Author Topic: My tranny wont come off. (Read 6573 times)

Pedro · « **on:** April 08, 2007, 10:34:44 PM »

Alright heres the deal, i have removed all the basic crap to get the trans out.
You know exhaust, driveshaft, heat shields, guibo, trans mount, and like 8 or 9 tranny bolts ( i dont remember exact count).

So i pull the trans away from the motor and it gets about 1 - 2 inches away from the motor then just gets stuck. I can rotate the trans 45 degrees in either direction until the the bracket for the mount hits the tunnel. went i put the trans in gear and turn the motor i still spin the tranny, so i know the input shaft is still connected to the clutch. but i cant for the life of me figure out what i missed. i was reading the DIY clutch replacement and he mentions the bolt on the passenger side, i dont remember seeing it let alone removing it. I was at realoem.com and i was looking at the pic of trans (link below) i dont remember seeing bolt number 7.
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=AJ93&mospid=47318&btnr=23_0493&hg=23&fg=10

Someone help me out.

P.S. i didnt read over this so i may have a few typo's.

romkasponka · « **Reply #1 on:** April 09, 2007, 01:35:15 AM »

Did you forgot starter motor?

e9nine · « **Reply #2 on:** April 09, 2007, 07:45:31 AM »

That little bolt # 7 can be seen from the engine bay and from underneath the car. Can you take some pics of the perimeter of the bell housing so we can see what you've done so far.

ak96ss · « **Reply #3 on:** April 09, 2007, 08:00:12 AM »

I had the same thing happen, and it was #7...

Pedro · « **Reply #4 on:** April 09, 2007, 07:03:41 PM »

its not bolt number 7, i removed it. the tranny spins clock wise and counter clockwise until the bracket for the mount his the the tunnel. the plate even moves until it gets caught on the dowel pins.

the starter is removed.

It feels like the clutch is still engaged. the plate that bolts to the guibo spins with the motor when in gear.

e9nine · « **Reply #5 on:** April 09, 2007, 07:35:25 PM »

How high up above the ground is the car. Leverage to seperate them is key.

Does it separate evenly from the block 360degrees @ a few mm all over or is only at the bottom?

EXACTLY how many bolts do you have taken off in total.

I am guessing you either have one or two bolts still on the transmission causing this to happen?

We shall overcome this pesky issue

Pedro · « **Reply #6 on:** April 09, 2007, 07:47:13 PM »

the car is almost 2 feet in the air.

the tranny is even all the way around when i put a jack under it to level it out. when it just hangs there is a big gap at the top of the bellhousing and the bottom rests against the upper potion of the oil pan.

i count 9 bolts but 1 maybe a brand new bolt. i ordered a few extra but im sure it was in the tranny it was marks on it las if i removed it with a socket.

i can take pics if you really want to see it but there are no bolts going from the tranny to block or vise-versa.

D. Clay · « **Reply #7 on:** April 09, 2007, 07:54:19 PM »

The weight of the trans changes the angle of the motor. Take the rear mounts and the bolt in support out also.
I'm a real slacker when it comes to this sort of thing. Get some metric all thread from Lowe's or Home Depot and cut it into 3"-4" pieces and screw it into the holes in the block. Let it support the weight of the front of the trans. Put a jack under the gear case part.
It's a real help putting it back in if you're by yourself. I lift it up onto the all thread and use that to support the weight while I align it at the tailshaft and shove it in.

Pedro · « **Reply #8 on:** April 09, 2007, 07:59:09 PM »

i hear what your saying.

i had skinny pieces of wood i was using around the bellhousing. should i stick them back in between the block and trans and get the biggest prybar i can find?

e9nine · « **Reply #9 on:** April 09, 2007, 09:15:54 PM »

Easy with the pry bar, the bell housing isn't as strong as you would think.

Is the tranny completely level or is the rear end "hanging/drooping" thus bearing most of the weight?

Use a floor jack to support the tail end of the transmission - don't jack it up too high and don't leave it too low.
While being very careful, while laying on your back, hold the trans with your left and right hands at the edges (almost like holding a steering wheel @ 9 and 3 o'clock) and put slight pressure while wiggling the tranny out gradually.

It can't hurt for us to see pics of what's going on as well, me might see something you're not seeing :p

I recently did a clutch on my 325i and I must say the smaller m42 getrag shouldn't be giving you any issues unless something isn't right which is rather odd :confused:

Pedro · « **Reply #10 on:** April 10, 2007, 06:40:19 PM »

The tranny is level until i start to use a prybar to separate the two parts. then i would move the motor and change the alignment. so i stuck some skinny pieces of wood between the motor and trans and still no dice.

me and a friends tried laying under the trans but we werent completely under it due having it fall on our faces. im gonna give it try today and if still nothing i may just pull the motor out again. i had the motor out a few months ago with no probs but didnt have a funds for a new clutch back then( i wish i did, i wouldnt be having this problem). now i have the clutch and cant get the f'ing thing out haha.

ill post pics later.

ak96ss · « **Reply #11 on:** April 10, 2007, 06:53:40 PM »

Ya know, IIRC, even after finding and removing that #7 bolt, I still had a heck of a time separating the transmission from the engine. I think it may have just been that my angle was not quite straight with the motor, and the input shaft was binding on the clutch...

Again, IIRC, I think I had to jack the rear of the trans up such that it looked like it was TOO high, and pull evenly back, and it came right off.

The tranny jack helped immeasurably here.

Pedro · « **Reply #12 on:** April 10, 2007, 07:48:35 PM »

i need to figure out a better way to keep the motor from changing position.

Pedro · « **Reply #13 on:** April 10, 2007, 08:06:15 PM »

heres some crappy pics but its all i could get the flash was killing all the shots and its too dark without it.

bmwman91 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 10, 2007, 10:23:02 PM »

I think I might have an answer for you...does it come off then stop abruptly, or does it feel like it is stuck on a big spring?

On my second car, lots of stuff corroded thanks to the PO, and the metal gasket got stuck on the 2 alignment sleeves. It was a royal PITA to dislodge it, but a big screwdriver got it free.

If the metal gasket is free and rotates around then this is not the problem. Maybe the pilot bearing died and debris damaged the input shaft's splines...could be getting hung up in the clutch disc. Fixing THAT will not be easy.

MAYBE it is getting stuck/cocked in the clutch disc. Try supporting the motor so that it cannot tip forward/backward when removing the tranny. Removing the tranny with everythign lined up might help free the input shaft. If it is all getting replaced (clutch parts), start shooting lots of Penetrating Oil up in there. The stuff is made of magic, I swear...saves my tail every time.