Getting the engine back in, how to, please read, please help.

@3901mick are you talking about these two bolts? Photo stolen from Ratwell
and how far can I lower the gear box?

 

After wriggling I'm still no further forward ... I am a man without the knack

 

Disconnect the gear linkage first in case you manage to bend it, its only one screw type bolt, it will drop quite a bit, the drive shafts give as they would with suspension travel. An inch of movement at that end is only a few mil at the other end

 

Oh and make sure the jack under the gearbox isnt overlapping the bell housing where the engine has to mate or it will get in the way

 

Make sure your thrust bearing is in the bell housing, before refitting the engine, its no fun getting all back together to have to remove it all and start again.


Ask me how i know!

 

Hi @Pickles I took oil filler off, all the front tinware off, carb air filters off. Had bus jacked up high enough for it to get under the rear valence. I kept it up there on axle stands. I used a transmission jack (the only benefit was the tiltable platform, though I doubt T it helped at all in hindsight) bear in mind it took me 4 hours. Anyway I had engine tilted back and lifted up so that gearbox shaft was inside the pressure plate hole where the fingers point to the middle. Once that was in there I tilted forward and jacked up bit by bit. It should locate into flywheel with a bit of fiddling. Don't fogey to line up the lower mounting studs with the gearbox holes at the same time, I had to re do that bit twice. Once all located, get it level so the bellhousing has an equal get all round between bellhousing and engine, then push as far as it will go. Once at a point where it's about 20 mm gap, go to the fan housing end, put a spanner on altenator bolt and push the engine toward front of bus whilst wiggling the alternator bolt left to right. This will help the splines engage, they aren't as forgiving as you initially think.

Hope that helps. The main thing is the wiggling of the alternator bolt, this moves flywheel side to side and helps. I wish I knew that at the start I doubt it would have taken half an hour that way.

 

am I right in reading that you dropped the gearbox a bit at the back? ... I think I shall give up for tonight

 

No I didnt

 

It's not easy. I was well stressed

 

I'll have a look at removing the oil filler ? That might help with clearance

 

me too

 

where are you maybe someone could lend a hand ?

 

Petersfield

 

It won't go in with the following fitted
Top part of oil filler
Coil and it's bracket - don't even leave the bolt in.
The 3 rear pieces of tin.
Otherwise as others have said it's wangleable if lowering the rear of the gearbox is too daunting.
Since the first time I tried it lower the gearbox every time.
One other benefit of this is the rear hangers stay on the chassis and the engine bar just pops up into place.
If you don't do this you will have to force something at some point.

 

I didn't have the top part of oil filter, nor the 3 rear pieces of tin ware and then took the coil off, when that was the first thing to snag. Have tried several times to wrangle it but can't do it. Its now started to rain.

Looks like I'll have to drop the rear of the gear box ... yes am very daunted by that anyway its now started to rain and so have dragged the bl**dy thing back into the garage, won't have time tomorrow probably not another opportunity until late Sunday or sometime next week.. Here's to winning the Euro millions and getting a new one.

As close as it got

 

You'll wonder what you were worrying about when you've done it.
You might need to disconnect the gear linkage, but that's it. Just the two bolts someone pictured earlier which are sort of sharpened to guide themselves back in.
Check how tight the wiring on the starter is too, you might want to undo that if it's tight.

 

I haven't put the starter in yet, should I .... can you do those gear box mounts up with the front tinware on? I know more questions ... at least I won't get to 1000 posts

 

The gearbox bolts go in from the gearbox side.

 

If you look at you picture and think about the ends of the engine bar. Have a look at the hangers for that too. You'll see it must come up from underneath and yet the engine must be level with the gearbox to slide if forwards. Catch22. VW themselves intended the lowering of the rear of the gearbox as the method of removing the and refitting the engine. It's how it was designed.
Easy for you, you have a jack spare to balance the end of the gearbox on so you can adjust the height if you need to. You can put the coil and tinware back on first too, but not the plastic part of the oil filler.

Whether you fit starter just by it's lower fixing first is up to you. I would, you can do from the engine bay - better than lying on the floor after.

 

isnt it a ball ache to re hang the gearbox on the crossmember above? Thats one of the things i didnt want to be doing with no space to manouvre.