hahuang65

I wonder if I suffered the same issue as As described by @MV8.

So I pulled the engine and transmission tonight and opened it up. I'm still trying to figure out what exactly is the issue, but it appears that the slave failed? Also the slave wasn't fully tightened to the bellhousing. See attached videos. The photos where I point is where there is residual brake fluid, they appear to be around the slave, but also at the fittings on top of the slave, so I guess it's possible it's from that. I'm awaiting my dealer to give me further instructions on testing/diagnosing, but would love to hear what other people think as well. Also, if there's a place that these slave cylinders are available to purchase, it would be nice to have that info in the back pocket as well. Thanks! @EdWills as requested, here are the photos and videos. https://photos.app.goo.gl/XMQUmy3QQfmccsyx5

Thought about this a bit more and I'm not sure this is possible. There's a crossbar almost right where the bellhousing joins the transmission that makes it impossible to drop through. Also, (at least in my case) the transmission tunnel is V shaped if you look at it straight from the nose of the car. The bottom is not wide enough for the transmission to drop through regardless. This is why when I installed the engine, I had to make sure the transmission didn't go lower than the floor of the car, cuz you just cannot tilt it back up.

@CarlB thanks for the info. I re-attached the propshaft to the diff last night. I did remember to loctite the bolts. I also drained the transmission. I figure it's easier to just re-fill it since I'm pulling it anyways,rather than deal with a bigger mess when pulling it out.

Understood. This may end up being an easier way to work on the engine and trans, but I certainly don't have the equipment for it. You're right that one would still need to figure out how to get the driveway yoke out. May end up needing to pull the diff in order to do so. Or lift the engine a bit anyway.

For my car, this job ended up being trivial. Undo the clamp that joins the top column and the lower column. Pull out top column. Mark alignment of lower column to universal joint. Undo lower column from universal joint Pull lower column out

@wemtd thanks for the pointers. Pretty much doing this now. I've just drained the tranny fluid since I'm pulling the transmission anyways. Makes it a bit less messy when pulling.

@CBuff lol is it actually possible to loosen and fill while the transmission is mounted??

I have no idea why it didn't occur to me that there's a drain plug for the transmission. Maybe because there wasn't one for the coolant in the radiator... This makes it so much easier than worrying about it leaking from the propshaft join. I'm just gonna drain it from here into a catch can and then re-fill it when I'm ready.

Thank you! I probably won't take the time-lapse camera down, but I can take some video and photo with my phone. I promise to update you guys here at least

Do you have a quote? When I did it a month ago I got quoted $2k a year

@Nocturnal005 mine is similar. in Houston Texas area

I am aware...my drain pan didn't fit under the dry sump due to the jack stands...I used a funnel to get it to the drain pan...the funnel tipped on me when I wasn't paying attention. That was sucky.

How do I do this? I'm guessing right when the propshaft pops, have a pan under? I've got a drain plug, I can probably also just plug it at this point?

Assuming this implies when pulling the engine, it'll just slip out when I inch it away?

@toldfield thanks for your time. I might have to remove at least some of the bolts of the diff to tilt it.

This is what I attempted today. I removed the 4 bolts, but when I slide back, it stops at the diff, and the propshaft is probably still. 3 inches into the transmission still.

First, sorry for the flood of topics recently. Still trying to get my head around having to almost disassemble the entire car right after starting it up for the first time. I've got everything out of the engine bay tonight. There are only 2 things left that I need to tackle before I can pull the engine. 1) I need to pull the propshaft out of the transmission. I thought I might be able to do that without having to undo the diff, but it's looking like I might have to. Does anyone have any tips or tricks for me to do it without removing the diff? (See pics) 2) Is there some way to pull and replace the engine without having to undo those TERRIBLE spring clamps for the exhaust collector? I've removed the rear of the exhaust, and undid the headers from the block. Currently the headers and the cat are resting on a box that's the correct height. Just pulling them out of the bay as far as I can doesn't seem to be quite enough.

I've got some questions,and I'm not sure how much of it applies since I have a Duratec... But here goes 1) is it possible to remove the propshaft from the transmission without removing the diff? I can't seem to find the clearance. see pics 2) are you able to pull the engine and replace it without undoing those insane spring clamps for the exhaust collectors?

Thanks for the tips..the steering column was really easy to remove. So I just did it just in case.

@Vovchandr thanks for explaining. That makes sense.

May I ask why this is an issue? I think I need some education around this.

No issues with State Farm. Mine got insured as a 2024 Caterham 420R a week ago.

So, if you've been following my saga, I need to pull the engine. I'm assuming I need to also remove my steering column to make things possible/easier. I'm wondering if I can somehow just remove the lower column since that's what would affect the engine. My guess is no, but worth the query. Anyone got tips on how to remove the lower column, or if I have to remove both, how to remove the top. I'm a bit worried about busting something in the top section of the steering column if I just yank on the steering wheel. I have a QR steering wheel, FWIW.

It does have a tiny opening at the top for the clutch line and bleed screw but it's too small to look through. I'm pulling the engine anyways. We will find out soon.