Power plant frame reinstall issues?!?!?!
#1
Power plant frame reinstall issues?!?!?!
I have the rear up on ramps and the front slightly jacked on the left side. I placed a stacked of boards under the edge of the trannys pan. Now that I'm reinstalling the power plant frame - it’s not lining up! I'm bolting the rear up first - which is pointing downward. Pressure has to be applied to get the front part up to the tranny where it belongs and the front holes aren’t lining up. Seems the front studs are a little too far forward now and I'm having a hard time getting the frame up high enough. Is there a trick to this? What happens if I take the stack of boards out that is supporting the tranny? Any suggestions on how I can get this thing back together again would be much appreciated. I had to swap the gas tank out because it had a hole in it.
#2
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Reinstalling the PPF is not trivial. You can do serious harm if you do not install it correctly. The ovalized holes in the front of the PPF allow for increasing and decreasing the height of the engine and transmission relative to the car. So yes, if your transmission is too high, the bolts will not line up.
There is a very important page in the service manual describing the install process. In particular, there is a measurement from the front tunnel crossmember to the PPF that needs to be correct. As I said, damage to drive line parts, in particular the flywheel and clutch, may result otherwise (ask me how I know.)
Again, the measurement is from the top of the empty bolt bung on the front tunnel crossmember directly up to the PPF. I believe it needs to be 52mm, but I am not sure (I am not on my computer with the service manual on it.) Basically, you jack up the transmission, measure this distance (go a little high,) torque down the bolts in the proper order, remove the jack and remeasure the metric. If you are off, repeat the process.
Good luck
There is a very important page in the service manual describing the install process. In particular, there is a measurement from the front tunnel crossmember to the PPF that needs to be correct. As I said, damage to drive line parts, in particular the flywheel and clutch, may result otherwise (ask me how I know.)
Again, the measurement is from the top of the empty bolt bung on the front tunnel crossmember directly up to the PPF. I believe it needs to be 52mm, but I am not sure (I am not on my computer with the service manual on it.) Basically, you jack up the transmission, measure this distance (go a little high,) torque down the bolts in the proper order, remove the jack and remeasure the metric. If you are off, repeat the process.
Good luck
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Please see:
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-aftermarket-performance-modifications-23/help-should-i-resurface-my-racing-beat-flywheel-74593/
And
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-aftermarket-performance-modifications-23/hey-rb-flywheel-vibration-probs-due-misaligned-ppf-62076/
This conclusion was reached after considerable discussions with Jim Langer.
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-aftermarket-performance-modifications-23/help-should-i-resurface-my-racing-beat-flywheel-74593/
And
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-aftermarket-performance-modifications-23/hey-rb-flywheel-vibration-probs-due-misaligned-ppf-62076/
This conclusion was reached after considerable discussions with Jim Langer.
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Ok, I take your point and will (somewhat) counterpoint.
I dont have the experience you do, but I am capable of gathering data from my limited personal experience and reaching my own conclusion. From that, I will say that realigning my misaligned PPF definitely corrected a symptom that was centered at the pressure plate/clutch/flywheel. I can not exclude the possibility that the overall issue was related or caused by a bad pressure plate, but the misaligned PPF may have contributed.
I don't see that how we can be reasonably at odds on this, however.
Let me also mention that my method of aligning MY ppf is very similar to yours. I dont measure, I simply make sure that everything is in line. I would argue that this might be somewhat too obtuse to distribute to an initiate. I feel that a measurement, as I described, might be a better way for someone not familiar with replacing the PPF to be instructed. I allow that I could be wrong on this, but I dont think so.
As for the warrenty, I received no recompense from RB for the issues I experienced. I bought a new flywheel friction surface from them, tossed my RB clutch and pressure plate, and bought a centerforce pressure plate and clutch disc. I will say that I expected someone to ask this and thought about mentioning it earlier, but thought that I was being too cynical. I guess not.
ETA: I appreciate and respect your efforts, Charles. Were we physically together working on my car, I would even defer to your methods. But I would certainly be asking why.
I dont have the experience you do, but I am capable of gathering data from my limited personal experience and reaching my own conclusion. From that, I will say that realigning my misaligned PPF definitely corrected a symptom that was centered at the pressure plate/clutch/flywheel. I can not exclude the possibility that the overall issue was related or caused by a bad pressure plate, but the misaligned PPF may have contributed.
I don't see that how we can be reasonably at odds on this, however.
Let me also mention that my method of aligning MY ppf is very similar to yours. I dont measure, I simply make sure that everything is in line. I would argue that this might be somewhat too obtuse to distribute to an initiate. I feel that a measurement, as I described, might be a better way for someone not familiar with replacing the PPF to be instructed. I allow that I could be wrong on this, but I dont think so.
As for the warrenty, I received no recompense from RB for the issues I experienced. I bought a new flywheel friction surface from them, tossed my RB clutch and pressure plate, and bought a centerforce pressure plate and clutch disc. I will say that I expected someone to ask this and thought about mentioning it earlier, but thought that I was being too cynical. I guess not.
