I have had my 7 on jack stands for almost a year now, so any help would be greatly appreciated...



I have been working on putting a tranny in and I broke the top driver side bolt and ear off because the tranny was not coming completely together...

I have all of the other bolts in now and only the bottom of the tranny and motor will mate up and not leave a gap.. The top is as tight as I feel comfortable tightening it without fear of breaking them off too but there is a 1/16" - 1/8" gap between the tranny and motor...



Is this gap supposed to be there? If not, is there a reason it wont go together? Any suggestions?



'89 N/A Auto...

 

It should be tight. Is this an Auto? If so I'd try pull the converter and put it together to see what is keeping it apart.



If it's a manual I'd check the pilot bearing. Install a new one.



I stuck mine together out of the car and then slid them in as a unit. But even out of the car it takes a little but to get them lined up.

 

There should be no gap. It sounds like you forced the input shaft of the transmission into the eccentric shaft hole where the piot bearing lives. You used enough force to break an engine to tranny bolt? Take it easy killer. The engine and tranny should slide together smoothly. You should NEVER install the engine to tranny bolts unless the engine is sitting flush with the bell housing. The bolts should never be used to pull the engine and tranny together. By the time you even touch the bolts you should only have to rotate the engine slightly to line the engine holes up with the tranny holes. Your pilot bearing is probably damaged. Its a pain to replace with the engine installed. You will need a pilot bearing removal tool if the needle bearing cartridge in the center of the flywheel doesn't rotate smoothly when you stick your finger in the hole.

 

I agree with pvillknight7, check your pilot bearing.



If they're not sliding together easily, DO NOT force it. When everything's lined up, it'll slip in surprisingly easily. I had that 1" of space that would just not close, until I read someone's advice to slip the driveshaft into the tranny, make sure the tranny is in gear, and rotate the driveshaft back and forth while pressing the tranny to the motor. It slid in like butter, I lost my balance it was so sudden.

 

I like this guy! Somebody get him a promotion!