Remove G50 but leave engine in?

[teachkenpo]

My weekend project is to replace the starter ring gear on my G50 tranny.

1. Can the tranny be removed while leaving the engine intact?

2. Is it better to leave the tranny in and drop the engine?

3. Or do I need to drop them both and then separate?

I have dropped the engine once before and can do it, but it took more time than I would have liked.

Anyone do this recently and have a preference on what is the best way?

Thanks,
John

[john walker's workshop]

with the limited access to getting the release fork shft out, and sometimes they don't come willingly, i remove engine and trans as a unit.

[Bob Kontak]

This is from an e-mail from Mayo Performance in Dallas where I had my 915 rebuilt 18 months ago:

"We always mate the engine and trans together first, then put the assembly in at one time."

That means both come out. If the professionals do it this way, us DIY guys should consider it.

[KTL]

The G50 is very hard to drop alone since you must remove the cross shaft that holds the clutch fork in place, and the fork keeps the engine and trans from being separated. I really don't think there's suitable room to get the cross shaft out with the engine & trans remaining up high in the chassis.

Plus you need some room to wiggle the trans away from the engine to get the input shaft out of the clutch housing. I don't think it's worth the effort to leave the engine in place. All the contorting and swearing you do (even if you're not a swearer, I but you become one after trying this..... ) would be time you can spend disconnecting the engine pieces to take it all down as one unit.

There's not alot to do to get it all out, and plus I think you will find the engine and trans easier to balance as a unit vs. leaving the engine up and bringing the trans down. You need to get the engine down some anyway to get the trans to come free, so might as well take it all the way down.

Things to disconnect:

Engine and trans mount bolts.
Shift rod coupler (remove bolt completely & push boot off from tunnel side, not engine side)
Ground strap
Speedo sender wires
Axle shafts
Throttle bellcrank rod
Clutch slave cylinder
Heat exchanger hoses
Oil tank S-hose
Oil scavenge line union next to oil tank
O2 sensor wire connector in engine bay
Vaccuum hose for brake booster
Fuel lines (top of fuel filter (supply line) & back of engine (return line))
Engine wire harness into rear fuse panel
Ground wires on #1 intake manifold runner
Wire harnesses on air flow meter & idle motor
Oil tank hoses (throttle body & case vent) and small vaccuum hose
Cruise control cable
A/C crap (if you still have the pesky stuff)
Ignition coil wire
Reference & head temp sensor wires (3 plugs)
Starter wire

So as you see, there's a lot of things to disconnect off the engine side of things. But I just don't think you can practically get the trans out with the engine staying in. The trans can sometimes be a real bear to pull free. And then there's the re-install hurdle....... I'd have a real hard time getting that clutch fork and shaft to rejoin each other way up there with limited arm room. Even with skinny noodle arms like mine.....

[teachkenpo]

Thanks John Walker for telling me how the pro's do it. Bob and KTL, if I had any wild illusion that I was somehow going to ignore John, you guys would have talked me out of it.
The engine and tranny come out together. I start in a few hours.
Thanks,
John

[yelcab1]

Originally Posted by teachkenpo

... if I had any wild illusion that I was somehow going to ignore John, ...

Foolish thoughts.

[dshepp806]

YES,..remove all as a unit..and take JW's inputs with NO SALT,..WHATSOEVER...verbatim, will do.

DS

[rusnak]

Write ^ that list down and have it checked off!

You're lucky for that post. Here, I'll even repeat it so you know you should print it out and keep it handy


Things to disconnect:

Engine and trans mount bolts.
Shift rod coupler (remove bolt completely & push boot off from tunnel side, not engine side)
Ground strap
Speedo sender wires
Axle shafts
Throttle bellcrank rod
Clutch slave cylinder
Heat exchanger hoses
Oil tank S-hose
Oil scavenge line union next to oil tank
O2 sensor wire connector in engine bay
Vaccuum hose for brake booster
Fuel lines (top of fuel filter (supply line) & back of engine (return line))
Engine wire harness into rear fuse panel
Ground wires on #1 intake manifold runner
Wire harnesses on air flow meter & idle motor
Oil tank hoses (throttle body & case vent) and small vaccuum hose
Cruise control cable
A/C crap (if you still have the pesky stuff)
Ignition coil wire
Reference & head temp sensor wires (3 plugs)
Starter wire



I had to go through all the contortions and swearing mating the two back up, as the studs must have not allowed perfect alignment of the guide tube. It took me several hours to come up with a way to hold the engine steady enough to coax the tranny back on, then "foop!" it just popped back together. Never would have been possible without the engine on the ground.

[bobt993]

Actually this is not that difficult for a race car with all the accessories removed. I drop the trans by myself often by tilting the engine, removing the starter and using a homemade removal tool for the pin. It saves only a little time and you avoid taking out the fluids. Street would not be any different except you will need to remove exhaust and some items up top.

[88911coupe]

I "think" the cross shaft could be removed with some sort of long threaded rod but getting it all back together seems like a major PITA, probably better to do together.

[john walker's workshop]

the cross-shaft doesn't always want to just slide out. sometimes a small slide hammer is needed and you have to be really gentle with it and soak the area with penetrating oil so you don't break off the ears in the bellhousing in the process. so it's really best to remove engine and trans as a unit and deal with the separation once it's out.

[bobt993]

Yep, the pin can be a PITA. A 4inch long bolt with a nut/washer set to the appropriate depth thread in nicely. The added length also aids in pulling directly out. A nice upgrade is to improve upon the needle bearing cages which helps avoid the dreaded blown up ears. ( which requires a good welder to fix). If the shaft is stubborn ( I use Krytox to pack the bearings and lube the sleeve so no issues) you can slide a large flat washer onto the tail end of the 4inch bolt and pull with steady pressure. I am not saying it is the easiest in/out installation, but it saves 90mins of time each way leaving the engine in and not having to drain fluids. Another little trick is you must tape a stop plate into the observation window when your putting it back together in case you drop the small plastic retainer cap or the bolt itself. Otherwise your back to the beginning. Next time I have to do this I will post some pictures as I am sure it would have helpful the first time I did it. ( I got this down to about hour now to get the trans in my hands).