RE: [alfa] bay area spider people

["Jeff Greenfield" <alfaguy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Karl -

I love doing transmissions (manuals only, too much black magic and voodoo
going on inside of automatics for me).

Disassembly is pretty straightforward. Remove the bellhousing, the small
plate that holds the springs and balls in place, and the shift lever stub.
When removing the stub, keep track of the shims, washers and spacers so that
they all go back together in the same positions.

You'll need to remove the output flange, for this you'll need a 1 1/4 deep
socket, remove the nut and the flange should come right off. Remove the rear
cover. You may need to give it a few good whacks with a soft face hammer to
break the sealant free.

You need to remove 5-R shift rail and fork to split the case. Unbolt the
fork from the rail and withdraw the rail. On reassembly, clean the bolt
holes and threads of the bolt, and use some loctite (blue) on them.

You can now split the case.

Lift the two shafts out of the case.

This is where it gets fun, you will need to press the gears off the shaft to
change the synchros. Keep track of all the spacers and shims, so it all goes
back together the same way.

The factory service manual has pretty good illustrations as to where to
press what and how it all comes apart. In addition to a press (or some
really good long pullers) you'll need some thin plates and or a large
bearing separator.

When I do a gearbox, I replace all 5 synchros, and the sleeves. If you are
sure that the gearbox has not been opened before, you can turn the 5-R
sleeve around as only one side is used.

You should also replace the bushings in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears. These need
to be honed to size after they are installed. There should be the tiniest
amount of play to allow for expansion when they are sized correctly.

Inspect the outer teeth on the gears, these are the teeth that the
synchronizer ring engages. They should be nice, sharp and pointy. If they
are dull or obviously worn, the gear in question will need to be replaced.

However, if one is marginal (usually 2nd gear) you can swap this outer gear
with 5th as 2-5 are the same and they can be pressed off the gear.

Check for excessive clearance between the sleeves and the forks as well. If
any are worn, they should be replaced too.

Lastly inspect the 'ball' on the rear of the mainshaft that centers the
driveshaft. Ideally measure the run-out with a dial indicator. I've been
seeing a lot of cars lately where this is worn quite badly and can cause
some pretty severe driveline vibrations. There is also a bushing in the
front of the driveshaft that fits over this. The bushing in the driveshaft
can be replaced and is available as a separate part if it is worn too.

Other than that, assembly is the reverse. Put new front and rear seals in it
too while it is apart, hey they are cheap.

Clean all the mating surfaces of the case with solvent (lacquer thinner
works for me) and avoid using anything abrasive, or scrapers that can gouge
the aluminum.

Use a good anaerobic sealant (not RTV) upon reassembly (threebond 1211,
hylomar, Yammabond. or similar) and torque everything to spec.

Don't forget the oil on installation (Yes, it has happened, no not to me :-)

HTH,

Jeff

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-alfa@domain.elided [mailto:owner-alfa@domain.elided] On Behalf Of Karl
Robrock
Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 1:31 PM
To: alfa@domain.elided
Subject: [alfa] bay area spider people

Hi all,
well, I made it out to the bay area finally. I would like to do a tranny
rebuild on my '91 spider pretty soon. I bought 3 new synchro rings (and hope
I
won't need gears). My problem is that I am new to the transmission scene.
Never done it. I can most certainly remove the tranny, and reinstall it, but
is there anyone out there that would like to donate some advice or time or
special tools to assist in rebuilding the tranny?

thanks,

Karl
now in Fremont, CA
'91 164L
'95 164LS
'94 164Q4
'91 Spider Veloce
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