That right hand axle shaft with the support bearing can be left in place, if you have a good trans jack or a spare human. It adds one more thing to line up as you are reassembling, but those support bearings are a truly horrible idea.
Volvo, with all their practical Swedish engineering, have a bolt on cap that holds the bearing. 20 seconds and it's loose.
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
The fast way to R&R a manual trans at Saturn involved leaving the passenger side axle in place, and lining up two moving targets while reinstalling the transmission... from underhood. Because the fast way involved unbolting the master cylinder, shoving it aside, and lifting the trans out the top.
OTOH the guys would also replace a clutch by leaving the transmission more or less in place, just moving it back enough that one could wiggle a 1/4" air ratchet in there to get to the pressure plate bolts.
Streetwiseguy said:That right hand axle shaft with the support bearing can be left in place, if you have a good trans jack or a spare human.
I had neither.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:In reply to Streetwiseguy :
OTOH the guys would also replace a clutch by leaving the transmission more or less in place, just moving it back enough that one could wiggle a 1/4" air ratchet in there to get to the pressure plate bolts.
Unfortunately, my bellhousing was a debris field. I found shrapnel lodged behind the clutch fork among other places.
The car is back on the road. It shifts like butta. You never realize how heavy the clutch action becomes until it's replaced. One small caveat: There is a clunk occurring at random times but seemingly only once each time I drive it. I checked the tightness of my mounts. I looked for stray tools. I observed the engine movement with emergency brake on and the tranny in fourth gear while a partner manipulated the clutch pedal. The exhaust hangars are all good and in place. The only thing I haven't checked is the driver's side driveshaft, as it seems to emanate from that side of the car. Nevertheless, I'm an oil change away from having it ready for summer mischief. A good clean would help too.
The big question: Am I glad I did it myself? Yes and no. At this point in history, I am not equipped for this job as I was in the past. The car really wasn't high enough but I didn't have a trans jacking capability to go any higher anyway. I'm down on tools and organization too. So everything occurred more slowly than necessary, not counting the parts wait for mounts and lube and stuff. However, the $500-600 savings will come in handy as we face some possible expenditures for non-automotive issues later on. Hopefully two or three people got some entertainment value out of it. I certainly did when some finger got caught between a tie rod end and a steering knuckle. Count my neighbors too as they witnessed my "blue" period for the ensuing 60 seconds or so.
Thanks everyone for the encouragement and the advice.
Jerry
Epilog: I wrote earlier about hearing a "clunk" that came and went randomly while testing the car. So I checked it while underneath the car performing an oil change. Turns out I did not torque the engine mount-to-crossmember bolts (mount pictured lower left below) adequately. Normally, I run around and torque all the bolts in two stages, once I have everything lined up correctly, in an effort to keep everything from squirming around. For some reason, I missed torquing the two bolts to their final 47 lb-ft setting. Also, the front jacking cup bolts over the mount holes. Happily, both bolts were still semi-attached since they hang upside down. Now the car is better than I have ever known it, as it's only been mine for the last 35,000 miles.
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