Help! my MT trans is stuck! Hurry!

[greenstorm]

Hey all, I'm doing a clutch job and I cant get the transmission fully off. It's about 3/4 an inch off the engine held up by a jack and all it wants to do is spin, it wont come off. Did I miss something? I'm pulling pretty hard.... reamed on it with a few different pry bars. Any advice? I haven't taken off a tranny in like 5 years, so....


thanks for the help! please hurry!

ps: sorry for the double post, i really just need help ASAP!

[Daninski]

Can you move the clutch lever to release the load on the clutch and free the shaft.

[greenstorm]

it just moves back and forth willy nilly. I;ll wiggle it a bit and see if that helps

[greenstorm]

it doesnt even feel like its attached to anything. I can almost pull it out. was that the problem? I can't disengage the clutch?

[davmac]

No - all clutch components (disk, pressure plate, flywheel) stay attached to the engine. Assuming no wires remain connected or bolts (check again) then you are binding the input shaft of the transmission on the clutch disk. Also – you have removed both axles from the transmission, right?

I haven't personally replaced an MX3 clutch, but on other cars that I have done you need to support the engine independently. I always liked to support the engine from above and then used a jack to which I attached a wood platform and strap to support and hold the transmission when removing and installing it. I always had best luck lining things up if the engine was allowed to tip slightly down toward the transmission side.

Double check everything to be sure there is no bracket or wire that might span engine to transmission. This should not be that hard to remove so don’t force it. Reinstalling was always the tricky part. Try with the engine tilted slightly like I suggested when you reinstall.

[greenstorm]

I got it! I lifted the engine up a little bit more and it slid right off. Thanks all! Hope I didn't ruin anything

[Daninski]

Isn't it great when a plan comes together. I'm sure your trans is just fine, they're tough.

[greenstorm]

unfortunately I snapped two bolts off during the whole process



*cries

[wytbishop]

Would those be the ones that were keeping it from coming off?

[MrMazda92]

Would those be the ones that were keeping it from coming off?

Cold, but it made me grin

[greenstorm]

lol no, I did that before.

[greenstorm]

So, one of the bolts that snapped coming off was a front crossmember bolt. This is the crossmember that the engine/tranny mounts sit on. There's only two bolts per side, so I don't feel safe with only one. I only have hand tools, how do I fix this?

The bolt head is sheared off. I don't know what to do.

Really, Mazda? 2 bolts per side for the piece of metal that holds up the majority of the engine/transmission weight?

Do you think it would be safe to put it back together with the one bolt and drive it the half mile to a mechanic?

Should I stuff a rag in my gas tank and explode this piece of *** excuse for a car?

So mad.

[MrMazda92]

So, one of the bolts that snapped coming off was a front crossmember bolt. This is the crossmember that the engine/tranny mounts sit on. There's only two bolts per side, so I don't feel safe with only one. I only have hand tools, how do I fix this?

The bolt head is sheared off. I don't know what to do.

Really, Mazda? 2 bolts per side for the piece of metal that holds up the majority of the engine/transmission weight?

Do you think it would be safe to put it back together with the one bolt and drive it the half mile to a mechanic?

Should I stuff a rag in my gas tank and explode this piece of *** excuse for a car?

So mad.

Take a drill with a bit head smaller than the bolt diameter... Drill directly into the center, and then gently remove the excess material and use a tap and die set to re-thread the hole. Buy a replacement bolt, and re-install.

If you blew an MX-3 up like that, I(and many others I imagine) would probably hunt you down.

That being said, setbacks are setbacks... We all face them. How you recover, and move on is what determines how far your success can carry you.

[wytbishop]

I've been driving my car daily for almost two years with the same broken bolt as you. It's actually a stud that is welded to the subframe so to repair it you would have to use a small cutoff wheel to cut the stud of and weld in a new one. Not a super easy job...which is why I've been neglecting it.

Ideal?...no. Dangerous?...no.

[MrMazda92]

I guess I misunderstood what broke