Topic: can't get motor mounted up to bell housing

[huntingbuck101]

trying to Put my new 2.5 in and having a hard time getting the motor pushed up to the bell housing. I installed a new clutch kit. I bolted the clutch to the flywheel and slid it on the transmission just to make sure everything went on smooth. use a clutch alignment tool and double check alignment after trying to install motor just in case something moved. also checked the new pilot bearing to make sure it didn't push out. took motor mounts off frame to give more room and one less thing to fight with. I have a motor host and a floor jack under the transmission to change angles. I can get the transmission shaft started in the clutch and can tell this by rocking jeep and seeing the balancer move. tried rocking  the jeep in gear back and forth, every angle possible between the motor and the tranny and lube on the splines. I can get the motor about 1" from the bell housing and thats all. This is with two body man working on it for 2 hours. I guess we should have been mechanics! any one have any idea's

[Tall Boy]

It's 50% brain and 50% muscle. Ya gotta have your head at the t-case, and your feet at the bell housing and shake that puke in there nice and careful. shake that puppy back and forth front and back and wiggle that sucker into place using a jack at the bottom of the bell, and a stand at the t-case to rest from shaking it. It took me about an hour by myself of wiggling back and forth and turning it clock and counter clockwise. I also had the transfer case attached when I did it too. The biggest pain was threading the 2 top bolts cause the motor inched upwards close to the body. i also had levers of wood to lever it into position somehow.

 later

[Tall Boy]

I used my feet to push the tranny forward BTW.

[huntingbuck101]

my tranny is still bolted to every thing but the bell housing. can the tranny slide back and forth? I never tried moving the tranny other then up and down just tried to pull the motor back to it.

[oldjeep]

So you have the bellhousing mounted to the engine  and you are then trying to attach it to the tranny?  That would be an odd way of doing it.   Trying to install an engine with the tranny mounted in the frame is pretty odd too though.

The bellhousing should be attached to the tranny.  If you are going to try to install the motor with the tranny already in the chassis, then you are going to need to remove the motor side motor mounts so that you have room to rock the motor side to side.  This is going to be a really hard way to do the install, but is possible. 

[chardrc]

we always end up removing the motor and leaving the trany and bell housing in the jeep. and frankly i think its easier that trying to wrestle with the trany and transfer case to get them out.. but then again most of the time we do something it is a motor rebuild not just a new clutch...

but my jeep was a bear to get to go back together when i installed the new slave cylinder and clutch... so much easier with an old cj without electronics.

[Tall Boy]

it was late last night, I figured he had the motor already in the Jeep, and was just trying to stab the tranny. It'll be harder to do it without the bell housing being attached to the tranny IMO. That spline has to clear what 2' of bell housing, then the clutch, and stabbed right meshing splines with bearing. Very difficult to do that IMO.

[jagular7]

Years ago, I had to wrestle an AX-15 trans to a 4.0l by myself with a floor jack. The engine was secured to the motor mounts and frame. The oil pan had a block of wood holding it up and the harmonic balancer had another wood piece holding it out from the lower radiator area.  Basically tilting the engine enough from the floor of the XJ.
I took some real long bolts that would bolt into the block on the lowest point on the bellhousing. I cut off the head and grind a thin slot across the top for a screwdriver. I used these as a slider to get the trans to slide in. There was little resistance, but it took less than 10 minutes to mount. Once you get the upper bolts hand tight, pull one long bolt with a screwdriver, then tighten that by hand, then pull the other side. Simple enough, eh?

[jeepheap]

i once tried to tighted down the bolts on a duke to bring the transmisson into place. i broke off the side where the starter mounts.

don't do that. just saying...

[Tall Boy]

tightening the bolts to bring it in is not how it is done. like the last poster's thought, that is aluminum there, not steel it breaks. Once the spline is in, it's all free wheeling from there. Finesse is the key, werd.

[huntingbuck101]

The bell housing is still on the tranny.I ment to say block in my other post. I'm just trying to install a new motor and figured I would put a new clutch in at the same time.
 Motor mounts are removed. I think all thats hold me up is getting the end of the tranny output shaft in the pilot bearing on the flywheel, that last inch or so.

[oldjeep]

Might try a ratchet strap around the back of the transfercase and hooked to 2 opposite holes of the block as a safe way of applying some extra pressure.

[Tall Boy]

I used my feet to push the tranny forward BTW.

[Got Wood?]

I just swapped out my 2.5 a couple of weeks ago, put in a new clutch also. Getting the motor and tranny together were the hardest part for me too. If you can get a couple of the bolts started and get them fairly close together you can bleed the slave cylinder and then have someone push in on the clutch for you it will slide together fairly easily. I know, it seems counter-productive to push on the clutch pedal while you try to mate the engine and tranny but it works. By pushing in on the clutch pedal it releases the pressure on the disk and allows it to move to where it needs to be to let the tranny shaft align with the pilot bearing. It sounds a little crazy but it works, that's how I got mine in.

[huntingbuck101]

wow, thats great info. I can't wait to try this tomorrow.