OP
mountainguyed67
Gold Member
My main concern last time was getting it lined up so the flex plate bolts can go in, since I forgot to do that before stabbing the engine. The flywheel was lined up with the access hole in the bell housing, but the flex plate behind the flywheel was lined up with the only unthreaded hole between two of the eight threaded holes (happen chance). I tried reaching past the flywheel through the starter hole with a welding rod (the only thing that would fit), but it just bent when trying to move the flex plate. So we put a screwdriver through both flywheel and flex plate, and turned the crankshaft by hand as much as possible. The holes were centered on the access hole to start, so we could only move it about 3/4” to 1” the first time. Then we removed the screwdriver and turned the crankshaft by hand to the next hole, and stopped as soon as the hole got into the access hole. That way we could move it as much as possible each time. The screwdriver went through the flywheel, but not the flex plate.
That’s what we wanted. If the screwdriver went through both, it meant the flex plate wasn’t staying put back there, it was being drug along with the flywheel. That would have been a bad thing, meaning we needed to separate the engine and transmission again. So now that the holes didn’t line up, the screwdriver was put through the flywheel and pushed against the flex plate. So the flex plate would move along with the crankshaft. Then the crankshaft turned again, until the screwdriver was against the access hole. Then the screwdriver removed, and crankshaft rotated to the next hole again. After doing this a few times we were convinced the flex plate hole was within the access hole, but of course we couldn’t see it. So we looked for it as soon as the flywheel hole got into the access hole, by pushing the screwdriver in. It wasn’t there. So we rotated the crankshaft just a little, and pushed the screwdriver in again. There it was, hallelujah! Then we put in a bolt, but it was pushing against the face of the flex plate. This meant the holes weren’t quite centered on each other. So we put in a bigger screwdriver that just barely fit in the holes, and that centered them. Then we were able to thread a bolt in. We left that bolt in even though it isn’t the correct bolt, so the holes couldn’t get misaligned again.
My helper friend took quite a long time to catch on to what we were doing, even though I told him from the beginning that we would drag the flex plate along when rotating the flywheel, until the flex plate hole was accessible through the access hole. I explained it about four times. When we got to the part where I was convinced the flex plate hole was back there, he stopped and said “I don’t understand what we’re doing”. I made a circle with my thumb and finger and pointed close to the bottom, then said it’s not here. Then pointing a little higher each time, I said “maybe it’s here, maybe it’s here, maybe it’s here. Jab your screwdriver in and find it”. He said “Now I get it”. I had already told him to look with the screwdriver, not with his eyes. We couldn’t look at it straight on, and not close. So any sight picture we had that way was distorted.
That’s what we wanted. If the screwdriver went through both, it meant the flex plate wasn’t staying put back there, it was being drug along with the flywheel. That would have been a bad thing, meaning we needed to separate the engine and transmission again. So now that the holes didn’t line up, the screwdriver was put through the flywheel and pushed against the flex plate. So the flex plate would move along with the crankshaft. Then the crankshaft turned again, until the screwdriver was against the access hole. Then the screwdriver removed, and crankshaft rotated to the next hole again. After doing this a few times we were convinced the flex plate hole was within the access hole, but of course we couldn’t see it. So we looked for it as soon as the flywheel hole got into the access hole, by pushing the screwdriver in. It wasn’t there. So we rotated the crankshaft just a little, and pushed the screwdriver in again. There it was, hallelujah! Then we put in a bolt, but it was pushing against the face of the flex plate. This meant the holes weren’t quite centered on each other. So we put in a bigger screwdriver that just barely fit in the holes, and that centered them. Then we were able to thread a bolt in. We left that bolt in even though it isn’t the correct bolt, so the holes couldn’t get misaligned again.
My helper friend took quite a long time to catch on to what we were doing, even though I told him from the beginning that we would drag the flex plate along when rotating the flywheel, until the flex plate hole was accessible through the access hole. I explained it about four times. When we got to the part where I was convinced the flex plate hole was back there, he stopped and said “I don’t understand what we’re doing”. I made a circle with my thumb and finger and pointed close to the bottom, then said it’s not here. Then pointing a little higher each time, I said “maybe it’s here, maybe it’s here, maybe it’s here. Jab your screwdriver in and find it”. He said “Now I get it”. I had already told him to look with the screwdriver, not with his eyes. We couldn’t look at it straight on, and not close. So any sight picture we had that way was distorted.
