I've had either a rear crank seal or a trans input shaft seal, or both, leaking for some time now. Clutch has been slipping slightly, and I've been babying it. Yesterday the clutch gave it up. I also need to replace pushrod tube seals and motor mounts. I'm presently building a 2056 with Raby 9550 cam, so I'll be swapping engines in the near future. The swap will be a complete long block, tin and all. Pull engine, install trans, and install new engine. Now to my dilemma.
Should I,
1. pull the trans and replace seals and clutch only and drive?
2. pull engine and trans, replace seals, clutch, and pushrod tube seals
3. Pull it all and wait for the new motor and drive the truck?

Curt,
If mine was a daily driver, I would chose option 1. Option 2 is possible also, but you know what happens when you start tearing into these cars - while I'm in there disease. How far in the future is the new engine? If soon, definitely option 1.
Tom

Tom, The case is on the stand. I'm waiting on the crank polish and balance, and rods and pistons balanced, and wrist-pin bushing install right now. Also have to find a couple of rebuildable heads in my pile.
It depends on what I'm doing that day on what I drive. If I don't need the truck, I'm not spending twice the money on gas.

I think I would do option 3, since you have an alternative driver. Spend your 914 working time on the new engine, dropping the old engine, sealing the transmission.

Pull it all. No reason not to, and you are going to have to pull it for the new engine anyway.

Zach

I'm with Zach here. If your heads still need to be rebuilt, I'm guessing your engine might not be ready for a couple of months.

While I've never pulled just the tranny before, pulling both together is easy. With the motor out, replacing the pushrod tube seals is quick and you can do an easy valve adjustment at the same time.

The new 2056 is several months away yet. Pulling trans, replacing seals, and clutch, and reinstalling trans is an afternoons work. During the Ft Smith MUSR, I changed a blown trans in the hotel parking lot in under two hrs. My car has never lived on jackstands and I don't want this to be a first time. I just see no reason to have the car down for 4 to 6 months. There is nothing wrong with the engine thats in it. It just leaks oil. I'm afraid of Dirk Wright.

You work that fast? NICE!

You started the thread at 7 a.m. (MST) and your last post was at 9:31 (MST); you could have been half way done by now.

option 1 imo

IMHO plan to pull all (2) - it's easy full drivetrain drop as you probably know & plan to do a 2-fer, but assess what else might be going on with the engine while you've got it out that may need to be taken care of, then decide if it's a 2.5 (out for a bit to take care of more stuff) or full on 3 (too much to f-with & may as well spend the time on the 2056). Plus you can probably use that time to get in the new motor & transaxle mounts, etc. in advance of the 2056, for a faster engine swap later.

As you know, if you plan on 3 from the git go, shit happens in life & time can stretch out on it. So if you can get it out & back in & running well, then you'll have a solid 25-30 mpg driver back there where the distances to stuff can be far (& on fun roads), as well as checking out whether you then have a solid back-up engine if the 2056 has quirks to resolve &/or if you want to sell the "extra" old small displ. motor.

BTW - glad you got the newbie on here from Tulsa hooked up with the 914 group there, & helped him with his headlight issues.

Kudos!

Start prepping & do option 3

Drop and give me 20.

Just think of all the stuff you can do with the car on jackstands and the engine and tranny out.

Twenty years later it should look like new (there won't be any gas by then but...)

Pulling the tranny alone is easier and less risky (all things considered) than pulling the whole drive train, I have done this a few times now. The engine does not have to be disconnected from everything then reconnected, so there is less to touch, less to break. Pushrod tube seals adn motor mounts are easy enough to do with the engine in the car (its regular maintenance no need to pull the engine for this), unless you can put the case on a stand.

Don't make a bigger job out of it than it already is.

#2...Before my WRX conversion My personal record was one Friday night starting at 5pm, by myself, pull the engine and transaxle in one unit, break it down, replace all the main seals and put it back in by 11:30pm same night...Took about 12 tallboy beers. Now having said that, I had done it about 10 times over 10 years so there was no guesswork. Just gotta be really careful (with that many beers...).

I'm just glad I don't have to do that anymore.

Ed

Totally agree with Jeff, do Option 1 and you can drive the car the same day. I've pulled the transmission-only several times. It is much easier out and in than pulling both, which I've done multiple times. I also did the pushrod seals with the engine in the car. I can't see that removing it would have made it easier.

Update. I've also had some other problems lately that weren't related to the thread so I didn't bring them up. I've had some intermittent shifting slop so I decided check all the bushings. All good. I also checked the motor mounts. Clean and dry, no cracks or seperations. While checking the mounts I happen to notice the front lower tin is not in its proper position. Checking farther reveals all the screws are gone, and the tin is about an inch higher than it should be. Then I check on top. WTF??? The front peice of tin is about 1" above the engine shelf on the pass side. The tin has been ripped loose from the fan housing. The drivers side tin is 1 1/2" below the engine shelf. Engine mount bar does not appear to be bent. That would be a helluva bend. Bar to bodys mounts appear to be correct. All sheetmetal at body mount is solid with no rust.

Looks like option 4 is gonna be underway Saturday.
4. Remove engine and fix everydamn thing!

At least I figured out the shifting problem.

I wanna hear what your guys think is the problem with the engine being cockeyed.

Did the housing to the fan fracture at the engine case? I'm having a tough time re-visualizing what a stock 914 looks like in that area, and how it all bolts together.

Not the fan housing. The tin that bolts to the fan shroud in front.