reinstalling

[rickpyle13]

Does anyone know if it's possible to have the motor mounts on the wrong side?

 

My problem is I'm reinstalling an engine and I can't seem to get the bell housing close enough to the block. It seems I'll have to undo the rear shaft to bring it forward. I'm wondering if the motor mounts could be flipped around to bring it the inch I need . Anyone know?

[hawairish]

Motor mounts are the same on each side, and there's really only one way to mount them. One side has a stud and an alignment nub, the other side has two studs. The two studs point straight down, but the alignment nub would prevent mounting them incorrectly on the engine brackets.

 

However, judging by the image below, the brackets (11232 and 11233) are side-dependent, but I'd be surprised if they had the same bolt patterns. They might have some stamp indicating side (LH, RH) or direction (arrow towards front of vehicle).

 

If those are right, maybe you just need to loosen the transmission mount and shift the engine over, then re-tighten the mount?

 

[rickpyle13]

Good to point that out, but it is not the case. The brackets will only go on the correct sides. The way it is, I was trying to get the trans and engine together while affecting as few other things as I can, but by now I have the rear drive shaft and trans cross member off, soon to be TC and front drive shaft.

 

If I can't do it all at once, I'll have to take more and more off until I can get it to seat right then reassemble. I almost got worried I had the flywheel on backwards, but after further investigation I've confirmed its on correctly. Hope to have some progress by tomorrow evening, this has been a weekend struggle for too long now.

[hawairish]

I think I misread your original post. You're just looking for a way to close the gap between your transmission and engine so you can bolt them back together? Do the motor mounts connect to the subframe without issue?

 

Is it possible you just need to rotate the input shaft a little to get them to line up, or maybe adjust the insertion angle? With the transmission crossmember off, how are you supporting the transmission? Can you see any alignment pins that might be out of line?

 

I had a similar problem when changing a Frontier clutch long ago. I had to upside-down-bear-hug-dry-hump-lift-twist the transmission to get the splines to line up and close the gap. It doesn't take much of an angle to prevent it from sliding forward apparently.

[rickpyle13]

Yes my original post was something that trickled into my mind after not being able to get this thing together. Motor mounts are good, I've got two jacks under the tranny at the moment.

 

Yeah I'm sure insertion angle could be helped, not positive if rotating input shaft will do it.

 

What do you mean as alignment pins? When you say that I think of the bell housing and block dowel holes. If that's the case yes they are line up well just away from each other the better part of an inch.

 

LOL I love that description.

[Kingman]

Manual or automatic? If manual make sure the throw out bearing and shift fork are seated all the way back. If automatic make sure you aren't installing the motor with the torque converter bolted to the flex plate. It needs to be seated on the transmission input shaft.

 

A lot of times it's just the angle of the dangle. Needs to be just right.

[hawairish]

What do you mean as alignment pins? When you say that I think of the bell housing and block dowel holes. If that's the case yes they are line up well just away from each other the better part of an inch.

 

LOL I love that description.

 

Yep, alignment pins = dowels.

 

That's about as accurate as I could have described it. It wasn't fun. I could've added "prison-inmate" somewhere in there.

 

You may just need to find a way to support the transmission loosely enough to allow pitching/rolling/lifting it to get the angle right. I had to lift the rear of the transmission more than I expected, then it just slid right in to a decent gap and I used the bolts to draw it closed.

[RedPath88]

A lot of times it's just the angle of the dangle. Needs to be just right.

All three times that I have dealt with this(Clutch/Engine/Trans replacements), the above is exactly what it came down too.

[rickpyle13]

It's an automagic I'm dealing with, thanks Kingman that was not something I knew to begin with, although the torque converter is indeed inside the bell housing. I've got the trans on two jacks so I can raise one or the other for tilt action.

 

Maybe I will try some more before I take the TC and fds off, thanks guys.

[hawairish]

Good luck!

[Kingman]

The reason is there is an o-ring inside the torque converter that is very easily damaged and when you do, you basically need to buy a rebuild kit just to replace it. It's also insanely more difficult to mate anyhow.

 

You'll get it in there. Many times I've gotten fed up with it and came back the next morning and it pops right in. When you get mad you fight not only the truck but yourself too.

[rickpyle13]

So my progress this weekend; I started by removing the rear drive shaft, exhaust between the muffler and the exhaust manifolds, and undoing the transfer case shift linkage yesterday. Today I worked on the transfer case to transmission bolts, drained the TC and almost dropped the whole thing on myself.

 

My next problem is the fact I can't get the bolts on the front drive shaft undone.

Pb blasted it a couple times, soaked it for the night; if that doesn't work I'll have to resort to using a heat gun or propane torch I guess.

[rickpyle13]

Got myself a torch, got the front drive shaft set aside after a number of heat/pb treatments. A couple more transfer case bolts, looks like one or two more before it comes off.

[hawairish]

These seem like the very last things I would do. Was there any way to loosen the motor mounts to get some play out of it? I mean, that was kinda your original question, but unless your unibody is shrinking, I can't think it's more than just a minor alignment issue as described above.

 

I wish you the best of luck of course, but I'm a little worried the next post will involve a sawzall!

[rickpyle13]

Yes there's definitely some play, I can pull up and down on the front of the engine and it'll tilt accordingly, but I still was unable to get it lined up.

 

My aim at this point is to get it to the point where I'm only dealing with the transmission, nothing else in my way.

[rickpyle13]

Definitely right, it's an alignment problem. Unfortunately the whole time I've been doing this on a gravel driveway that has a slight slope to it, with a panel of board underneath to work with.

 

Sure I'd love to be doing this in a garage with a lift and level concrete but not so lucky. Plus I'm 1-manning it for the most part.