ETA: I appreciate and respect your efforts, Charles. Were we physically together working on my car, I would even defer to your methods. But I would certainly be asking why.
Last edited by carbonRX8; 05-22-2010 at 12:11 PM.
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1) The most common error is PPF alignment. (It seems you may have had this issue)
2) The second most common error is pressure plate assembly. Even professional mechanics often do it improperly. Ironically enough to your story, Chris, I was alerted to this 2 years ago by Will Baty, owner of Centerforce and I will soon be meeting with him about a new BHR Lightweight clutch kit. Everything he warned me about back then turned out to happen to BHR. (This is another possibility with your particular case as the disc/flywheel symptoms indicate this)
3) The third most common error is clutch disc alignment. (Usually in conjunction with point #2)
4 The fourth most common error is overspecifying the new clutch. People often think "more" is better but that is definitely NOT the case.
5) The fifth most common error is to use the bellhousing bolts to draw the tranny to the engine. Do NOT do this as damage will result.
6) The last common error I can think of is improper free-play adjustment of the clutch pedal. It needs to be 1/4"-1/2" at the pedal pad.
2) The second most common error is pressure plate assembly. Even professional mechanics often do it improperly. Ironically enough to your story, Chris, I was alerted to this 2 years ago by Will Baty, owner of Centerforce and I will soon be meeting with him about a new BHR Lightweight clutch kit. Everything he warned me about back then turned out to happen to BHR. (This is another possibility with your particular case as the disc/flywheel symptoms indicate this)
3) The third most common error is clutch disc alignment. (Usually in conjunction with point #2)
4 The fourth most common error is overspecifying the new clutch. People often think "more" is better but that is definitely NOT the case.
5) The fifth most common error is to use the bellhousing bolts to draw the tranny to the engine. Do NOT do this as damage will result.
6) The last common error I can think of is improper free-play adjustment of the clutch pedal. It needs to be 1/4"-1/2" at the pedal pad.
Expounding on your particular issue further (if I may);
Re-aligning the PPF probably eliminated the noises you heard as those noises were amplified in the cabin by the PPF contacting the tunnel braces and the shuddering you felt because a misaligned PPF will not mate properly to the transmission and will actually allow movement between the two.
Re-aligning the PPF probably eliminated the noises you heard as those noises were amplified in the cabin by the PPF contacting the tunnel braces and the shuddering you felt because a misaligned PPF will not mate properly to the transmission and will actually allow movement between the two.
In short, it is my opinion that you probably had two distinct issues with which you were dealing and they had nothing to do with one another except coincidence. If I understand your story correctly, you replaced the clutch, the flywheel friction ring, and realigned the PPF all at the same time?
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My point here was that if you did all three at the same time during ther problem-solving, I don't think it can be concluded that PPF misalignment caused clutch failure.
The most important thing is that your clutch is fixed, your car now drives properly, and you are happy.
The most important thing is that your clutch is fixed, your car now drives properly, and you are happy.
Oh, I see what you are asking. I think what happened is that I talked to RB regarding this issue, they put me onto the idea that the PPF needs alignment, then I I realigned the PPF. After that I posted that It fixed all my issues, but I eventually realized that I was still continuing to have engagement issues. I think at that point I took apart the tranny, saw the issues and bought new parts.
I may have this a little out of sequence, but I think the spirit of what happened is there.
#11
Thanks guys - little too late though. I got after it right away this morning. Major difference was getting it up in jack stands instead of having the rear on the ramps. This helped level everything and took the pressure off the rear differential making it easy to bolt the rear section in and making it easier to lift the front part up while mating it to the transmission. - I didnt see any room for adjustment in the rear. After bolting the rear part in I jacked the front of the ppf up with the transimission until the holes lined up and popped through. The only room for adjustment I saw, was like you said, the front end of the ppf being slotted. What I tried to do was line up the previous bolt marks which were basically dead at the front of the slot. I was close but not fully there so hopefully its okay. I'm just happy at this point that I got it all slapped back together. It all went together smoothly this time and the only way I could see someone not having it in right is if they dont have things jacked level and tighted the bolts prematurely in the rear part of the slot. Anyway, again, thanks for the help!
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If I remember correctly, I tightened the bolts slowly in a cross or star pattern to take up the springyness. Once the PP was in physical contact with the flywheel, tightened the bolts in a star pattern, likely to a light torque setting, then in the same pattern to full torque, making sure I made a smooth constant motion to full torque.
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I used locktite on the big flywheel bolt (not sure if it was red or blue; I think red,) but not the pp bolts. I will do that next time.
#14
So what really does happen if its misaligned? Right now my car is really doggy from 0-3k rpms and runs a 12 sec 0-60. I'm also getting occasional creaking noise at around 5.5 rpm and higher. I'm also getting a p0031 code right now. I don't have a cat on it.
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Right now, from reading from the info in your other threads, I think you have many multiple issues. I doubt the ppf is even on the list of issues, but if it is, it is far down the list. Deal with the codes first.
#16
When I checked it today my codes are down to just the o2 code. I should also note that i get a fair amount of vibration at idle and around 2k there is a pretty decent rattling.
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