help installing transmission

[littlejay]

So I got my rebuilt tranny from the shop. After fixing a brake line a coolant line and all of the starter terminations. I'm ready to put it out a back it in. I too couple of months ago but I had gravity on my side. Having a hard time getting it into place to connect the tranny and motor. I was using a jack and blocks of wood to get it into position,but no luck. The tranny is really heavy and looking for input or any tricks anyone knows of. Thanks. Wanna finally drive this thing!!!

[Vanagon Nut]

search mcvanagon post on building a wood platform for your floor jack. I made a similar thing. It helped keep tranny from moving around while getting up/in to position. In fact, I bolted a properly sized socket to wood platform. The socket fit pretty close to hole in jack used by jack cup; I replaced cup with a wood platform. Not super strong but it helped.

Don't forget to lower flywheel end of engine a little. This helps allow room for tail end of tranny to clear frame.

Neil.
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1981 Westy DIY 15º ABA
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1988 Westy DIY 50º ABA

VE7TBN

[dobryan]

It is difficult to do this without a helper, as you know. Can you get some help? It takes some effort to keep things lined up while you push them together. Good luck.
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2010 Subaru EJ25 (Vanaru) and Peloquin TBD

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[MarkWard]

Did you have the clutch off? If you put the transmission in gear and turn both cv flanges at the same time, you can turn the input shaft to help the splines line up with the clutch disc splines. You can also have someone turn the crankshaft. The idea is to get the input shaft splines to line up so the trans slips the rest of the way in. Do not force it with the bolts and nuts.

If you had the clutch off? Did you use an alignment tool when you put the clutch on? If it was a new clutch, did you slip the disc on to the input shaft to make sure it fit? A film of grease on the input shaft will help too. Just a film, not a glob.

[danfromsyr]

just to add some history to this, the Trans he's installing is an Automatic..
and they are a HEAVY MO-FO..
watch for pinched fingers, and that cross exhaust pipe is right in the way.

you may have to tip the engine downward al ittle, but be careful of the fuel lines and stressing that Nylon firewall fitting (which should be changed no matter what)
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[dubbified]

I mated the auto to a wbx'er which was hangin frmo a engine hoist out of the van..

My trick was simple.

I used 1 single 2x4, I cut the sections into 4 16 inch slats, had one crosspiece and 4 uprights, (think stout stepping stool) this allowed my jack to get under it..

Then I spotlifted the trans onto the stool, dropped the engine hoist a little and mated it.

took the "falling" risk out of it.

[dubbified]

If I were installing a auto into a engine in the van.. I'd spend the 30 bux and rent the fully adjustable floorjack with the knob adjustable transmission floorjack..

harborfreight sells a head for a jack, it sucks. I know.

[T3 Pilot]

Sometimes having the right tool for the job can be a real help.

http://www.harborfreight.com/450-lb-capacity-transmission-jack-39178.html

Maybe you can rent one of these, or just buy it and sell it in the classifieds once the transmission is successfully installed.

Good luck
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1988 Vanagon

The most important part in every vehicle is the nut behind the wheel......

[littlejay]

thanks guys! this thing is very heavy but i talked a friend into helping. We will try some of these ideas.

[J Charlton]

I'm reposting this from an earlier thread - its pertinent particularly to a manual tranny, but the concept of using threaded rod stubs on which to slide/support the gearbox is pretty universal. The threaded rods thread into the engine, stay in position, you can then lift the trany up, slide it onto the rods, secure it with nuts and then use the nuts to draw it into alignment/position.

Here's what I do - assuming good alignment etc etc. I use lengths of threaded rod, threaded into the engine - make them long enough so that they'll protrude enough so that you can put nuts on them after they go through the tranny- there are (I think - I'm working from memory here, but as the trannys are the same configuration wbx or diesel) 4 places where threaded rod will thread into the engine. The 2 at the bottom you can use bolts and nuts.
OK - get the threaded rod in place, hoist the gearbox up, slide it onto the threaded rod and secure it there with a couple of nuts. Put the bolts and nuts into the lower 2 places.
Now, by sequentially tightening the nuts onto the threaded rod and the bolts and nuts, you can move the tranny incrementally in towards the engine you can adjust the lateral or vertical alignment by tightening (or loosening) the nuts. If it still doesn't just slide in that last inch, put a little tension on all of the nuts (and nuts and bolts) and rotate the engine via the crank nut as mentioned above - it only takes a slight bit of rotation - you'll hear a "thunk" the splines will slide into place because of the pressure you've put on them via the nuts on the rod. Tighten until its in place, replace the rod one at a time with the "proper" fasteners - or - as i do just leave it fastened together with the threaded rod. I do replace the nuts however with lock nuts - 1 at a time.
Hope this helps.
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[mathieux46]

Hi J Charlton,

Here's my story, I need to use a 2wd transmission for the 2019 camping season while I get the syncro trans rebuilt. Removing the syncro transmission went without issue but I just spent one full day trying install and to line up the transmission to engine by myself without success. A bit frustrating since I was expecting this to take 2-3 hours to install. I have done this few times in the past without major issue but this time it just won't go...

