engine and drivetrain Not Feeling So Great About This 5 Speed Instal...

[thehackmechanic]

I'm actually going through exactly what Evanb is. I like Marshall's advise that, if your engine mounts are sitting all the way down and look okay, "all that matters is the guibo alignment, slide the driveshaft around, that's what U-joints are for." I'd swear my entire engine needs to be twisted to the right slightly, but it doesn't want to move that way on the mounts, so instead I'm about to elongate the holes in the center support bearing so I can slide it to one side to align the guibo.

[Harv]

Hmm.

My problem is the opposite. My motor is slightly rotated to the right. Causing the shifter bracket to be too far to the right.

Still need a driveshaft so I can finalize the transmition mount.

John

[evanb]

Ok so I took everyone's advice and I loosened the differential and that made all the difference. (That link Peter posted to the hack mechanic should be required reading, by the way. I don't know how I missed it in my research. Awesome link. )

Now the front of the driveshaft slips into place like butter, and I'm no longer struggling to push the center bearing into place.

My problem now is that the driveshaft to guibo alignment is off by about 1 or 2 mm top to bottom. I can push the tranny up to solve that problem, but doing that bends the shift plate down and that interferes with the shift linkage.

I think there are a couple solutions:

1. Shimmy the tranny up with two or three washers, then find a way to straighten the shiftplate, either by fabricating a brace like a lot of the other shift plates do (down the driver side to the bolt near the speedo hole), or by cutting the "donut" pad on the shift plate down.

2. Lower the center bearing with some washers, which I think was suggested already. This would simply require some washers and possibly longer bolts for the center bearing.

What does everyone think?

I'm also still wondering about lubrication for the shifter, if anyone knows.

[evanb]

And as for thinking the engine/tranny/shiftplate were rotated, that was my own stupidity. I noticed today that the shift plate was just a little crooked on its mounts. I loosened the bolts, leveled the mount and tightened everything back up. Looks good now.

[71bmr02]

this settles it, anyone want to buy a garden variety 5 speed?

Gale H

[M3M3]

Ok so I took everyone's advice and I loosened the differential and that made all the difference. (That link Peter posted to the hack mechanic should be required reading, by the way. I don't know how I missed it in my research. Awesome link. )

Now the front of the driveshaft slips into place like butter, and I'm no longer struggling to push the center bearing into place.

My problem now is that the driveshaft to guibo alignment is off by about 1 or 2 mm top to bottom. I can push the tranny up to solve that problem, but doing that bends the shift plate down and that interferes with the shift linkage.

I think there are a couple solutions:

1. Shimmy the tranny up with two or three washers, then find a way to straighten the shiftplate, either by fabricating a brace like a lot of the other shift plates do (down the driver side to the bolt near the speedo hole), or by cutting the "donut" pad on the shift plate down.

2. Lower the center bearing with some washers, which I think was suggested already. This would simply require some washers and possibly longer bolts for the center bearing.

 

both.  shim up the tranny a little and shim down the center bearing a little.  basically do whatever it takes to get the front of the driveshaft square to the tranny output flange/guibo.

 

what shift platform are you using?  it definitely needs to either be braced to the tranny 2002 style or bolted to the top of the tunnel E21 and laterstyle.  in either case the donut just compresses.

[Beaner7102]

and the differential input is offset, certainly not "center line"

 

 

The diff input compared to the body is centered - but the whole diff is not centered to the body - see pic

[Tommy]

The diff input compared to the body is centered - but the whole diff is not centered to the body - see pic

 

You don't see diff or mainshaft in that picture. If the whole diff was off center the half shafts would be different length and that's certainly not the case. Input is off center but the rear carrier is asymmetric also like the body mounts.

 

  Tommy