Transmission Project

[DSGNator]

I been working on my terminator all weekend long. My goal was to remove the trans to inspect my clutch and flywheel, then replace my worn out TOB with the FRPP one, upgrade my TOB retainer sleeve to the Lethal Performance sleeve, and install a new FRPP pilot bearing. I'm trying to chase down and eliminate several noises coming from my clutch area.

Everything wen't pretty well up until the highly coveted "B*tch bolt". I seriously spend more time trying to remove this bolt than I did removing every other part up until this point. Finally got the trans out after 4 or more hours of fighting the bolt and trying different extension/swivel combos. Needless to say, that bolt is not going back in when I get it put back together. With the trans out, I removed the fork and old TOB. The old TOB sounded/felt terrible. Really gritty and loose. The new one is smooth, quiet, and firm. Then I made my huge mistake. Totally not thinking I unbolted and knocked off the front trans plate with all 4 quarts of fluid still inside. *Face palm* So then I had 4 quarts on my garage floor. So I spent the next couple hours cleaning up oil. I had no kitty litter, minimal paper towels, and had just ran out of brake cleaner right before I did this. Once I got it all cleaned up I began trying to remove the old retainer sleeve from the trans plate. I couldn't get it for the life of me. I ended up soaking it with PB blaster, then bought a bigger hammer (3lbs) and it popped out in just a few smacks. When I installed the new one, something happened that's got me a little concerned. The rear surface (where I was tapping it in) didn't seat completely flush. It sits a little deeper on one quarter of the sleeve. Just a little, probably less than a millimeter. When I assembled everything with the clutch fork and TOB, the movement of the TOB along the sleeve seems fine, though I don't really know exactly how far the TOB is supposed to move. It goes all the way to the end of the sleeve before it stops, so I'm assuming that's normal. The input spline doesn't touch the sleeve either, so I think everything is fine.

Unfortunately when I went to remove my bellhousing 2 of the bolts holding it to the rear of the engine rounded off. And I haven't even been able to get to that elusive 3rd bolt on the top of the starter. I have to go out of town for work this week, so when I get back I have to try to remove those bellhousing bolts and fanagle my way to that starter bolt.

This project has definitely turned out to be a bit more difficult than I had imagined. I don't think it would be so bad if these bolts weren't stuck and I didn't make a huge mess of my garage. The plan was to have everything in and back together by tonight, but work will be here soon so I'm throwing in the towel for a while. A little discouraged, but never defeated.

Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions on here. I can use all the help I can get!

 

[Rolltide2012]

Man I was planning on doing this myself. Not sure if I should tackle it now

 

[rattle_snake]

Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions on here. I can use all the help I can get!

It can be frustrating to spend a lot of time on the most simple things, like one starter bolt. I have found that a beer(s) often helps in these situations.

After reading every thread on that damn bolt, I got it with a 12" extension and a cheap HF 1/2" swivel socket. The bolt head is actually 13mm. if you dont already have a metric swivel socket set, go buy one. There are times when a seperate swivel+socket combo are too long and just won't work.

Try carefully jacking the front of the motor to relieve the angle on those top 2 bell housing bolts. Use a hammer to drive the next smaller sized socket on the rounded head. My impact wouldn't remove those top 2 bolts, I had to use a 3' breaker bar.

 

[Dsg-shaker]

You coulda used a 1/4 inch drive ratchet to loosen the top flywheel housing bolts. The third bolt in the starter I snagged with a few wobble extensions through the front of the engine.

 

[caveeagle]

That TOB retainer alignment you describe sounds iffy to me. Are you sure your retainer is now setting in there straight? and perpendicular to the front cover? If its not... Your TOB will not be pushing flat on your PP springs and you will get uneven release. You will probably at least get clutch chatter. ..maybe worse!

I used the LPF retainer. I froze the retainer, warmed up the T56 cover and then used a press to get it seated. It went in very snugly. I don't think I would want to try and hammer it in.

+1 on lifting up the front of the motor (carefully). I sure hope you can get those rounded off bolts out. What a PITA.

Terminator Starter R&R SUCKS. Pass side manifold to downpipe bolts also SUCK!

The rest of the job was not too bad for me.

 

[rattle_snake]

That TOB retainer alignment you describe sounds iffy to me. Are you sure your retainer is now setting in there straight? and perpendicular to the front cover? If its not... Your TOB will not be pushing flat on your PP springs and you will get uneven release. You will probably at least get clutch chatter. ..maybe worse!

