Can't get transmission mount bolts started for engine install...HELP!
 

I have the mount lined up perfectly. The bolt looks good, threads are fine. But I can't for the life of me get the bolt started. I push it in and turn, and it almost feel like it's catching, but when I let go it falls right out. I expected this engine/trans install to be an absolute PIA, but I wasn't counting on this part being hard. Any ideas what I am going wrong?

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you may still have alignment issue, also I forget are there short and long bolts? These haven't been a problem for me. You might try unbolting the bracket from the trans a bit to see if the wiggle room lets it start easily and or get the trans. bracket completely out of there and start the bolts to get a feel how they go in.

I would call these short bolts, but I've never seen any other ones. They aren't new, they're the same ones I took off when dropping the engine. I did loosen the mounting plate for wiggle room but it made no difference. I think I might try your idea of removing it completely and just seeing how the bolts are suppose to feel when they are actually going in.

Make sure the engine is high enough to get some of the angle of of the alignment. What appears to be aligned may in fact still be enough off to keep the bolts from starting. This is assuming you have the rear of the car on jack stands. If the car is on a lift then it isn't as much of an issue. Run the bolts in without the mounting plate just to ensure the threads are clean.
Good luck,

I always try to first run a tapp through high risk areas like that,the engine mounts and especially the front arms if you ever remove them to do the bushings,it's cheap insurance ...
I did have to play with the alignment a few weeks ago when i reinstalled my engine,and yes it was a PIA !

Cheers !
Phil

Grease liberally and the threads do wear out and not grab as it should. You might go get new bolts at the local hardware store, there is no real reason that I ve found for the point. I do keep extra bolts of the type around in case I question the threads.
Bruce

I too seem to have trouble with this. I would encourage you to run a tap up the hole to ensure there is no cross threading. Then, I use a long 1/2 inch drive extension and ensure that it stays perpendicular to the body as i apply upward pressure and then turn. The bolt's cone tip will direct the bolt to the center of the hole if there are any minor misalignments. If you keep it perpendicular it won't tend to crossthread, as it will if your angle is tilted. I also really loosen the transmission to crossmember bolts to minimize any other constraints. You could even mount the rear bolts last and that will further unconstrain the alignment problem. Good luck.

The points are there so you can give them a light tap with a hammer before you start turning with a wrench and your thumb applying upwards pressure. Once you get a couple of turns use your socket and torque wrench. (Loose trans support bracket bolts)

as suggested above i always loosen the trans support bracket so that it has a bit of free play. and, i normally start the front bolts and run them up partially before i do the rear motor support bolts. if in doubt drop the transaxle support and check the female threads. you do not want to cross thread and it is easier to do than one might suspect.

Got the bolts on. Had to completely remove the trans support plate, thread the mount bolts while holding up the plate, then bolt the support plate back on. My elbows are killing me! Thanks for the help everyone!

For anyone struggling with this in the future, when I went to bolt my engine/tran in place, the first thing I did was to loosen the trans mount plate so I could wiggle it by hand, then jacked the engine/trans into position and used a phillips screwdriver to adjust the alignment betwen the mounts on the trans and the mounts in the car. Once I had the trans bolted in, THEN I movd to the motor mounts at the back of the car. Once all the motor mount bolts were tightened down, then I snugged up the forward trans mount plate. Piece of cake!

Curt

For anyone struggling with this in the future, those are special "magic" bolts with an unusual thread count - not likely to be found in a hardware store.

Use of the wrong bolt or improper insertion attempts with the right bolt can mess up the threading in the body resulting in a real headache.

As per the above, keep everything loose until you get all bolts started, work carefully, and turn the bolts backward while pressing gently inward to see if you can feel the threads start to catch with a tiny little bump (as you lie on your back with dirt and grease dripping on your eyes and the cold winter concrete floor sucking all the heat out of your spine). Enjoy!

Keep everything loose is the right approach.
You should have run a tap and die set to clean up those threads, I always do.
Blow out the holes with compressed air.
Lub it with some wd40 or light oil.
Hand thread it in, when it catches, use small ratchet, then torque wrench.

you don't want to cross thread that one.

I did this in the early part of the summer, twice and it flat out sucked trying to get those two bolts started. But once you do it's like...:D

Another trick is to buy some all thread from Mc master Carr and cut off pieces longer than the bolt . Thread those up in the hole and then slide your mount onto the thread to get good alignment . Then remove the all thread and replace it with your bolts . This method works great with engine cases, drive shafts, etc that need to be aligned.

For any install that requires aligning parts, insert a drift punch of the appropriate size (everyone has these, yes?) into one or more threaded holes. When the punch is perpendicular to the pieces and the various mount holes are aligned, it should be pretty close.

Sherwood

As some have said (just did this again myself) it needs to be loose so you can get the bolts started. Have the jack get it close though or, as the OP found out, the theads don't "catch".

To add to the suggestions about using a tap. More so than getting the *bolt* aligned properly, make d@mn sure you get the *tap* aligned properly. I shouldn't even have to say why, but unless the tap goes in (starts) easily, it could cut new threads not matching the old ones. Then you have a *real* problem!

Wouldn't it be sufficient to insert the bolt for a trial fit before attempting the install? All it should take is to temporarily shift the mount out of the way for a direct thread-in to confirm. Wire brush the threads if needed. Add a dab of anti-seize as well. If misalignment is an issue, cutting a larger thread ID isn't the suggested fix.

Sherwood

Sherwood -

I think others recommended to take your approach. I certainly wasn't suggesting to use a tap. It was just a warning for those who for some reason might take the advice of others to use one. My thoughts are that a tap should only be a last resort if the internal threads are too hopelessly buggered up to accept the bolt, and then only as a chaser, same tap size as the bolt, not a larger thread. My point was (or should have been) that a cross-threaded tap might be worse than a cross-threaded bolt.