H55 stuck to engine, Please Help! (1 Viewer)

[the donkey]

I've got an 88 HJ61 and currently trying to pull my tranny/t-case combo so that I can change my clutch and rebuild my t case.

The bellhousing seems to be stuck on the side opposite to the starter and slave cylinder. I can get it to separate from the engine about 1/4" on the starter/slave cylinder side of the bellhousing, but it wont budge at all on the other side. Any Ideas???

So far, I've removed;
-both drive shafts
-the starter
-the slave cylinder
-4wd shifter actuator
-tranny shift lever
-speedo cable
-some weird sensor thing that sticks in the side of the bellhousing with a 24mm nut
-ALL of the bellhousing bolts.

I considered pulling the tcase off first, then the tranny, but Ive read that serveral posts on this form recommending against that and that its easier to drop the tranny/tcase together.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[klinetime574]

It sounds like you’re trying to separate the engine and bell housing which would not work (at least on a 2F). The bell housing is bolted to the engine behind the flywheel. You need to separate the transmission from the bell housing. I would imagine the diesel drivetrains are similar but I could be wrong.

@ntdb beat me

 

[ntdb]

Yeah I deleted my post because the HJ61 bellhousing doesn’t look like the 2F bellhousing so I don’t know if there are any bolts hiding behind the flywheel.

 

[the donkey]

It sounds like you’re trying to separate the engine and bell housing which would not work (at least on a 2F). The bell housing is bolted to the engine behind the flywheel. You need to separate the transmission from the bell housing.

@ntdb beat me

Gotcha, Ill give that i try. Ive got the 12ht motor so hopefully its similar to the 2f in that regard, guess Ill find out in the morning.

Ive gotta say, Ive dropped quit a few trannies, but never had to do it that way.

Thanks for the input

 

[the donkey]

Also I didnt mention that I removed the trans support in my first post. That IS off in case anyone is wondering. And I do have the engine supported by an additional floor jack also...

 

[3_puppies]

have you removed the shifter stalk?
how about the trans hump cover plate? it's under the carpet at the shifters

my WAG is either the input shaft is stuck in the pilot bearing or the raised piece on the trans is hitting the hole where the shifter sticks out

 

[drenmaster]

I just did this same job on my 61. I left thetransfer case and bellhousig all attached. It was recommended to leave the bell housing on becuase it is aluminum and a lot easier to mess up threads or crack the housing.

I loosened up my motor mounts and basicly let the engine rest against the fire wall. That put the tranny at more of an angle.

I know you said all the bolts are out did you take out that really small bolt that looks out of place on the non starter side? Its on the engine side of the bell housing.

I struggled with getting the bellhousing apart from the engine. I used a combo of prybars, cussing and a lot of muscle but it finnaly came out. I used a trans jack to hold the tranny and a floor jack with a peice of wood against the oil pan to help keep everything in line.

 

[the donkey]

I just did this same job on my 61. I left thetransfer case and bellhousig all attached. It was recommended to leave the bell housing on becuase it is aluminum and a lot easier to mess up threads or crack the housing.

I loosened up my motor mounts and basicly let the engine rest against the fire wall. That put the tranny at more of an angle.

I know you said all the bolts are out did you take out that really small bolt that looks out of place on the non starter side? Its on the engine side of the bell housing.

I struggled with getting the bellhousing apart from the engine. I used a combo of prybars, cussing and a lot of muscle but it finnaly came out. I used a trans jack to hold the tranny and a floor jack with a peice of wood against the oil pan to help keep everything in line.

I know what bolt your talking about and yes, i did. and I along with several helers have thouroughly searched for another hidden bolt. But its acting like there is bolt still in that exact spot you described, which I just dont understand. I can litteraly wiggle the whole thing free from the engine all around the bellhousing except this one spot. but there is nothing that i can see that could be holding it in that has'nt already been removed.

I do know that in general,both the trans and the engine must be coaxial, as welll as fully and independatly supported, or else it puts the input shaft at a weird angle and gets stuck in the pilot bearing.

However, if this were the issue, it seems that it would cause it to get stuck at either top or bottom, and not on one side like it is.

I was just about to go do what klinetime574 told me but now I'm hesitant. I definanlty dont want to crank a JDM bellhousing

 

[drenmaster]

There are dowel pins that could possibly be sticking as well.

I was in that exact same spot as you. I fought that for a long time before it finnaly came off. You just have to find that spot between the engine and trans and it will slide right out. I was pulling from the back and wiggling from side to side as i pulled.

Is the vacuum from the tcase cleared from the frame and lines? Mine was hitting so I removed it and that helped out a lot.

 

[OSS]

I knew a guy that had a fj40 who couldn't pull the transmission from the engine no matter what they tried. They eventually had to cut off the input shaft of the transmission to get it out.

 

[the donkey]

Good news; the tranny is off I ended up pulling the trans off the bellhousing; The daily fee for the rental tranny jack started to add up.

Bad news; I still have a stuck bellhousing. Its still acting like there's a bolt right next to the exhaust, but I can't for the life of me find one. Ive tried prying but I dont want to go too hard as I know its an aluminum housing.

 

[Earwigg]

No ideas to help but the sensor you unscrewed from the bellhousing is for the tacho.

 

[F226continental]

Just a thought, did someone substitute a bolt for a dowel pin? Seen that before

 

[OSS]

I'm not familiar with the setup on the 61, but just to replace clutch parts doesn't require removing the bellhousing on the 60.

 

[3_puppies]

I'm not familiar with the setup on the 61, but just to replace clutch parts doesn't require removing the bellhousing on the 60.

it's the H series bellhousing, IIRCC it does not go behind the flywheel like an F bellhousing, it is just bolted in around the outside rim. and I think it needs to come off as there is no bottom cover to remove the clutch and flywheel.

 

[the donkey]

Maybe I'm missing something obvious.

I have the 4 lower bolts that connect the girdle loosly threaded in still, but their not holding anything, I promise. Just keeping track of my bolts.

 

[the donkey]

From these pics, you can see that the starter side (right) will separate quite a bit, but the exhaust side (left) wont budge

I will gladly eat crow at this point. Once my bellhousing is off, that is. Full pirate4x4 treatment... GO!

 

[3_puppies]

it's either the dowel pin or stuck on the pilot bearing, or clutch disc
I didn't reread above, is the crossmember off? rear of engine supported, trans on jack?
pry bars and come-a-long
no other ideas

 

[FJACS]

it's either the dowel pin or stuck on the pilot bearing, or clutch disc
I didn't reread above, is the crossmember off? rear of engine supported, trans on jack?
pry bars and come-a-long
no other ideas

He’s got the trans out. So it’s not stuck on the input shaft. It looks like a dowel pin. Pry bar on either side of the bell housing and give it a tug.