I used the LPF retainer. I froze the retainer, warmed up the T56 cover and then used a press to get it seated. It went in very snugly. I don't think I would want to try and hammer it in.

I also wondered about the retainer alignment. Lethal references this link on their site for the TOB/retainer/26 spline...
http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...y-26-spline-input-shaft-installation-pix.html
A 'BFH' was used for installation. I used the old retainer to 'gently' install the new one, and measured the seated depth with a caliper. it was about 0.022 all around, so I figured it was seated evenly. Good idea on the heat/cool treatment.

 

[DSGNator]

It can be frustrating to spend a lot of time on the most simple things, like one starter bolt. I have found that a beer(s) often helps in these situations.

After reading every thread on that damn bolt, I got it with a 12" extension and a cheap HF 1/2" swivel socket. The bolt head is actually 13mm. if you dont already have a metric swivel socket set, go buy one. There are times when a seperate swivel+socket combo are too long and just won't work.

Try carefully jacking the front of the motor to relieve the angle on those top 2 bell housing bolts. Use a hammer to drive the next smaller sized socket on the rounded head. My impact wouldn't remove those top 2 bolts, I had to use a 3' breaker bar.

Thanks for the tips. I was actually looking for a set of metric swivel sockets during one of my trips to get additional tools/supplies. I wasn't able to find any though. I might just order some online. I actually tried to jack up on the front of my motor, but I've got the car sitting too high on jack stands for the jack to reach it. Might see about getting a block of wood to fill the gap. I would just lower the jack stands, but the ones I'm using are really tall. They're on their lowest setting. I haven't even got a chance to try for the third starter bolt yet. I've just been reading about it on here. I did go buy a 12" extension before I threw in the towel the other day. Unfortunately I won't get another good chance to work on it until Sunday. Hopefully some of this advice will yield good results. I'm trying to stay positive and not let this whole thing drive me crazy.

 

[DSGNator]

That TOB retainer alignment you describe sounds iffy to me. Are you sure your retainer is now setting in there straight? and perpendicular to the front cover? If its not... Your TOB will not be pushing flat on your PP springs and you will get uneven release. You will probably at least get clutch chatter. ..maybe worse!

I used the LPF retainer. I froze the retainer, warmed up the T56 cover and then used a press to get it seated. It went in very snugly. I don't think I would want to try and hammer it in.

+1 on lifting up the front of the motor (carefully). I sure hope you can get those rounded off bolts out. What a PITA.

Terminator Starter R&R SUCKS. Pass side manifold to downpipe bolts also SUCK!

The rest of the job was not too bad for me.

The retainer alignment has me a little worried, but at the same time, the fact that the spline passes through with out rubbing, and the TOB slides over it without binding puts my mind at ease. However I didn't think about it not applying pressure evenly to the PP springs. I've already got the cover plate back on with RTV. I REALLY don't want to take it back apart, but at the same time it would be much easier to do now than when I get the car back together. I read one of these forums that a guy used a press to put in the sleeve and it turned out crooked. So he pressed it back out and reseated it with a hammer and a socket. I suppose I could try doing the same thing. I think what I'll try first is when I get the clutch out of there, just sliding the PP springs up against the TOB just to see if it's making contact all the way around. Good idea freezing the retainer sleeve though. I wish I would have thought of that. Suprisingly enough, I didn't have any issues with the passenger side manifold to downpipe bolts. Mine came right off.

 

[DSGNator]

I also wondered about the retainer alignment. Lethal references this link on their site for the TOB/retainer/26 spline...
http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...y-26-spline-input-shaft-installation-pix.html
A 'BFH' was used for installation. I used the old retainer to 'gently' install the new one, and measured the seated depth with a caliper. it was about 0.022 all around, so I figured it was seated evenly. Good idea on the heat/cool treatment.

Maybe mine wasn't seated all the way. It's flush all the way around except on about a quarter of it. That quarter is a little deeper than flush with the surrounding part of the trans plate. I used this write up though. Ughhh getting a little nervous about this retainer.

 

[itSSlow98]

First thing to do when pulling the trans is pull the drain plug and while thats draining pull the shifter lol.

