Ok so long story short I blew the clutch in my ap1. No big deal, its an oem clutch and kind of old so I wanted to replace it anyway, it just broke before I got to it. I did some research and reading and decided doing it myself was not horrible, just tedious. I now have all the bolts out (starter, driveshaft, tranny bolts etc.) and dropped the subframe, but this damn transmission won't come off. I can wiggle it around and there is about a half inch of clearance between the housing and the block, at it appears that the spline is the only thing holding this on. Now to my question. When the clutch went out, you could start the car out of gear and it would be fine. If you went to start it in first, even with the clutch pedal to the floor, the car would start to lurch as soon as the starter kicked the flywheel. So the clutch was engaged no matter what I did with the pedal. Would this effect taking off the transmission? I have tried pulling out the release fork, but can't get it to budge. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Jeremy

 

did you try loosening the motor mounts and letting the engine lean back a little? or maybe get a prybar, or a flathead screwdriver, wrap a rag around it, so as not to muck up the tranny, and pry on the gap...

 

^^thats why I dropped the subframe. Had to get those top bolts on the tranny. And I have tried a pry bar, does not help. The best approach I have had at it so far was me and my room mate underneath the car, lifting and wiggling the transmission. I know all the bolt are out, and the little alignment pins are not holding it, but for some reason I can get it to separate from the spline

 

in my experience, its always the hardest part to separate/stab the tranny... i suppose keep trying to wiggle it out while prying on it? if its been a while since it came out it might have made itself comfortable in there, thus being hard to get out...

 

The release fork has to be out before you can remove the tranny. If what you say about the release fork not coming loose then that is your problem. Did you try removing the release fork with the transmission touching the block? or only with the 1/2 gap you have now? Do you have the transmission supported by a jack when trying to remove it?

 

Yeah I am using a jack. I will go out now and try to remove that fork, but I don't think its going anywhere. I tried earlier and it was not wanting to move.

 

Make sure the tranny is pushed back in when trying to take out the fork.

 

If you are SURE you got every bolt and everything is out of the way...you may need to get under there and grab it with both arms and wrestle it out...and not gently...grab it and wiggle and pull.

 

Yeah I am sure everything is removed. This fork is not coming out. I tried to move it before I even started pulling the tranny and it wouldn't do anything. I am confused on why the fork has to come off for the transmission to come off though. Shouldn't the spline slide out with the throw out bearing and the fork still attached? You have to the assemble the fork and bearings before you put the transmission back it, so my does it need to be disassembled to take it off?

 

The fork is attached to the transmission while its forks are "around" the throwout.
The throwout is attached to the PP and stays with the engine.
So what happens when you want to remove the trans without taking the fork "out"?

"Out" because you cant take it out, just out of the way enough to not be around the throwout anymore.