I have put in my new centerforce clutch, and have the bell housing back on. I just can't get the T5 to slide back in. I can get it through the flywheel, but am still about 1/4 to 1/2 and inch from having the stupid thing back in all the way. I have been working with this for a week now and I need my car back. Does the angle just have to be perfect or am I missing something? Please help me out. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

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1989 Firebird Formula L03
Stock except for K&N and Flowmasters. Much more to come.

 

Did you use a clutch alignment tool when you attached the clutch to the flywheel?

You say you can get it through the flywheel: do you mean you can get it through the clutch disc?

Sounds like the clutch disc is not aligned with the pilot bearing.

 

I did use an alignment tool, so that should be ok. The reason I say I can get it through the flywheel is because if I turn the motor by hand, the output shaft on the trans will turn. I know that you are supposed to have the trans in neutral, but I put it in first to test for this.

 

Did you remove the shifter? Sometimes, depending on how the engine is hanging, the shifter will hang up on the trans tunnel and prevent a straight angle (oxymoron?)
Also, i use an old input shaft rather than the plastic deal to align the disc, it works better, if you have one available (most T5 owners do).
You could try to disengage the clutch by having someone pull on the clutch fork while you wiggle/push the trans. This will allow the disc to move around and hopefully align with the pilot bushing.

 

Having done this a bunch of times, my dad and I are close to experts at this. Shake the tranny a bit, see if that gets you a little closer. If not have someone get in and push the clutch in, that will always do the trick. Hope this helps.

 

That only means you had the transmission shaft splines engaged in the clutch disk. Still think you're not getting it into the pilot bearing, unless like merf says, you're hanging up the shifter. I, too, have seen plastic tools not quite do the job.

90Iroc's idea will work, if you at least have the pilot bearing partly engaged. If not, you're just as likely to slip the disk completely out of alignment when you have the clutch pedal pushed in.