Did I screw up?

[guzzirik]

I had both axles out of my "93 5sp at the same time I installed a new muffler. Taking a break from the struts and brakes I decided to listen to my new exhaust. I thought I had it in neutral, BUT........ Now I can't get the axles back in. Any ideas?

[blkfordsedan]

I think you screwed up. on the Festy transaxle, you need to keep one axle in it at all times or insert a piece of rolled up cardboard, a broomstick, or anything that fits, into the axle hole. There is a part that can fall out of place causing the problem you now have. The only way I know to fix it is split the transaxle open, but I could be wrong. I've never had it happen, but maybe someone on here knows if it can be fixed without doing that.
Good luck!

[Pu241]

Yes!

Probably best to just get another tranny while figuring out if you want to split the case.
Or someone might buy it the way it is, if they have experience with doing this kind of work.

[Festy46]

You're screwed and not only do you have to split the case, but you have to take all the gears out to get to the spider gears and thrust washers that fell out of position. I've stuck my fingers in the axle holes to try to work the spider gears back in position, but it's about impossible to do. Not only do you have to get the spider gears worked around in position, but you have to bring the thrust washer with the spider gear when you do it.

If you have a lot of patience, maybe you could be the first person to replace the spider gears without taking the transmission apart. At the very least, you would have to remove the transmission. Then you would need some very sticky grease to make the thrust washer stick to the spider gear. Once you had both thrust washers stuck to the spider gears. you would need a helper to roll the spider gear into position on one side of the transmission while you did the same thing on the other side. Both gears have to be rolled into position simultaneously. You can't put one in and then do the other. That's why only one dummy axle is required to prevent the gears from falling in. One gear cannot fall out if the other is held in position and one gear cannot be put back into position if the other is already there.
Good luck if you try it.

[guzzirik]

Thanks for the help. I've got it out so I guess I'll split it and see what I can do........

[Pu241]

Thanks for the help. I've got it out so I guess I'll split it and see what I can do........

Look for some info on splitting the case before you do.
Think there are some spring loaded things you need to be aware of.
I'll see if I can find the post.
Never done this myself but there are other here who are much more knowledgeable concerning tranny's, specifically this tranny.
Good luck!
Take lots of pics, this might help you or someone else doing the same thing.