I cant get the input shaft to slide into the pilot bearing becUse i cant get transmissikn flat. Should i just keep trying with diffrent jacks.. Also car is only about a foot and a half(high as my jack goes)
Any thoughts

 

You will need to find a way to hold the transmission straight with the bellhousing. Is the motor tilted back some? This usually helps. I have never had a big problem with stabbing a transmission if the clutch was lined up properly. If it is off some it could and probably will be a real pain.
Try jacking it with boards or something to hold the trans at the angle you need it. With it through the clutch you may need to wiggle it some to get it to start into the pilot bearing. A touch of grease on the very end of the input shaft can help so it isn't dry.

 

The T-5 is the lightest transmission I know of, that has ever been put in a rear-wheel-drive car.

I just lay under there on my back, lift it up, and stab it in; hold it with one hand; and use the other to put in the top bolts BY HAND, NOT trying to "draw" it in by tightening them with a tool.

But of course, I'm your classic 6'1" 140-lb weakling, with arms smaller about the size of a broomstick; maybe you strong people can't do that as easily.

 

im guessing the alignment tool definitely isnt working how could this be, ive never changed a clutch so do i stil have to align it with the alignment tool.. all i did was stick it threw the splines and into the pilot bearing, do i have to center it more than that like try to keep it as center as possible with one hand torque her down with another..

and about picking it up i have a friend the same build as you, he got under the tranny and picked it up with his legs and waist so i met try the same. im about 220lbs so il let you know about that one..

oh an my friend and i were stabbing and wiggling for a good 2hours.(different times of day) but he said the splines must not be lined up with the bearing, i agree i tried stabbing at it a few times when we both picked it up by hand.. it will go in to the splines in the clutch just not into the pilot bearing...so aggreviated

 

Hopefully your friend is a young lady. But I really admire your stamina.

But seriously, keep plugging. All the sudden it will slide in with no effort and you will wonder what you were doing wrong the whole time. Just for clarification, I'm talking about installing the transmission this time.

You can try playing around with the clutch alignment. You should be able to look through the clutch and see the splines with the pilot bearing perfectly centered. The clutch alignment tools are crappy plastic and have some give.

 

Yes, I think your problem may be with the way you used the alignment tool. Just sticking it in and tightening down the pressure plate isn't good enough becuase there is quite a bit of wiggle room for gravity to pull the disc down and off the centre. With the alignment tool in, you have to "feel" for the centre position, and when you are confident that you found it, hold it steady there when you are tightening down the pressure plate.

 

What he said ^

You have to hold the tool up a little bit while tightening the pressure plate down.

 

Pull the bellhousing.

Loosen the pressure plate bolts enough that the disc can slide around.

Insert the plastic clutch line-up tool, wiggling it straight up and down.
Stop when it's about 5/8 up; slightly above the middle of travel and hold it there.

Tighten the pressure plate bolts.

Now the trans. will install into the pilot bushing/bearing.

 

Okay,we got the tranny in,does anybody know the torque specs on an 89 5.o RS T5 5 speed driveshaft?

 

The bolts are 3/8"-24.

Torque on that size hardware should be about 30 ft-lbs., no matter what pieces they are going into or through.

 

you can also separate the bell housing from the trans. Install it then put the trans up after.

 

I see you got the transmission in, good job!

Next time make sure it's in fifth gear first and then while you're trying to stab it in turn the output at the rear a little at a time between each attempt at a stab. Putting it in fifth gives you the best mechanical advantage to turn the input shaft using the output.

 

Last time I did one in my driveway thats how I did it, bolted the flywheel on, replace pilot bushing, bolted clutch assembly togather, bolted the bellhousing on, then rolled the trans onto my chest picked it up and set it in, made wiggling it side to side easier until the splines lined then just put the 4 bolts in I REALLY miss that trans, feels like a feather compared to a t-56

 

that T56 is a tank