 

[Bigggy]

For that upper bolt I've used 36" of extension with a swivel head and impact, took me 2mins. You really need to have the motor tilted backward to have esay acces to the top bolts. Mine tilted by itself with the weight of the tranny.

 

[caveeagle]

The retainer alignment has me a little worried, but at the same time, the fact that the spline passes through with out rubbing, and the TOB slides over it without binding puts my mind at ease. However I didn't think about it not applying pressure evenly to the PP springs.

There is quite a bit of clearance between the intput shaft and the ID of the TOB Retainer.

You need to make 100% sure your TOB retainer is perpendicular to the face of your tranny. I doubt you will be able to line it up with the PP springs and get a good visual to check this.

Maybe a metal square, or two long straight edges to see if your TOB retainer is sitting at 90* to the tranny face. ....Just a thought.

 

[P49Y-CY]

if you dont already have a metric swivel socket set, go buy one. There are times when a seperate swivel+socket combo are too long and just won't work.

:thumbsup: great advice for this project

 

[DSGNator]

There is quite a bit of clearance between the intput shaft and the ID of the TOB Retainer.

You need to make 100% sure your TOB retainer is perpendicular to the face of your tranny. I doubt you will be able to line it up with the PP springs and get a good visual to check this.

Maybe a metal square, or two long straight edges to see if your TOB retainer is sitting at 90* to the tranny face. ....Just a thought.

Yeah I'm thinking I'll get a small metal ruler and check that angle. If it's off, I'm just going to suck it up, take it back apart, somehow carefully remove and reinstall the new retainer sleeve. It will probably only take me an hour or two tops. I mean the whole point of this project is to eliminate my clutch problems. I'll be kicking myself if I do all this and create new problems. Hopefully I'll be able to get back home this weekend to get started on it. I'm trying to get some new bellhousing bolts to replace the ones I rounded off also.

 

[DSGNator]

Update

I figured I'd post an update to this thread. It's Friday and I've been out on the ocean all week (Navy, not like a cruise or something fun.) And leaving my car in the state it's in has been driving me crazy. I've taken all the information and tips I've gathered from everyone and I have a plan.

1.) I'm going to buy a block of wood to aid in using a jack to lift the front of the engine. This should give me some additional clearance to work with the top bellhousing bolts. I already purchased a set of bolt extracting sockets that will hopefully do the trick. I also plan to use my propane torch to carefully head the stuck bolts in order to break the bond they have formed to the bellhousing/block. I've never tried this on bolts, but I keep hearing it's a good method for stuck bolts.

2.) As for the starter bolt, I purchased some shallow, 6pt, metric swivel sockets that I plan to use with my collection of extensions to gain access to this bolt.

3.) I'm going to use a small ruler or some type of straight edge to verify that my TOB retainer sleeve is seated at a 90 degree angle to the front of the transmission. If it's not 90 degrees, I plan to take the transmission back apart, remove the TOB sleeve, and reseat it properly.

I ordered some new bellhousing bolts on Ebay, but they ended up being out of stock, so I'll make a trip up to the Ford dealer to see if they have any or if they can order some. Being out here on the ocean has given me some time to do some thinking about the project, and I've decided to go ahead and replace my clutch and flywheel while I'm so deep into this project. I just ordered a Spec 3+ clutch and Spec billet steel flywheel. I'm sure it will be a few days before the parts arrive, so this probably added an additional week or so onto this project. I'll be replacing the pilot bearing with an FRPP one while I've got it all apart. I've also got 4qts of Royal Purple Synchromax on order to replace all the fluid I dumped all over my garage floor. I think I'll invest in some anti-seize for these stubborn bolts so I don't run into these bolt problems in the future.

This has turned into a much more complicated and expensive project than I had imagined, but replacing all these parts will give me the piece of mind of knowing that it's all new. If this doesn't solve my clutch noise issues, then I don't really know what will. From what I've seen inside the clutch area so far, it appears that this car was driven pretty hard. I'll feel a lot better with these parts installed. My wallet won't, but it will recover in time.

 

[DSGNator]

Update 3/16/14

It's been a couple of weeks now so I figured I would post an update for anyone who cares or may want to learn anything from my troubles. Last weekend my only day off was Sunday, and I was beyond exhausted and hungover. Work has been crushing my soul lately and taking all of my free time. Despite my state, I decided to tinker with the car a bit. I ordered some SK shallow, 6 point, swivel sockets to tackle the starter bolt and 2 remaining bellhousing bolts. I also jacked up the front of the engine using a block of wood and my floor jack. I have to say that the swivel sockets saved my ass. I had the starter and bellhousing out in about 30 minutes. Had I known how much trouble they would have saved me I never would have started this project with out them.

