I have to replace the clutch in the 190e-16 but access to the tranny bolts is really tight. Looks like engine will touch the firewall if I lower the tranny much but I cant access the upper bell housing and starter bolts otherwise. Anyone done one of these before?

-TomP.

1) lower the trans/use a jack and some wood under the oil pan to raise the engine. Yes the engine will touch the firewall, but nothing bad will happen as long as you don't force it. You'll need a couple of long extensions, and probably a u-joint socket to get the the top bolt.

2) try and raise the transmission, and get to the bolt from the top. You'll need a good, long 6-point box-end wrench to break it loose.

__________________
1990 190e 2.6 - The only one I can really call "My Car".

1987 190e 2.3 - The donor car's up and running, only mods are Euros and a Sony headunit. My Dad's runabout now.

1990 300e 2.6 - The parents' ride.

for the starter bolts, it's definitely easier to get to them if the front of the engine is lifted.

__________________
1990 190e 2.6 - The only one I can really call "My Car".

1987 190e 2.3 - The donor car's up and running, only mods are Euros and a Sony headunit. My Dad's runabout now.

1990 300e 2.6 - The parents' ride.

Thanks, Ill be getting after it today and see how it goes.

Ok, clutch job is done. Here are some things that I noted for anyone else who is contemplating this job. Im assuming that the reader has done clutch jobs before, just not on a 16v . So this isnt a complete step by step guide. I mean if you dont know that you have to support the tranny before removeing the rear mount then this pbly isnt the kind of job you should try yet.

Here goes.....

1)first disconnect battery negative ok. (Hey its not obvious to everyone ok).
2)remove rear mount then unbolt driveshaft flexdisks at tranny and diff along with the center drive shaft support.
3)push rear disk off of diff and lower shaft then push front disk off and shove entire drive shaft rearward as far as it will go.
4) remove exhaust hanger bracket. (note cup washers orientation on ubolt).
5) support rear muffler and remove the three rubber hangers from ex system.
6) remove shifter rods(clips are a pain to reinstall) then speedo cable and
clutch line(12mm line wrench). I had a 5/16 id rubber cap to plug line from
master cyl else it will pour fluid out. Yuck!
7) remove the single bolt securing header pipe flange to its bracket.
8) place a small hydralic jack under front of engine(use wood block to protect sump).
9) lower tranny until it hangs then jack engine until tranny stops dropping. Have a helper LOWER exhaust as you go to prevent stressing the exhaust system. Be carefull, when the jack starts to lift engine off its mounts stop!
10) Using a long 18" half inch impact extention with swivel and 17mm socket you can barely reach the upper bell housing and starter bolts. lower bolts are easy. I used an impact for removal. Note the header mount bracket on the right side.
11) I used a little aluminium "racing" jack to support the tranny but its not real heavy as trannys go.

Now the HARD PART!
12) once all 10 bolts are removed seperate the tranny from the enigine just enough to clear the dowels, no more. Push starter back a couple of inches then rotate the tranny left (ccw) to help the starter bump clear the tunnel. You will now pull back and lower. Its tight but will come out if everything is positioned right. The clutch line bolted to the tranny tends to hang up so be carefull about that. For me this was the hardest part of the job believe it or not!

13) my flywheel was in very good shape so all i did to it was replace pilot bearing. I I borrowed a pilot bearing puller from autozone wich made that job easy.
14) now its normal clutch job work, release bearing etc. I have a lath so I turned a pilot tool to center the disk. If its not centered perfectly you have an extreemly difficult time stabbing the tranny.
15) Nows a really good time to pull the starter and take to your local rebuilder for inspection. Mine worked ok but I found the brushes had only a few months to go!
16) installation is pretty much reverse of removal. Dont forget to have the tranny rotated ccw when installing then rotate cw when dowels are almost against engine and rember to install the header bracket in bell housing.
17) You WILL need some sort of pressure bleeder to reverse bleed the clutch with. Pbly should have someone watch the master to be sure it downs not overflow.
18) Wash up and go get a couple of cold ones, You just earned em.

PS, those shifter rod clips are really hard to install in limited space. Anyone have a trick tool for that?

Feel free to ask me any questions while I still remember what I did!

-Tom Phillips.