The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 54 3100 tranny installation

This is the third time I've had the tranny out of the truck, on both of the prior times, it slid right back together. This time, it gets to within 2 inches of home and just will not budge. I've tried drawing it in with longer bolts, but I know that's a bad idea so I have not applied too much torque but enough to know it's not going to go back on. I've dropped it out completely 3 times now to just start over and hit the same roadblock each time. I know I must be doing something wrong but I don't know what. Any advice is heartily welcome.

Hmmm. When you removed it before did you move the clutch disc for any reason? Loosen the pressure plate or get in the truck and push in on the clutch pedal while the transmission was out of the vehicle? If you have the clutch disc lined up with the pilot bushing properly, the transmission should slide in just right. If you don't the input shaft can hit the pilot bearing rather than going in and cause a problem like you described...but usually you'll only be an inch to inch plus 1/4" shy of going in. If you don't have a disk/pilot bearing tool (most today are plastic), you can loosen all the pressure plate bolts until you feel the clutch disc is free to move and then install the transmission. You'll just need to move the disc with a free finger as you stab the hole and then move the transmission until you engage the pilot bearing.

Once you get it in, rotate the flywheel and tighten all the pressure plate bolts...

Never touched the clutch plate. Truck is on the lift so I couldn't inadvertently climb in and press the pedal, I would need a step ladder to get in. Still, your explanation is the only one that makes sense, but I'm concerned about your 1 1/4" experience, I'm 2+ inches shy. I'll pull the tranny out again and see if the pilot bearing tool will fit. Thanks for the idea, any others are still welcome.

An inch or so...maybe a bit more is the depth of the pilot bushing and the input shaft stops before it gets all the way to the bottom. If you're out by 2+ inches it makes me wonder. But I know something is being struck on the way back in. It is just hard from this point to say just what it was. If I visualize a side view of the 3 speed, you've got the pilot bushing section of the input shaft...and that as I've said is an inch to inch and 1/4 or so. Then you have the splines that engage the disc and those are maybe 3 to 3.5 inches in length. Then you have the clutch gear bearing retainer piece and it is maybe the same length as the splines. Nothing really is 2 or 2+ inches that catches my thoughts. If the splines start in the disc, they're going to slide all the way. If the shaft goes in the pilot bushing, you can always wiggle or wobble the transmission a bit to get that in and the only thing left might be the clutch gear bearing retainer hanging up on the throw-out bearing. Did you change that bearing or has it come off of the fork?

If the throw-out bearing got installed backwards, that would make around 2 inches of problem. It installs with the groove mating with the fork and the bearing part facing the pressure plate fingers.

Jon, your insight was inspired and I am indebted to you. I don't know what I was banging up against, but once I aligned everything, zing. Snugged and secured. Thank you, sir.

You're welcome and I'm glad it helped. Hope it isn't too hot where you are. 102~103 in DFW.

Just under that here, but probably twice the humidity.