Transmission/engine mount removal

[Kleykamp]

Two catalogs show the mounting bolt going thru the tail ext of the transmission with the nut under the mount, then the gearbox mount has two nuts that screw UP from the bottom to secure on the underside of the plate. Here's the problem, someone DPO put the bolt going UP from under the gearbox mount, thru the tail ext and nuts on top. It seems that the tail ext will not lift high enough to clear the bolts,in order to pull the trans up and out, and I can not turn the mount to get it out of the way. Basically the bolts are wedging everything. The bolts do drop down so that they are even with the top of the tail ext. question is: will the trans lift enough to clear the bolts and slide back. I'm doing this alone, so I don't want to have my hands full of transmission and not be able to turn loose. I have a jack under the oil pan and another under the trans, trying to carry the weight partially. Suggestions??? This is the 3rd time i've pulled a trans, but previous cars had the bolts in from the top, so this was not a problem.

 

[TR3driver]

One solution is to lift the transmission (with a jack) and undo the 4 bolts that hold the rear crossmember to the frame. You should be able to get the transmission high enough to turn the crossmember so it falls out the bottom, with the mount & bolts still attached.

 

[Kleykamp]

OK found the clutch problem....bell housing full of grease. Randall, you haven't lead me astray so far. Can this stuff be cleaned enough to use or is it all done. I do know if I don't get ALL the grease out and the seal fixed, I'll have it all to do over again.
Tell me all about replacing the seal too. If you're ever in KY I'll buy you dinner....How's Mcdonalds sound?

 

[MGTF1250Dave]

Aloha,

Shortly after I started routinely driving my TR3 I noticed the clutch was slipping and it continued to get worse. I pulled the gearbox and like you discovered the bell housing and clutch liberally covered in grease. It seems those grease zerks on either side of the clutch operating shaft were frequently greased with enthusiasm. I wiped out as much as I could with rags and then used a grease cutting detergent with a pressure washer to clean out the remaining grease. The clutch disc and pressure plated looked clean, but since I was uncertain of their condition I replaced them. Brake cleaner may clean the clutch, but IMHO I would be concerned about clutch slipping. I would replace the clutch to avoid pulling the gearbox again.

Randall can probably offer a better opinion based on his vast experience. I know I value his advice

 

[TR3driver]

If it's really grease, then it's probably from (very) over-enthusiastic greasing of the clutch shaft as Dave says. One stroke every 10-20,000 miles is plenty for those, but a shop may have just let their air-powered gun fill it up.

But it could also be from a long-term leak of either engine or gearbox oil, combined with dirt and so on. Try to find out what's been going on.

If the friction plate is contaminated, then definitely replace it (or have it relined). If the flywheel and pressure plate are in good shape otherwise, you can just clean them thoroughly, and break the glaze on the friction surfaces (just like a brake rotor). Be careful when you clean the TOB, don't let any solvent get inside it. If it's in good shape, I might still reuse it.

The gearbox front seal isn't hard to change. Undo the 4 bolts and remove the front cover. The old seal will probably break into pieces when you try to remove it, be sure to get all of them out. This one still has part of the old seal in it:

Grease the seal lips before you reinstall it. It's probably also a good idea to wrap the splines with electrical tape or similar, and smear it with grease (so the splines can't damage the seal as you slide it on) but not really necessary if you're careful. Hylomar on the new gasket.

Note that the 4 bolts for the front cover, plus the two for the countershaft cover are supposed to have copper washers and no lock washers. The holes go through into the gearbox and the threads are straight, so they are likely to leak otherwise. I smeared a little Hylomar on the washers, just in case (but I doubt it makes any difference).

If you want to secure the bolts with Loctite instead of safety wire, be careful to degrease the threads (both male and female) throughly. Loctite won't stick to oil. I use a special oil-resistant Loctite formula (although I can't think of the number offhand). But safety wire is probably better, if you can manage it.