, but can't be sure. The pins are guide pins, to alighn the two together and could be froze. It sounds like it's just stuck. Now for a big subaru trick, I don't know if haynes covers it. Once the trans is unbolted from all mounts, let it "hang" and point down. Now get a piece of wood and wedge it between the engine oil pan and the crossmember. If you do not do this once the trans comes loose the engine will trist the wrong way making instalation almost impossable. If doing a clutch at home I choose to pull the engine; at work with a rack I pull the trans.

Sorry I can't be of more help, I don't have a trans to look at here.

Reply to
StephenW

It happened to me, the guide tubes were rusted and it was hard to split them appart, but... make sure that the jack under the transmission is not too high or too low (otherwise the tubes and clutch splines will bind), and that the jack is under the center of gravity so it does not tilt for or backwards.

Good luck!

Bob Throll> Hi all,

Reply to
AS

Eight bolts is all of them. Don't remove those "iron pins". If one or both come out, reinstall them. I always use a very thin but stiff putty knife to begin to separate the 2 parts. Gently work around the housing until a crack appears. Then move up to something larger like a screwdriver. Don't get carried away with the hammer because this stuff will break if you get too agressive with the hammer. When you get around to installing the transmission, get 2 bolts the same size as the bellhousing bolts about 5-6 inches long. Cut off the heads and use them as guide pins. Makes aligning the input shaft and clutch so much easier when working alone.

Reply to
johninky

formatting link
See about half way down for a description of what this guy did.

Reply to
.._..

I'll add to what johninky has posted:

Darn those pesky alignment pins ;-)

If you look around on top of the engine, you will find a couple spots where you can use a small prybar to apply pressure between the engine and bellhousing. Do so. Should be much easier once you get it started; carefully work your prybar down along both sides. Be sure the tranny is supported so as not to stress the input shaft once the locating pins clear (~1/4 - 3/8 inch gap). Clean them up with some Scotchbrite to ease reassembly.

I will add that you should be able to mate the engine and transmission at least as far as the locating pins (again, 1/4 to 3/8 inch gap all around) BY HAND. If you have to use a bolt to pull things together, odds are you are gonna damage something; either the pilot bearing on an MT, or the hydraulic pump on an AT. Having someone slowly turn the output shafts (tranny must be in gear), or the engine crank, while you mate the transmission will facilitate this.

ByeBye! S. Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101

Reply to
S

Hey, thanks to everybody that replied so far--I feel a little less alone. I'm now 85% sure it's the guide pins that are frozen. If I pry as hard as I can on the top of the case with a floor jack handle, I see the smallest imaginable crack open up--about a thousandth of an inch, then it snaps together again. So I have to figure out how to get the guide pins unfroze.

Followup questions to think about while I'm letting the penetrating oil soak in:

  1. The guy who hit the bell housing with a breaker bar--is that really safe? Can you break the transmission that way? I have a homemade drift made of a floor jack handle with a piece of brass attached to the end.
  2. What about using a blowtorch around the pins? I've never used a blowtorch on a car, so I don't know how effective they are or how hazardous. Is it safe to use it in that spot?
  3. What about hitting the iron pins with a hammer and punch? Are the pins hard enough that I don't run a risk of spreading them?
Reply to
Bob Throllop

Double check for a bolt behind where the starter was.

Reply to
StephenW

Follow-up: I finally got the transmission loose. It really was those alignment pins; they were that tight. I finally got them to give by prying as hard as I could on the top of the engine and slipping the thinnest knife blade I could find into the crack.

Now I have to put in the new clutch and put it back together. Wonder if that'll take another four days?

Reply to
Bob Throllop

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.