With the bellhousing off I was able to remove my clutch and flywheel. I'm pretty sure I found the source of one of noises. My flywheel is essentially broken. It doesn't look broken, but the teeth that catch the starter are very loose. I can hold the flywheel by the teeth and the center of the wheel can move about 1/8" in both directions. I figured maybe some of the screws in it were loose, so I checked them and all of them are tight. I wasn't that concerned though since I ordered a new Spec flywheel with my new Spec clutch. I've never really experienced or seen a clutch that was worn out so I can't say for sure if my the centerforce DFX I pulled out was worn out. It certainly looked like it had seen better days though. Again I wasn't too concerned with it since I ordered a new clutch. Once I got these parts out I was satisfied for the day so I packed up.

Fast forward a week and my new clutch and flywheel have arrived and man are they sexy! I also ordered one of Cobra Bob's shifter gaskets. One last mod I want to do while I have the trans out is to do the Anti-Venom Mod. But I'm having a hard time finding the right size washers. I managed to track down a set that are clear across town. I debated ordering them online, but I couldn't stomach paying $7+ for shipping on a $2 set of washers. I'll most likely go pick them up tomorrow.

I waited until today to pull my pilot bearing. I was set on using the grease method. So I filled the void with grease and began driving an extension into the pilot bearing waiting on it to pop out. It wouldn't budge. Like most things on this car. I kept packing it with grease and tapping in the extension and still nothing. Finally I got fed up with the grease and decided that the grease I was using was not thick enough. So I decided to use bread. I read of many people stuffing bread into the bearing and using the same technique to pop it out. A slice of bread later and still nothing. Let me tell you that automotive grease and bread combine into a really nasty feeling/looking paste. Essentially it looked like I was shoving poop into the pilot bearing. But this didn't work either . . .

So I made the drive down to my local Autozone to rent a pilot bearing puller and slide hammer. They had both of them and I was out of the store in under 5 minutes ready to show this bearing who's boss. I get home and under the car and begin to use the arm of the bearing puller to pull out some of the bread poop from the pilot bearing. I kid you not I got the arm maybe a millimeter into the bread poop and the arm snapped right in half. Back to Autozone. Natrually, that was the only pilot bearing puller that Autozone had. So I had to drive to a different one to get the tool. Once I got this bearing puller and slide hammer all hooked up the bearing came out rather painlessly. First the inside race of the bearing popped out, then I adjusted the puller arms to grab the outside race. A few smacks of the slide hammer later, out came the outside race. I cleaned up the void and am going to install the new FRPP bearing later this evening.

Thanks for listening to my little update/rant. As usual I welcome any suggestions or feedback.

 

[caveeagle]

Was that the stock OEM flywheel with the loose ring gear? I sent my OEM flywheel off the McCleod to have the steele instert replaced. I was surprised that they "rebuilt" the whole thing and even replaced the rivets on the ring gear. Hearing your issue makes me glad they did this.

I also always seem to have issues with pilot bearings. I could not get bread or grease to work. I ended up getting a Harbor Freight bearing puller, that I had to modify to get at the ford pilot bearing. Mine came out in two parts as well!

I also got one of Bob's shifter gaskets!! Very pleased with it!!

 

[DSGNator]

Was that the stock OEM flywheel with the loose ring gear? I sent my OEM flywheel off the McCleod to have the steele instert replaced. I was surprised that they "rebuilt" the whole thing and even replaced the rivets on the ring gear. Hearing your issue makes me glad they did this.

I also always seem to have issues with pilot bearings. I could not get bread or grease to work. I ended up getting a Harbor Freight bearing puller, that I had to modify to get at the ford pilot bearing. Mine came out in two parts as well!

I also got one of Bob's shifter gaskets!! Very pleased with it!!

Nah the one I pulled out of there was a Fidanza aluminum one. I'm not too overly concerned with it since I got a new flywheel. I've heard nothing but good things about the shifter gaskets. I just can't wait to get everything put back together. I bet I won't even recognize this car by the way it drives with all these new parts.