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:
- A really long 3/8" extension, something really solid.
- Some assorted shorter 3/8" extensions.
- 14mm and 12mm 6-point Swivel-Head Sockets; I used Snap-On's.
- Stubby 3/8" ratchet.
- Long 3/8" ratchet.
- 3/8" Torque Wrench.
- Shallow 14mm and 10mm 3/8" sockets.
- 12mm and 14mm open and close ended wrenches.
- Phillips head screwdriver.
- Whatever you need to take off your exhaust.
- A copy of the factory service manual.
- Some needle nose pliers.
- Metal brush, and some nail polish.
- Tranny lift, or some other support device.
Steps
The breakdown for the work is something like this:
- Get in the cabin, and begin by unscrewing the gear shift's cap,
and any locking nuts that might be on there.
- 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.
- Grab a 10mm socket, and undo the 4 retaining bolts at the 4 corners
of the metal plate.
- 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.
- 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.
- Go to the engine bay and, disconnect the negative battery terminal.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Stick the intercooler someplace safe.
- Cover the passenger side intake hose with masking tape, so that
small bits can't fall in there.
- Disconnect the driver's side intake hose from the upper intake
manifold, using the Phillips head screwdriver to loosen the
retainer.
- Cover the hole with masking tape.
- Grab your 12mm swivel head socket, a medium sized extension, and
your full-sized 3/8" ratchet.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Next, use your 10mm shallow ratchet, and remove the heat shielding
covering the propeller shaft (drive shaft).
- 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.
- Grab your 14mm shallow socket and long 3/8" ratchet, and unbolt
the propeller saft from the diff.
- 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.
- 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.
- Take your 14mm shallow socket, and 3/8" ratchet, and undo the lower
retaining bolt, of the starter motor.
- 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.
- Pull the starter motor, set it someplace safe.
- Disconnect all electrical connections to the transmission, there
should be something like 5 plugs you need to disconnect, but
double check for yourself.
- 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.
- 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.
- Put the fill plug someplace safe.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remove the bolt next to the turbo.
- Remove the lower left hand bolt. Now you're done with the bell
housing.
- Go grab a jack, or a tranny lift, or whatever you've got to support
the rear of the transmission, and put it inplace.
- Take your 14mm shallow socket, and 3/8" long ratchet, and undo
the 4 14mm bolts holding the transmission mount to the chassis.
- 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.
- You're done.