Gollum Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 Ok, need your guy's help, because i've been wrestling with this engine all day and it doesn't want to go into it's new home. So the engine started about 2 inches too far forward... whaa? ...tranny mount was on backwards... good job me! Reversed that and it STILL wouldn't go in. Bolted the tranny in first, didn't torque down too tight because i wanted to have wiggle room, and no matter how hard I try I can't get any closer than it is in these pics. It's SO CLOSE I can feel it, but the engine really just won't budge. I also tried loosening the tranny mount thinking maybe it was binding, nope. The engine, tranny, and whole crossmember/rack are from a 2+2 ZX. Could that make a difference? I'm at a total loss here guys. Any help will be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 I had a similar problem in my jeep. I ended up jacking the motor up and using a come along to pull the engine into place. Worked like a charm. Come along = that thing that ratchets with two hooks on each end. Not sure if that is the correct name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted July 25, 2007 Author Share Posted July 25, 2007 Actually, I just found the problem and here's the pics. Ok, so on my NA car those mounting tabs a CENTERED on the support. Nissan is officially the bane of my existence right now. The support mount is COMPLETELY different from the NA on IN ORDER to set the tranny farther back, so why did nissan still insist on not reshaping it enough and then welding the tabs farther back? What in the fudge am I supposed to do now?! The only thing I can think of is to hammer the tabs back. It doesn't need to go so far back that I need to drill a new hole on the tranny mount, but that might be my only option. Ideas anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mykoe817 Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 damn man. sorry for all the issues. im sure you will figure something out. rewelding the tabs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffer949 Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 if your talking what im thinking about you just need to get the other crossmember.. the one out of my auto 2+2 turbo donor car wasnt straight and the one from my manual was straight.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted July 25, 2007 Author Share Posted July 25, 2007 which cross member are you talking about? the tranny bracketing or the actual engine cross member? EDIT: If you're talking about the tranny mount then I'll try it. I've got both here, but it looked like the 2+2 one set it FARTHER back, or farther forward if it was installed in reverse. But it's worth a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speeder Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 The transmission crossmember from the 280ZXT has a rearward offset, and should be used when putting the ZXT drivetrain (with T5 Tranny) in an S30. In my swap, using the ZXT crossmember and the T5 tranny mount still didn't line up perfectly. I substituted a stock front diff mount for the T5 tranny mount, with the two side holes slotted to bolt to the transmission and turned around backwards, then everything lined up. Also in my case I also had to shorten the ZXT driveshaft by about 3/4" to prevent binding. I learned this the hard way, ruining a tranny tailstock bushing and driveshaft front yoke in the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted July 25, 2007 Author Share Posted July 25, 2007 Except my car isn't a S30... it 'should' bolt right in. They had turbo models this year, so why it wouldn't drop right in I have no clue, except like I showed in my last pics, the actual tabs are welded differently in the car the motor came from. EDIT: Though it's off topic (my thread muwahaha), I saw in the pics of your car speeder, that you don't have an oil cooler on your L28ET. Ever have oil temp issues? Mine doesn't have an oil cooler either, and was wondering how much of a difference it'll really make running near stock psi... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Loosen up the motor mount bolts on the block and loosen up the front crossmemeber. The cross member might be just a little cocked and causing this alignment issue. I really doubt they made different ears in the tranny tunnel for a ZXT vs a ZX, it would cost more money for Nissan to do that and I doubt they wanted to spend more money! Or you could just slot your motor mounts... Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted July 25, 2007 Author Share Posted July 25, 2007 Oh it's the same ears for SURE! But they're just welded on 1/4 inch farther back on the 2+2 car. I'm 100% positive of it. I did swap the crossmember and was wondering if it might be off a tad. Tomorrow I'll loosen it and give it some love nudges and see where we're at (and loosten the mounts from the block, thanks for the tip). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinhZXT Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 There is a bolt underneath each engine mount. You can loosen them to get some slack. If that doesn't get the holes lined up you can loosen the 4 bolts under the engine frame rails to loosen the whole crossmember. That should give you some more slack there. Don't forget to loosen the steering rod to allow the crossmember to move. BTW I suggest you to bolt up the engine to the mounts first and then work your way to the tranny mount. The tranny crossmember will flex and it will give you some slack to get it into the mounts. Good luck. V. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted July 25, 2007 Author Share Posted July 25, 2007 Me and my brother looked long and hard at the pics and decided that I should slot the tranny mount about a 1/4 inch or so. I'll get started on that tomorrow, should go in easy after that. I'll keep yall updated for future people that might have that problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted July 25, 2007 Author Share Posted July 25, 2007 OK! It's in!!! Loosened everything up, took my time, exercised patience. And then it went right in. I think the reason the bracketing looks like it's in a different spot on the 2+2 is because the tranny tunnel support hump is actually wider than the 2 seater car, so visually it's in a different spot, but it's actually the same distance from the core support. Thanks for the help everyone. Pics will be in my other thread later tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speeder Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Except my car isn't a S30... oops. No problems with oil temp so far - I do have a cooler ready if I ever do any extended road race time, however. Probably will not happen before the Buick swap, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intuitdriver Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 I had all kinds of the same trouble with my l28et swap. could not get bell house flush on block, motor mounts would get close but not enough to bolt em in. Could not get the motor at proper angle. 10hrs no progress my solution: pulled tranny out, pulled motor back out, reinstalled the clutch kit and flywheel. bolted up the tranny to motor while out of car, attached chains to motor @ a perfect level (didnt use an engine leveler), kept motor mounts loose @ moto and insulators loose on chassis. Dropped it in nice and slow, and it took no time at all. Everything slipped right in place. 2hrs tons of progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.