Transmission removal

[jigou]

I'm working through the removal of the manual transmission in my 2003 325i.

I have all of the visible bolts out, and don't see anything else.....but the transmission won't come completely free. I can twist the bellhousing, and I've got about 1/2" of space between the bottom of the bellhousing and the engine, but it still seems to be hung up on something.

It looks like maybe....just maybe.....there's a small bolt from the "other" side up by the starter. Could this be true, and removal of the intake necessary??

It would seem rather silly to me, but then again the bolts at the top of the bellhousing weren't exactly well-placed.

Thanks for any guidance--

Jarrod

[Jeron]

Look at the clutch replacement article in the "Tech Info Center". Its E36 but it may help.

Did you remove the 2 bolts for the starter? How many Bell housing bolts did you remove? There may be positioning pins that have gunk binding them slightly. Dont keep pulling unevenly.

Try placing a wood block at the front of the engine oil pan and jacking it slightly, 3" or so, to get more clearance in the tranny tunnel to help find bolts.

[jigou]

I have taken a look at the (excellent!) E36 clutch replacement article - THANK YOU for that write-up.

I've got 9 bolts that I've pulled out of the bellhousing in all (including 3 that were in fairly tight formation at the very top of the bellhousing.)

When I look up towards the starter, it looks like there "might" be a small bolt or two inserted from the engine side (which would necessitate the pulling the intake....something I obviously don't want to do if it isn't necessary), but I can't tell for sure.

Thanks...

Jarrod

[Jeron]

It looks like your tranny is the same as the one in the article. Use fig 7 to see if you got them all.

AFAIK, the only bolts that "may" be engine side are the starter bolts. There aren't any small bolts other than the one that holds the shield to the tranny and it is exhaust side and engine side but it is easy to see and get to.