ELIMN8R

I am in the middle of replacing the clutch in my 02' TransAM and have had no problems so far, with the exception of the dang Bellhousing. I have attempted to pry the housing off as suggested in the multiple online "How To's", but still cannot get it off. I understand that there are (8) 13mm bolts and (2) dowels that hold the housing to the engine. I have been able to get the housing loose on one side and can actually wiggle the whole thing with little effort, but it will not come off. I think I would be able to get it off if I could figure out where to pry on the passenger side of the housing. From what I have experienced, I am not sure what tool I should use, where I should pry against, and how hard is too hard - regarding prying. I defiantly do not want to warp the bellhousing or damage the oil pan. Any suggestions / tips / tricks that I could use to get the housing off would be sincerely appreciated.

ELIMN8R

Update on Bellhousing removal. I removed the started to get more leverage. The bellhousing appears to be stuck on the passenger side about half way up. I have pried and pried until I cried, the damn thing wont come off. Is there any other way to remove these things other than prying them off --- I plan to replace the clutch, PP, and Flywheel - if I ever get the bellhousing off.

n2ojunkie

just work it back and forth. I did it 2 weeks ago and I forgot just how hard it is to get off. a long prybar or screw driver work. if you have to tap the drivers side back on just a little. it will come off just takes time. good luck.

A_W_O_L

iTrader: (2)

did you remove the tranny from the bellhousing and drop it out of the way?

After that I removed the bellhousing-to-block bolts and then pryed and bumped it with a hammer...came right off.

ELIMN8R

Tranny was removed. I removed the (8) 13mm Bolts that hold it to the Engine, I just finished another 15 minutes of wiggling and cusing the thing. I have pushed the driver side of the housing back in to level it out as suggested by n20junkie, continued wiggling, cusing, and of course the thing just will not let go.

Where did you guys pry to get the housing off? I only have room to pry along the bottom half of the housing. Also, if I use a hammer to attempt to get it loose, where should I hit it? I dont want to break anything.

Thank you.

Dustin Butts

iTrader: (5)

Verify that you do indeed have all the bolts out. Mine was giving me a little trouble the other day and I noticed that I had forgotten one bolt. It was kind of irregulary placed up around the 10:00-11:00 position/area. Yes pull or wiggle it off evenly or it can bind up on those big fat dowels. Take a deep breath(in through the nose and out through the mouth) and get back in there champ...

NHRATA01

iTrader: (10)

Bingo, I did the exact same thing. The bellhousing was loose at the bottom, but I assumed it was stuck on a dowel pin. I pried and it wouldn't budge. Then I found that odd bolt, and it was obstructed by a wiring harness so I didn't even see it. Lucky I didn't distort it. Sounds simple but here's 2 of us who did the same thing in one week.

Otherwise try using some PB Blaster around where the dowel pins are and see if that helps. And when you put it back, give it a nice helping of anti-size on the pins.

ELIMN8R

Thank you all for the information. I plan to get back under the car and try to get the thing off in an hour or so. I will let you know what it took to get it off. Thanks again for the help.

ELIMN8R

The Bellhousing gods lent me a hand this afternoon. I now have the housing off the engine. Thank you all that helped with this. It turns out that the passenger side dowel was actually rusted and made removal a real b!tc#. This thing proved to be more difficult to remove than the transmission. Again, thank you for all your help.

By the way, I think I pulled every mucsle in my left arm removing this thing.

Dustin Butts

iTrader: (5)

Alright! Glad you got her out. Like NHRA said take some fine sandpaper or emery cloth and clean the rust off and put a little anti-seize on the dowels.
ALSO: check the two small dowels at the 3:00 and 9:00 position of your trans. The dowels are about a 1/4" in dia. Make sure they are both actaully in the trans. Sometimes they go missing or get stuck in the bellhousing when you pull the trans. If so, tap them back into the trans with a hammer.