Gearbox/propshaft union

[nonotatall]

Back in August I posted here 'herald clutch woes' because I was having trouble with my clutch.  Well the problems resurfaced and when I had another look I realised that it IS all caused by the release arm pin being missing (as was suggested by one of you lot).

So, today I've embarked on removing the gearbox and bellhousing. to change the clutch and put the pin in etc....

I have a problem and need suggestions.  I can't sem to seperate the gearbox from the propshaft.  I've marked it and then removed the nuts and bolts.  Now the two flanges will rotate seperately but I cannot get them to slide over each other. I've tried whacking them and the prop a fair amount and leavering the gearbox away from the prop but no joy.  I might be being a bit timid but I felt it was probably not a great idea to hit them too hard.

Is there something I've forgotten or is there a cunning way to do this that I don't know of?  It feels like there might be something in the middle that is keeping the two flanges from sliding over each other.

or should I just whack it harder?

[Clive]

Often a tight fit, there is a lip about 3mm or so and you need to get a lever betwwen the two so the gap can open up enough. You could loosen the engine and gearbox mounts etc, but generally a very good whack, at an angle with a lump hammer and wooden block does the trick for me! the lip is on the prop, so hit backwards if that makes sense.

However..... with a lot of fiddling about you should be able to get the pin back in without taking the box off. A bit of coathanger can help to initially line it all up. Use new cinkly washers amd a modified pin that cant fall out (canleys sell the bits).

Clive

[nonotatall]

Thanks clive,  I was lucky enough to find a bloke down the local garage that had a vittesse with a spare gearbox in the boot and that made me realise there was a lip.  I used an old chisel and prised the two apart whilst leavering the gearbox forwards a bit.  Got the gearbox/bellhousing out now but it is getting dark so I had to quit for now since I'm working on the street.

I realise now that you're right about possibly getting the pin back in without taking it all apart but in this case it had clearly been out for some time and the hole for the pin in the release arm was no where near the right place so it would have been impossible.

I think it has been missing since we've owned the car (two years) and probably before as the release bearing carrier was way off centre in its mounts on the arm and it has worn a groove in the edge of the release arm.  It is really amazing that it lasted that long, it might have gone on for more years had I not changed the hydraulics to try and fix the intermittent operation of the clutch.  The pin being missing also explains why an extra notch had been filed into the slave cylinder to mount it further in (as somebody suggested in my previous post).

I have one of the modified pins from Canley's with the circlip at the top and I also have a replacement release arm as I think mine is probably scrap (because of the odd wear).  I should be able to change the clutch plates etc... and put it all back together fairly quickly now.

Of course there, there may be some as yet unforseen problems that I may have to post here....

One thing that just occurred to me is to ask the best way to refit studs into the engine block as one of the top ones holding the bellhousing on came out instead of just the nut.  I presume I just clamp the stud in the middle and screw it in as much as I can or is there a trick I don't know?  Sorry for the amateur engineering question but I am an (inexperienced) amateur.

[Clive]

clean the stud up with a wire brush, a drop of oil on the thread and it should screw in really easily. otherwise be careful of damaging the thread by overgripping. In fact, if the nut is still on the stud that should hold it well enough. If it is off you can tighten 2 nuts against each other at one end, and then use them to screw it in. Then undo the 2 nuts and take them off. If that makes sense.....

Cheers
Clive

[nonotatall]

I see what you mean about the two nuts, obvious solution really, thanks for that.

[Richard B]

Also Sykes Pickavant make a very nice set of stud inserters and extractors, cost about £15 for a set of 4. They grip the sides of the stud and take a 1/2 inch socket drive.