Installing engine: Won't slide in

[gergokocsis]

Hi everyone!
While installing my engine I've run into a problem. I could line up the bottom engine studs with their holes on the gearbox housing and I could slide the engine in but just halfway. On every available source about engine reinstalling it seems that everybody could just push the engine back into place with little to no trouble. Some says that it took a few minutes of wiggling to finally pop it into place but I've been trying for days with no success.

I haven't replaced the clutch or did anything to that area that could influence the alignment since the removal. The flywheel is perfectly parallel to the bell housing and the bottom studs are inside their holes. The engine can move freely, the heater boxes aren't banging against the firewall. I've rotated the crankshaft a dozen times so the input shaft can align but that didn't help either. I've tried putting the car in gear and rotating one wheel while holding the other to rotate the shaft too but no success.

I've been wrestling with it for days, does anyone have any tip?

[matthew henricks]

Curious what parts you did change while the engine was out? That may give you a clue to why it wont go in. Also can you tell where exactly is it sticking?

My initial thought was the clutch is either out of rotation or out of alignment but it sounds like you have checked that.

Not alot of help but maybe food for thought.
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[vwoldbug]

When you pull the engine back out do you have a clutch alignment tool to check alignment . Also do you have a helper. What repair did you do.

[Michael Ambrozik]

It looks like you installed new trans mounts, The studs that mount to the transmission are to long and need to be cut down.

[Cusser]

[gt1953]

Seems like the clutch disc is ou of alignment. I have had the same issue, would not go in. A freind had a transmission input shaft, loaned it to me, realighned the clutch disc, then the engine slipped in.
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[Cusser]

[gergokocsis]

I've pulled the engine last November to change the trans mounts and to change the gearbox nose cone, so I didn't do anything to the engine, yes it is the engine that came out in November. I can wiggle it around the center so I suppose the input shaft is not lining up. I didn't checked the clutch alignment because I've assumed that it didn't change in the past few months, is it possible that that's the problem? I work alone and I'm located in Hungary, Europe so I don't think that any of you would be within a few minutes of drive.

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[Cusser]

[mukluk]

[74 Thing]

If it not the mount bolt interference as indicated above then put the tranny in gear and turn the crankshaft pulley while pushing (you need to line up the splines on the clutch disc and the tranny output shaft so it goes together).

[gergokocsis]

No, I don't think the trans mount bolts are the problem. Here you can see that the end of the studs are barely past the nuts inward the bell housing.

[AirHead1966]

If there is nothing binding, then making sure that the car is lifted higher in the back than the front and the engine is going in at an angle (sloping towards the front of the car) would help lodge it in place.

[Dougy Dee]

Possibly the pilot bearing inside the gland nut has self destructed and is blocking the input shaft.

[Cusser]

[vwoldbug]

Did you have a tough time pulling the engine back when removing .

[gergokocsis]

I didn't have a tough time pulling it, it came out easily. I have read somewhere that when someone was stuck where i am now, they put two long bolts in the upper two mounting holes and cranked it down until the engine popped into place. I don't know, it sounds a bit unorthodox. Wouldn't it damage the input shaft?

[Dusty1]

[Cusser]