Trans won't go into bell housing fully! Keeps stopping with a 1/2 inch gap!!
- Thread starter Pokageek
- Start date
BDAWK2002
New Member
Can you get the 2 longer bolts started (the middle ones) and try and pull it in by tightening the bolts. Worked for me....just dont force it.....
I remember reading here that the tranny won't line up if you don't have the torque converter seated right. Here's a good thread:
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=547613
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=547613
I think he has a manual... so the tq convertor i don't think is the problem but thats a good thread 
I Had the same problem, tried reinstalling 6 or 7 times before i started getting claustraphobic under the car. Got on stangnet and eventually i found a post on here.... forgive me, i forgot who to give credit to for this but.... hook up the clutch cable and have a friend depress the clutch while you try pushing it in that last 1/2 inch. Worked like a charm for me, poped right in.
I Had the same problem, tried reinstalling 6 or 7 times before i started getting claustraphobic under the car. Got on stangnet and eventually i found a post on here.... forgive me, i forgot who to give credit to for this but.... hook up the clutch cable and have a friend depress the clutch while you try pushing it in that last 1/2 inch. Worked like a charm for me, poped right in.
JJ95GTID
Active Member
Some T5s do this on our cars. The pressure plate is stopping you from sliding the tranny that last 1/2". You need to hook up the clutch linkage and have someone depress the clutch from inside the car. Then you'll be able to slide the tranny the rest of the way in.
mo_dingo
20+ Year Stangneter 
The easiest way to get it to go in is hook up the clutch cable, and have someone push the clutch pedal to the floor. It will slip right in!!
Scott
Scott
You should NOT have had to do what you did!!! Also NEVER suck the tranny in with the tranny bolts. If its not going in YOU haven't done something right. Either the dowel pins that center the bell into the block are missing or screwed p somehow (I suspect this is your problem), wrong pilot bearing has been installed if you changed it, the clutch pressure plate isn't exactly aligned, the ring on the bearing retainer might have a nick or high spot in it, etc. NEVER EVER suck the tranny in or "beat" it in... I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE. Back when I was a newbie I installed my first clutch on my car. I ran into the same problems and didn't know any better and sucked the tranny in with the bolts. I didn't know it but in doing so I knocked out the center of the pilot bearing and proceeded to take out 3 mainshafts in my trans, I attribute this to a bent input shaft that "appeared" at the time to be OK. After a LOT of money and frustration I got it all figured out, but I truely hope for your sake that you didn't mess something up.
If the tranny goes most of the way in but is stuck at that last 1/4" or so, do what was said and hook up the clutch and have someone press the clutch pedal in and out a few times as you push the tranny in, this will let the input shaft of the tranny help center the pressure plate, this is in addition to centering the PP before hand with a clutch aligment tool which also MUST be used.
Also, are you using the stock bell housing? It also sounds to me like you may have a bell housing indexing problem which can cause all sorts of BIG problems. The center hole of the bell housing MUST be no more than .05" off center of the crank centerline. This is measured witha dial caliper and magnetic base and is EXTREMELY important when using a different bell housing from stock, or if the block has been align honed. I really can not stress how important this is, and I'd be glad to help walk you through it if you have never heard of this, or know how to do it... most don't.
If the tranny goes most of the way in but is stuck at that last 1/4" or so, do what was said and hook up the clutch and have someone press the clutch pedal in and out a few times as you push the tranny in, this will let the input shaft of the tranny help center the pressure plate, this is in addition to centering the PP before hand with a clutch aligment tool which also MUST be used.
Also, are you using the stock bell housing? It also sounds to me like you may have a bell housing indexing problem which can cause all sorts of BIG problems. The center hole of the bell housing MUST be no more than .05" off center of the crank centerline. This is measured witha dial caliper and magnetic base and is EXTREMELY important when using a different bell housing from stock, or if the block has been align honed. I really can not stress how important this is, and I'd be glad to help walk you through it if you have never heard of this, or know how to do it... most don't.
donkey_punch
New Member
Killercanary said:
Paul you should do a write up on how to measure the center hole of the bell housing wih a dial indicator.better yet a whole install. and have it put in THE HOW TO THREAD.
cause i really don't want to pay a minimum of $500 - $700 to put in a $300 or so clutch. would rather do it myself when the time comes. but we all want to do it the corrct way. cause yanking a tranny out a couple times to get it right has to sux.
Well, what I mean by serious maneuvering was all of the effort up to the point before we loosened the bell housing. Hope that makes more sense. The jack was used to hold up the trans so we didn't have to use our backs so much. After loosening the bell housing we were able to align it more straight and it slid in properly. No bolt tightening to get it in either, it slid in but seemed to take a long time to line it up though. Stock bell housing and block was align honed - whatever than means.