My issue seems to be that I can't align the transmission to engine enough with the jack to align the input shaft spline to insert the last inch or so, I get to the point where the flywheel gear is at the edge of the bellhousing but I'm not able to get any further. Even If I try to lift the transmission by brute force laying on my back on the ground pushing the transmission up and down, side to side, I can't get it to align. I did re-check the clutch to pilot bearing alignment with a clutch alignment tool and it's good. I could only get the lower drive side stud to protude enough to put a nut, all 3 others studs wouldn't have enough threads out of the bellhousing to start a nut on.

Was reading this post with your proposed method with threaded rod and I think this is a great idea and it might just be the trick I need to make this happen! Would you happen to know by heart what it the thread size so I can find metric threaded rod? Is it M10 x 1.5 ?

Leaving these longer threaded rods in place would help since unfortunately this whole adventure is only temporary since I will need to swap back the syncro transmission again hopefully soon.

Any other tips for performing this task on a Vanagon is welcome.... I'm hoping not to get to the point where removing the engine is the solution.

Thanks

Mat

[MarkWard]

Without a helper, put the trans in gear. Grab both CV flanges and move them back and forth together, while you slip the trans towards the engine. Think about what you are doing. The input shaft needs to be square to the crank and the splines must line up. I have mated a hundred or so transmissions to engines. Some go right together others fight you. No rime or reason. I would not use anything to “ pull” them together like a longer stud. You could damage something. If everything is square and the splines align it will go together. You don’t say what you used for a clutch alignment tool. I use an old input shaft. The cheap plastic ones are a last resort.

[mathieux46]

Thanks Mark,

Yes I was using a a plastic alignment tool I got from my last clutch kit.

Maybe I should remove the input shaft from the syncro transmission and use this as an alignment tool. This would give me an excuse to look at the ring and pinion to see if the noise in 3rd an 4th was coming from a worn r&p

It seems I'm struggling with alignment. Once the studs starts to engage, if I try to lift the front of the transmission both engine and trans are going up preventing me to correct the up/down alignment.

If I push on the transmission towards the engine, nothing moves...

[danfromsyr]

I'm confused, the alignment tool is only for setting the alignment of the clutch disc when you tighten the pressure plate.
it's not involved in aligning the mating of the engine to the transaxle.
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[atomatom]

[Tbob]

On some particulary difficult engine installs, I have used a ratchet strap or two between the engine and transmission to put a little tension between the engine and transmission to kind of put a little preload on the input shaft/ clutch disc interface. Not very much pressure on the ratchet straps, but they help hold the transmission up to the engine while you follow markwards tip about putting the trans in gear and moving the cv flange to get the input shaft splines to engage in the clutch disc. Again, do not put much tension on the straps, but just enough to hold the input shaft up next to the clutch disc. If you have lowered the front of the engine to help mate up to the transmission, this helps overcome the effect of gravity trying to pull apart what you are trying to put together.
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1973 Westfalia, owned since 1983
1980 Westfalia, watercooled conversion
1985 Westfalia, stock!
1986 Westfakia, Audi I-4 conversion
A couple of trucks and a couple of Jeeps

[MarkWard]

You can remove the bellhousing from the Syncro transaxle and get the input shaft out, unfortunately you can only see the ring and pinion. The gears are in the next section.

When you can’t turn the cv flanges in gear, you will know you have engaged the splines. Also, even with the input shaft as a clutch alignment tool, you still need to wiggle it around as you tighten the pressure plate bolts to visually get it as centered as possible. They will droop slightly. And if you are going through this fire drill, take the disc back off and verify it slides smoothly on the splines of the replacement trans. Something might be buggered.

[mathieux46]

Thanks everyone for the advises!!

Will get back at it this weekend. Will remove the clutch to inspect splines and pilot bearing. Will use an input shaft instead of the plastic clutch alignment tool and will see if ratchet strap or threaded rod can help will little tension to insert the last section while turning the cv flanges with transmission in gear. I will bring a helper too!

Will report if I was successful!!!

Thanks again

[mathieux46]

Hi,

I managed to install the transmission with the engine in place this weekend!!

I made longer studs using a grade 10.9 M10x1.5 threaded rod. I made these roughly 1 inch longer than the original studs. Once I had the transmission on the threaded rods I used the 4 nuts to slowly mate the transmission to the engine. I didn't put much tension on the nuts but I was able to correct and maintain alignment as needed by selecting which nut had to be turned until the input shaft mated in the cluth disc. I left the threaded rod in place since they will help once the Syncro transmission is rebuilt and have the installed.

I also had a helper which made it easy.

Thanks everyone for the help and support!!

Mat

[plummerdesign]

Mark Ward is right…it’s a crap shoot on easy or not-so-easy engine to gearbox mating.
I have completed many from T2 to WBX, and today, the not-so-easy version presented itself. GRR.
The mention of putting the gearbox into gear and turning the CV’s until they don’t - may give me that last ¾” to home. I will post if it brings success. Of course, my preferred method is to mate the engine/gearbox before installation. But this “quick” look to see what was making noise convinced me to use the transmission jack and be done in the afternoon.
.
Nope.
The culprit was a pilot bearing that had lost most of its needles, leaving only the race intact. It took a Dremel and a 9901HP bit to break the race and fold it in on itself and out. Not my expected scenario for a “quick” look.
Jeffery : )
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1984 Westfalia 1.9