I almost missed this message. And to confuse you more, the engine hoist is
not really a major factor in deciding to go underneath. Time before last,
when I was just replacing the clutch, I actually paid the $30 for one day
rent on a hoist just to move the engine forward three or four inches to
make the removal much easier. Well, the fact that I got a blank stare when
I asked the guy at the rental shop where the rest of the hoist was might
have been a factor though. All I got was the hoist with a clip on the end
- no chain or pulley. He didn't seem to grasp anything at all about the
pulley. So that probably sealed my decision.
An alleged British Leyland mechanic showed me this trick (I say "alleged"
due to certain other reasons but that is another story). And its a tight
fit with the o/d transmission and would probably be a piece of cake with a
standard.
Everything you do to remove the transmission from underneath with the
exception of prying the transmission out, has to be done anyway. And the
prying out is just as much a bitch as the trick to pulling the engine and
transmission out together, trying to tilt the transmission down, while
trying to pull up and hope you don't bang the hell out of the engine
compartment.
And since I consider both actions of removal equally brutal (actually the
engine/transmission removal may be worse), I am left with the net
difference of - not having to remove the carbs, the radiator, the oil
cooler, the fan, wiring to the engine. I'm also not dependent on a helper
except in the actual stage of pushing the transmission back up into the
car, a job that requires an assistant (of minimum skill no less - I used my
then 12 year old son) for less than 30 minutes. Installing from the top
requires an assistant with some skill for both removal and re-install.
James indicated he could have it all back together in 2-3 hours. This is
entirely possible - it may take 30 minutes to pop it back in and then all
you have to do is mate the two, tighten the clutch pressure plate (no
alignment tool needed), put the drive shaft on, put the exhaust on, starter
on, clutch slave, stick shift.
I'm not sure what you mean by weakening the casing or the flywheel housing?
Granted, there was some pressure put on the flywheel during removal and
install which made me also wonder. However, I have not had my engine out
since 1983. I've done the transmission this way four times - two overhauls
(1985, 1999), one leak repair (1984), and one clutch repair (1996). And the
car runs great and the engine has about 150k miles on it at this point and
still running strong. 800 miles to the quart with most of it dripping out
the rear engine seal which I should have replaced last time. So on that
point, I did screw up.
David
At 12:53 PM 6/5/00 -0500, Charley & Peggy Robinson wrote:
>Hi Dave,
>
> You really see drilling a hole in the bellhousing area and accessing
>the clutch retsining bolts one at a time while having to rotate the
>crank 180 degrees between bolts as easier than pulling the engine off
>the tranny? And you see it as easier to have to fish the bolts back
>thru that hole and rotate the crank umpteen times so as to take up the
>tension on the pressure plate evenly? And it's better to run the risk
>of weakening the casting and getting trash into the flywheel housing
>later on thru that hole? All this to save a few bucks from renting a
>hoist?
>
> I just can't agree with your logic. Horses for courses, I guess.
>
> CR
>
>
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