[experament-u2]

im pulling out my gearbox in my grand vitara to replace the clutch and rear main seal. but im having trouble getting the bellhousing to separate from the back of the engine iv removed all 4 bolts holding the bell housing, the gear sticks, drive shafts, starter motor. and i still cant get it to separate, iv tried a jimmy bar but no luck
is there anything im missing?

[Scrawny]

Is there a thin backing plate at the bottom of the bellhousing? Does it seperate even a little bit or does it still feel as though they are bolted together somewhere?

[experament-u2]

i havent removed the inspection plate on the base of the bell housing, when i wiggle the gearbox a bit it separates a tiny bit

[Scrawny]

It may just be stuck on the spigot bearing but make sure everything is removed/disconnected before you lever too hard

[steak_knife]

Did you get the 2 17mm nut's facing the front of the car??

[experament-u2]

im going to double check to make sure nothing is holding it

would twisting the whole gearbox a little help to brake the seal?

yes i got the 2 17mm nuts at the bottom of the gearbox

[steak_knife]

Thay are a tight fit, the stud's for above said nut's are a very good fit into the block, you WILL not twist the box because of those stud's, go over & check for more bolt's, if you can't find any, let the back of the box hang down & wobble the box from side to side, I usually put the nut's on 1/2 a turn so the box can't fall out.

Hope that help's.

[gregdixon]

Mine was tight when I replaced my seal last month. But it turned out that the Transfer case weighed more than the box, so while i was tyring to push up on the box to free it, all i had to do was pull down to take the weight of the transfer case. It has to come off those dowels pretty straight as they are a tight fit

[gregdixon]

If you want some pics of the job i will grab them of my work laptop if you need

[experament-u2]

thanks mate il give it a try
atm i have the jack positioned under the gearbox drain plug so i might move the jack to the back of the trany and put something between the bottom of engine and crossmeber to stop the engine dropping with the gearbox

[gregdixon]

yeah I had the trolley jack under the flat spots in front of the cross member and it was still heavier to the rear. Did you get any advice on installing the seal? Can be bit tricky i was told

[experament-u2]

no i didn't, im installing a new sprigot bearing and rear main seal but i have help to do them so i think il be alright, is there any tricks or tips i should know tho?

[gregdixon]

I was told by the guys at suzistore to work the seal over the end of the crank starting at one side working your way around ensuring the lip is going over okay. Apparently you can tear the lip of the seal if you try to put it on square with a seal installer. Just need to make sure that the spring on the seal doesn't pop off when working the seal over.