Gearbox/engine out help

[virgil]

So I've just got the block/sump left in the car and was going to separate the gearbox from bell housing and take that out, then take engine out next...however...

4 bolts taken out of gearbox to bell housing but refuses to budge by jiggling it about...does this need a GOOD jingle/ thump to get them apart or have I missed anything? Gearbox is a T5

Can get the engine mounts to chassi bolts out, but not the engine months to block as the nuts are close to the mount...any tips?

Cheers,

Virgil

[DarkMatter]

virgil said:

4 bolts taken out of gearbox to bell housing but refuses to budge by jiggling it about...does this need a GOOD jingle/ thump to get them apart or have I missed anything? Gearbox is a T5

I don't think that it should take much effort to separate the gearbox from the bellhousing (assuming you've detached the gearlever remote control, propshaft, and gearbox mounts). Obviously you don't want to risk bending the gearbox input shaft but could you break the joint by gently jacking up the tail end of the gearbox? I'd leave the gearbox bolts loosely in place to stop it dropping/loading the input shaft.

The only time I had trouble removing the gearbox was when the gearbox input shaft was seized in the crankshaft end spigot bush (caused horrible screeching noises when changing gear). On that occasion I could still separate the box from the bellhousing enough to get a flat lever in there.

[virgil]

DarkMatter said:

virgil said:

4 bolts taken out of gearbox to bell housing but refuses to budge by jiggling it about...does this need a GOOD jingle/ thump to get them apart or have I missed anything? Gearbox is a T5

I don't think that it should take much effort to separate the gearbox from the bellhousing (assuming you've detached the gearlever remote control, propshaft, and gearbox mounts). Obviously you don't want to risk bending the gearbox input shaft but could you break the joint by gently jacking up the tail end of the gearbox? I'd leave the gearbox bolts loosely in place to stop it dropping/loading the input shaft.

The only time I had trouble removing the gearbox was when the gearbox input shaft was seized in the crankshaft end spigot bush (caused horrible screeching noises when changing gear). On that occasion I could still separate the box from the bellhousing enough to get a flat lever in there.

Hmmm...disconnected the gearbox mounts (rubber bobbins) and prop...4bolts to the bell housing but not the remote gear linkage...as presumed it'd just drop down through the transmission tunnel hole...the seal between the gearbox and the bell housing is really tight...presume just stuck from being bolted up for 15 years....

Right..remote gear linkage next then...any tips?

[DarkMatter]

virgil said:

Right..remote gear linkage next then...any tips?

I always remove the tunnel cover to access the remote from above but I've heard other people say they reach up from underneath to undo the remote - there are four bolts which attach the gear selector to the gearbox (under the rubber cover seen on the left of the picture below), the TVR remote attaches to that gear selector. The two bolts with nyloc nuts which you can see have plastic sleeves which have to be removed after the bolts come out before you can separate the remote rod from the gear lever. Maybe this photograph will help....



I found some strange substance between the bellhousing and gearbox, that sort of thing could lead to corrosion which may make it difficult to separate the gearbox.

[virgil]

Thanks! great pics - will give it a go.

Cheers,

Virgil.

[virgil]

Well, the weather is shocking for trying to work outside under a car...(and trying to prep the house for selling doesn't make any more time!)

So gearbox aside, how do you access the gearbox mount nuts on the block side? Engine mount chassis bolts un done and nearly out, just holding in, and I can get a 17mm open ended spanner on the nuts on the block side of the rubber mount, and one nut off on either side, but the other is too close to the fabricated block mount to get a spanner on and turn...or do you take the mount and rubber off together then separate?

Any tips?? Am I making any sense?

Will be grinding down an old 17mm spanner if not...

[DarkMatter]

I should know this, I've done it a few times, but I can't remember the order in which I did it. I think I removed the nuts from each end of the rubber bobbin mounts, then supported the back end of the gearbox and removed the mounting bracket which supports the rubber bobbin mounts and is bolted to each main chassis rail.

Here's another picture showing what the box looks like, you can see the flanges onto which the rubber bobbin mounts will be bolted, you can also see more of the gearchange mechanism.