23 replies to this topic

[Mini Mad Drakeley]

hi guys,

 

so my 998 crapped itself, got a replacement 1275 which i was told was running perfectly when removed from the car.

 

1275 looks worse than the 998 so im stripping down the 998 for a re-hone and new rings and bearings and run it while i build the 1275.

 

im having trouble splitting the engine and gearbox on the 998, ive removed flywheel, clutch, transfer gears cover and the cam and timing chest plate on the other side along with all the bolts and nuts going around the outside that hold them together.

 

i can clearly see where the joint is the whole way around but for the life of me i can't get them separated, is there anything else that needs removed or is it just because its a 36 year old gasket?

 

its a pre A+ engine if that makes any difference and i would have checked my haynes manual but ive misplaced it somewhere.

 

thanks Adam

[Domneon]

I broke the seal between the box and engine by tapping the box with a rubber mallet, then lifted engine away using the engine crane

[tiger99]

You didn't have to remove the timing cover backplate at this stage, but it does no harm at all. If the transfer case is off, and the bolts, at least two sizes, around what was the sump in the original A series installations, are all removed, it is indeed just the gasket and a couple of possibly rusty dowels that are holding it. There are 5 bolts at the front, 5 set screws at the back, and if I recall correctly, one solid dowel, and another which has a bolt through it with nut and special washer. You will have seen those. The suggestion above is sensible, and everything else that you can try will be a variant of the same theme.

 

I would hang the engine on the crane (assuming it is strong enough), only 3 inches off the floor, using a bracket on two cylinder head studs, and whack the gearbox all round with a soft hammer until it starts to move. A "dead blow" hammer, with the head filled with lead shot or small ball bearings, is good, and it needs a hard rubber or plastic face. Or use an intermediate piece of wood, a 12" long piece of good, hard 2*2, used on end, might work, and whack the wood with a normal hammer.

 

You can whack the gearcase quite hard on top of the diff casing (as close as possible to the main body), the top of the extension housing at the radiator end, and the rim below the first motion shaft gear at the clutch end. Repetitive blows, moving around all 3 places, or more if you can find them, will move it eventually. It may pay to identify the dowels and soak them in PlusGas for a while.

 

Edit: I am sure you know not to force a screwdriver, chisel or wedge in between engine and gearbox, but I will be surprised if someone does not come along and suggest that very thing. "Don't do as I do, do as I say", perhaps, or maybe they all have huge oil leaks?

Edited by tiger99, 22 March 2014 - 05:18 PM.

[Tamworthbay]

Are you sure you have all the nuts off? There are a couple right by the crank end that usually get covered in so much gunk that they are invisible. There is also another stud close by so you think you have them all when in fact there are a couple left. There is a diagram in the Haynes manual (I think).

[Gremlin]

Are you sure you have all the nuts off? There are a couple right by the crank end that usually get covered in so much gunk that they are invisible. There is also another stud close by so you think you have them all when in fact there are a couple left. There is a diagram in the Haynes manual (I think).

Crank end? Haha, as above the dowels maybe be seized as they are not inside the engine being splashed with oil, it may have been quite humid when they put the block and box together and may have rusted together

[Tamworthbay]

Are you sure you have all the nuts off? There are a couple right by the crank end that usually get covered in so much gunk that they are invisible. There is also another stud close by so you think you have them all when in fact there are a couple left. There is a diagram in the Haynes manual (I think).

Crank end? Haha, as above the dowels maybe be seized as they are not inside the engine being splashed with oil, it may have been quite humid when they put the block and box together and may have rusted together

??? Crank end - I.e the ends of the crank where the crank ends exit the block. As opposed to the sides of the block. Not sure how else you would describe it. They are very often missed.

[Tamworthbay]

Not the best diagram but you can see two black dots on the second diagram down, left hand side (timing end if you like).

https://www.minispar...ers.aspx?1~4~33

Or the top centre two holes here:

https://www.minispar...|Back to search

[Gremlin]

I thought you meant a specific end and just forgot to say which end, never mind anyway

[Tamworthbay]

I thought you meant a specific end and just forgot to say which end, never mind anyway

no worries, there is only one end they can be at as the other one is in the transfer case. I beat hell out of a case when I had my first mini at 17 and missed one of the buggers. Took a while to suss it out and in the days before the internet there was no one to ask, have seen it done a few times since by other people as its so tucked in that it completely disappears under the grease and dirt.

[tiger99]

It certainly does get filthy in that area, and I have had them disappear from sight. A black, sticky, abrasive (don't get it in screw threads!) mess comprising road dirt and engine oil, I think. Fortunately I knew they were there, thanks to whatever manual I had (not Haynes then). Also I had a scrap Moggy engine, with sump, so I knew where they should be from that. They are indeed close in to the "front" main bearing. (The Moggy engine became a surface table for bolting things down flat before welding, using the head studs, as it was of no use for anything else. I just threw the innards away, nothing, even the crank, was usable, and cleaned the block. It had been fly tipped.)

[Mini Mad Drakeley]

Well i wish i had of waited for these replies, i don't own an engine crane so i lifted it while my friend hit the gearbox to separate it, i missed the bolt that has been covered in dirt, a few whacks and unfortunately but surprisingly broke the corner of the casing off, made my day turn abit worse,i have an old gearbox i should be able to use the casing from if its a pre A plus gearbox and just swap it all in so hopefully isn't the end of the world

thanks, Adam

[Gremlin]

Oh dear, glad you got it off and good luck seapping all the bits over

[Tamworthbay]

Well i wish i had of waited for these replies, i don't own an engine crane so i lifted it while my friend hit the gearbox to separate it, i missed the bolt that has been covered in dirt, a few whacks and unfortunately but surprisingly broke the corner of the casing off, made my day turn abit worse,i have an old gearbox i should be able to use the casing from if its a pre A plus gearbox and just swap it all in so hopefully isn't the end of the world
thanks, Adam

what a pain! I thought there was a good chance it was that little bugger, its so,easy to miss if you don't know its there. I know its no consolation but you aren't the first and won't be the last to do it.

[Mini Mad Drakeley]

Well im glad i learnt my lesson with that mistake, i would have been more annoyed if i had of broken the 1275 gearbox if i stripped it down first
i will be swapping everything over to the other casing today, thankfully i found my Haynes manual again because its the first time Il have done any gearbox work so should be fun :)

thanks, Adam

[Dusky]

Wouldn't it be easier to jet get it aliminium welded/soldered back toghether? or would the bond be too weak?