RX-7 Transmission Removal -- Alexander Guy

Tools

For the RX-7, transmission installations aren't as hard as they look, to get it done right, you're going to need:

Steps

The breakdown for the work is something like this:

  1. Get in the cabin, and begin by unscrewing the gear shift's cap, and any locking nuts that might be on there.
  2. Pop the square plastic retainer, that holds down the boot, off of the interior paneling, and stick it someplace. There might be some insulation there too, keep it safe, it'll shred pretty easily.
  3. Grab a 10mm socket, and undo the 4 retaining bolts at the 4 corners of the metal plate.
  4. Pull the upper rubber boot above the gear shift (not too hard), and remove the 3 10mm bolts holding the gear shift down to the transmission.
  5. Remove the boots, and the gear shift. This might require some pushing and pulling of the thicker lower boot, but it shouldn't be too hard. Just don't rip it.
  6. Go to the engine bay and, disconnect the negative battery terminal.
  7. While you're in there, grab your 12mm shallow socket, and your longer 3/8" ratchet, and maybe a short extension, and undo the mounting bolts on the intercooler.
  8. Take your pliers, and disconnect all the small intercooler hoses on the passenger side of the intercooler, and then use your phillips head screwdriver to loosen the retainers for the larger diameter intake piping.
  9. While you're over on this side of the car, disconnect the firewall to tnansmission ground,. it sound be just to the left of the left side of the intercooler, hooked to the firewall.
  10. Stick the intercooler someplace safe.
  11. Cover the passenger side intake hose with masking tape, so that small bits can't fall in there.
  12. Disconnect the driver's side intake hose from the upper intake manifold, using the Phillips head screwdriver to loosen the retainer.
  13. Cover the hole with masking tape.
  14. Grab your 12mm swivel head socket, a medium sized extension, and your full-sized 3/8" ratchet.
  15. In order to easily get at the clutch slave cylinder, you're going to want to go between the thick (coolant?) hose, and the firewall. You'd think it'd be easier just to go the other side of the hose, but it's harder to get the sockets in place.
  16. Using your 12mm swivel head socket, take off the 2 bolts holding the slave cylinder, to the bell housing. Grab the slave, taking care not to break or disturb the hydraulic line it's attached to and move it out of the way.
  17. You're done with the engine bay for the time being. Now either get the car up on a rack, or some jacks with jackstands, or whatever you've got handy.
  18. Now that the car is up, it's time to remove the important parts of the exhaust. I'm writing this up from the perspective that you're not running the stock exhaust.. if you are, I'm sorry, you'll (from my experience) need to remove all exhaust elements from the downpipe back, including the mufflers.. starting from the mufflers.
  19. If you're running a RacingBeat turbo-back setup, or something, then your life is a bit easier. Just remove the presilencer and Y-pipe.
  20. It's not absolutely necessary, but I would recommend removing your downpipe. The transmission can be pulled with it still in there, but you hit it a bunch, and it's just a general pain in the ass.
  21. Removing the RB 80mm downpipe is pretty easy. I used the close ended 14mm to remove the nut (and locking washer) from the bottom of the DP, and then used my shallow 14mm and stubby 3/8" ratchet to remove the top two. All of this can be pretty easily done from underneath the car.
  22. Next, use your 10mm shallow ratchet, and remove the heat shielding covering the propeller shaft (drive shaft).
  23. Grab your metal brush, and clean away some of the dirt from where the propeller shaft meets the rear differential. Mark both the propeller shaft and differential flanges with the nail polish, at the same spot, so that you can properlly hook the propeller shaft back up to the differential.
  24. Grab your 14mm shallow socket and long 3/8" ratchet, and unbolt the propeller saft from the diff.
  25. There should be enough play in the loosened propeller shaft, to allow you to pull it down, and then off the spline of the transmission. Stick the propeller shaft someplace safe, with the differential flange towards the ground.
  26. Double check that the power is disconnected, and remove the power and control lines, from the starter motor. I think the bolt used on the power side of things is a 12mm.
  27. Take your 14mm shallow socket, and 3/8" ratchet, and undo the lower retaining bolt, of the starter motor.
  28. Take your 14mm wrench, your 14mm shallow socket, your wrench, and a small extension, and undo the long starter motor bolt. There's a nut on the other side, so I'd recommend use your ratchet and socket to hold onto that nut, while you break the bolt with the wrench.
  29. Pull the starter motor, set it someplace safe.
  30. Disconnect all electrical connections to the transmission, there should be something like 5 plugs you need to disconnect, but double check for yourself.
  31. Open up the transmission fill plug using an open-ended 14mm wrench, and grab a large socket (XXX -- Which size was required for the drain plug), and drain the transmission. Make sure you've got a bucket for the fluids.
  32. Put the drain plug back in, and torque it to ~35-40 pound feet. Just enough to make sure it's not going to move.
  33. Put the fill plug someplace safe.
  34. Grab your longest 3/8" ratchet you've got, your longest solid 3/8" extension, and your 14mm socket.. it's time to attack the retaining bolts for the transmission.
  35. There are 5 bolts total, all 14mm, some in varying sizes. The first one I'd recommend going for is top most bolt, because it's a pain in the ass, and you might as well attack it first.
  36. Next, I'd go for an easier one, like the lower right hand bolt. This (I think) should be the exact same bolt as the top one you just pulled.
  37. Now, go for the far left bolt. There should be a ground hooked up to it, so watch it as you pull the bolt out.
  38. Remove the bolt next to the turbo.
  39. Remove the lower left hand bolt. Now you're done with the bell housing.
  40. Go grab a jack, or a tranny lift, or whatever you've got to support the rear of the transmission, and put it inplace.
  41. Take your 14mm shallow socket, and 3/8" long ratchet, and undo the 4 14mm bolts holding the transmission mount to the chassis.
  42. Lower the rear end of the transmission, while pulling it to the back of the car. You might need a pry bar to get the bell housing separated from the engine block.
  43. You're done.