CV wont fit into 5 speed trans!

[jjk1224]

My car has been sitting for months now, I have rebuilt the engine, put all new suspension, brakes, and other parts on, and I finally thought today would be the day I would finish. Well, I just got done pressing new bearings onto my hubs and I was getting ready to install the spindles. I proceeded to install the CV shafts, but for some reason they would not seat properly. I was able to get it straight and lined up with the trans but it would not go all the way in. Well, after hitting them a few times with a mallet, I decided to pull the shafts back out and take a look inside. It appears to me that the gears on the inside of the transmission are loose and not lined up. There was a gear on the top that looked like it had splines in the middle and I tried to wiggle it around a little. After a few seconds, the gear fell to the bottom of the trans. There is only what appears to be two small tapered pinion gears on a shaft that are loose, nothing at all that looks like the cv shaft would fit into. I have no clue what to do at this point, I have no experience with the inside of transmissions and I do not want to pull the engine again!

[Pu241]

Sounds like you had both axles out at the same time without something to hold the side gears in place.
One has now dropped out of place and I do not know if anyone has ever put one back in place, without opening the transmission.
Some who have had this issue just got another transmission.
If you decide to open this one up, please document it so other who may be in the same situation can benefit from your experience.

[jjk1224]

Exactly what I did not want to hear.

[bhazard]

Give ya $200 for the car.


Sorry bout your luck, bud.

[georgeb]

Somebody didn't read their manual, the part about diff plugs.

[zoom zoom]

Ouch, after all that work too.. that would ruin your day >.< if it makes you feel better, you just helped me! I'm about to attempt a clutch job so I'll know not to make the same mistake when I pull my axels.

Give ya $200 for the car.


Sorry bout your luck, bud.

LOL, 205 @

[jjk1224]

Sorry cars not for sale, they call it a project for a reason!
I guess ill just rip er' out again, I gotta change out the crappy oil pan gasket job I did and with the engine out it will be a helluva lot easier. Is there any trick to putting the gears back in place after the trans has been taken apart? If anyone has an exploded diagram they could link me to or something it would be great help!

[iceracerdude]

Putting the gears back into place is pretty easy, easier to do than to explain actually.
The big thing is that you have to completely disassemble the trans to do this.
Once you get the diff carrier out and in your hands, it will become obvious as to how you have to rotate the gears to make them go back into place.
Here's what the diff carrier looks like out of the trans, as well as pics of the trans opened:



[img=http://imageshack.us/thumbnmail.png]




When you remove the bolts holding the springs and detent balls (3 of them), label them and their respective locations with a marker and tag.
The balls are all the same size, the springs are all different however. Once you crack the case open shims may fall out from off the bearings
on the ends of the shafts, remember where they go as well.

[georgeb]

Can't you just turn the trans upside down and shake it? They fell out by gravity, seems they might come into view the same way. Nightmare.

[iceracerdude]

If you take a close look at the picture of the 2 (side) gears out, and then the carrier with all the gears still in it, you might see that they're captive within a clever spherical area. When allowed to rotate near enough to those two openings, they and the corresponding thrust washers that slide around on the back of them, are able to simply fall free of their confinds. The second picture is showing the what the actual orientation of the diff carrier is when mounted in the transaxle. You just have to imagine the axles plugged into it on the right and left.

[91_festy_Gl]

Wow I have had trannies tipped up on either side and up side down and never had this happen. I know now what to look for in the future. Thanks for the heads up!

[georgeb]

This could never happen to me not due to wisdom but because my axles won't come out.

[boydg1]

.... Man these pics are great. So, for future reference (I know my day is coming) how should you remove the half axles? Take one out at a time while the other holds everything in place? And if you have to pull the transmission completely, what do you use, the equivalent to a broom stick? First on one side, then on the other? I'm assuming it's the spider gears that have dropped? Your HELP in explaining this sure would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance
.

Putting the gears back into place is pretty easy, easier to do than to explain actually.
The big thing is that you have to completely disassemble the trans to do this.
Once you get the diff carrier out and in your hands, it will become obvious as to how you have to rotate the gears to make them go back into place.
Here's what the diff carrier looks like out of the trans, as well as pics of the trans opened:



[img=http://imageshack.us/thumbnmail.png]




When you remove the bolts holding the springs and detent balls (3 of them), label them and their respective locations with a marker and tag.
The balls are all the same size, the springs are all different however. Once you crack the case open shims may fall out from off the bearings
on the ends of the shafts, remember where they go as well.

[jjk1224]

Thank you very much! I'm gonna pull it today and take a look.

[GenevaDirt]

Ouch, after all that work too.. that would ruin your day >.< if it makes you feel better, you just helped me! I'm about to attempt a clutch job so I'll know not to make the same mistake when I pull my axels.



LOL, 205 @

Pull the engine...it is easier IMO then dropping the tranny out from under the car. You have to raise the car high enough to get the tranny out from under it and lay on your back and stuff....unless you have a lift. Takes no time to disconnect the electrical and separate the tranny from the engine and pull it out the top and then reinstall. A few hour job so long as you have a cherry picker.

.... Man these pics are great. So, for future reference (I know my day is coming) how should you remove the half axles? Take one out at a time while the other holds everything in place? And if you have to pull the transmission completely, what do you use, the equivalent to a broom stick? First on one side, then on the other? I'm assuming it's the spider gears that have dropped? Your HELP in explaining this sure would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance
.

if you are doing just axles then you would only be pulling one at a time anyway....so there are no worries.