Flywheel to block spacing - replacement engine trouble! | Page 4 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Flywheel to block spacing - replacement engine trouble!

raise engine
remove engine side plates
lower engine and stab to trans while hanging on the hoist
bolt up trans and torque converter
raise engine back up and install side plates
lower onto engine mounts

makes stabbing engine to trans so much easier!! (and possible)

Otherwise just take a break, clean shop, put tools away, that sort of thing...then come back at it in a little while. Amazingly when I do this they seem to slide right together the next day or after lunch or whatever
 



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I've been told another way to align them is apparently, you can loosen the rear cross member nuts, the two holding the trans to the member, and slide the transmission backwards, sit the motor down, and then align the transmission. Can't verify if this works though.

One hunch I have is that the TC came partially unseated? The converter is a pain to align sometimes.
 






So I'm just trying to make damn sure the TC is all the way seated. I think the studs are recessed about 3/8" behind bell housing. Does that sound right?
 






I've got another neighbor helping today who is well knowledged. I showed him that the TC clunks into place twice but once again the engine dropped into mounts and is all 1/2 - 3/4 inch away from the transmission. Doesn't seem like dowels area the hang up
 






This is a very stupid question ..
Can the flex plate be installed ..flipped the wrong way ?
 






No, it wouldn't even mount to the block if it was flipped.

I pulled the engine again, I don't think the TC is seating all the way into the trans for some reason. I will start from square one tomorrow and see if I can get the TC to seat farther back
 






okay so if you pull the engine then you need to pull the engine side plates and mate to the trans as I sad earlier, then put plates back on

If you pull the trans then the engine stays put and you stab the trans to the engine like normal, meaning there should be no T case, no crossmember, no exhaust, nothing in your way until after you bolt it all up

Yes the converter has 3 clicks to be fully seated on the trans input shaft
Yes the converter should PULL FORWARD 3/8" when you go to tighten down the fist stud and the trans is bolted to the engine. This is how you know you did it right.

You can install an auto trans by stabbing it to the engine
or
you can stab the engine to the trans by removing the motor mount plates

I do this ALOT
you should NOT have to fight it
Lots of LIGHT is key so you can see what you are doing
The angle of the transmission to the engine must be EXACT before they will stab.
This is why when trying to stab engine to transmission you need to have the engine hanging from the hoist so that it is easy to manipulate the angles so they will go together easily. Bolt it all up, raise it back up, install side plates, drop onto mounts.........
 






So it definitely turned out to be the torque converter. It is only clicking in 2 times. I can't get it to fully seat no matter how long i shift it around. What the heck is going on here?
 






lift up on it slightly while spinning
remove converter and checkout the input shaft, anything odd going on there?
start fresh try to re seat again
 






I found this thread and am wondering if this is my issue... but I can't really understand what he is saying

Solved - Torque converter wont seat all the way

We spent 10 minutes spinning the TC on the shaft trying to get it to clunk in all the way, but it obviously was not, it needs to go back another inch at least i'd guess
 






Throwing in the towel and calling a mobile mechanic today. Hopefully he can get it to seat, i've wasted 3 days on this already and am so sick of it!
Will let y'all know how it goes
 






Holy crap thank god the servers went back up!

So a mobile mechanic came and poked around for an hour or so before noticing that the input shaft was not fully seated into the transmission, causing the TC to bottom out but not be able to slide all the way back.
First he hammered on it to push it back in... then attempted to pry it out. We were both attempting to find multiple threads on the explorerforums to find a possible solution, but of course, the forums were down!
I got a text from him today with a quote for 220 labor and 50ish for parts because the bell housing needs to come off to remove and reinstall the input shaft.
Certainly can't justify that kind of labor to my wife who is already upset about the time and cost of this project... So I need to go about this myself.

The parts he told me were required were a bell housing gasket and some copper gaskets

anyone have any experience doing this? I am going to tear into the bell housing tomorrow, hoping that doesn't mean I need to drop the whole trans.
Thank you all for your continued help! This has been.... a real a real avalanche of a learning experience
 






he tried hammering on it!!!? prying on what/??!?!?!?!
are you talking about the smallest little driveshaft in the very center of the input shaft?
 






Yep! I nicely told him that I'd prefer if he went home and researched the fix and came back another day because I was afraid there further damage being done.
The smallest shaft in the center seems to be jammed. From pictures I've found, there is not supposed to be any smooth section of the shaft showing, it should just be the splined part, and mine has about 3/4" of the smooth part of the shaft out.
Where do I go from here? I am sure I need to pull the bellhousing off to at least see what may have been damaged, but don't know what I'd be getting in to
 






So this pump driveshaft has been jammed in there by trying to stab the trans when the converter was not fully seated
You will likely have to remove the front pump and possibly have it repaired or replaced!!

here is what it should look like before the converter goes on

510.jpg


The copper washers he was talking about go in the bolts that are missing in the above picture, the pump to housing bolts. You can see the black front pump gasket (you called a bellhousing gasket) that goes around the whole pump.

Your mechanic wanted to remove the front pump which is smart...but prying/hammering on the input shaft is not so smart
 












good question
I'm doing a little research on this now maybe one of our resident trans experts will chime in
I just remove it and take it to my trans builder LOL
 






This is not the news I was hoping for, I'm very disheartened
 









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I’d probably replace it. It’d be a real bummer to bolt everything back in and have no motion.
 






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