Oh oh, time for an easyout.

 

You can use a Craftsman 2-1/8" socket from Sears for $27.99 to substitute the 54mm to remove the flywheel locknut and borrow a Timing Gear Puller from Autozone for free to remove the flywheel.

If you impact the flywheel nut off/on you don't need a breaker. CAUTION: LEAVE THE LOCKNUT ON WHEN REMOVING THE FLYWHEEL WITH THE PULLER OR RISK SERIOUS INJURY WHEN THE FLYWHEEL POPS OFF.

 

At what torque did it snap? That is good information to know. The spec is around 40 ft lbs. I would expect they would stretch at 50 and break by 60

How did you get it out? (if you did)

 

I had the wrench set to 30 (it's one of the clicker types). After it snapped I couldn't believe it and double checked it and it was at 30.

After I got done yelling, I pulled the tranny back out and was able to get a small pair of ViceGrips on it and back it out (it came out easily). The hole goes all the way through the engine block (its not a blind hole), so I am at a loss as to why the bolt broke (unless my wrench is WAY off).

I'm somewhat reluctant to reuse any of the rest of the old bolts. Will probably get a whole new set at Mazda on Monday.

 

I completely agree.

 

Amen! This was the best tool investment I have made in a looong time. Way better than using a set of ChannelLocks. I think I paid $25 with shipping from sjdiscounttools.com, and they sent them FedEx.

 

Went to Suburban Mazda in Troy (MI) today, and the parts counter could not find a part number for these bolts (they were not in any of their pictures). We checked both the engine and transmission drawings on the computer. I also checked all 3 of my shop manuals (Mazda general, Mazda engine and Mazda transmission), but they are not putting part numbers in these any more (I think our 1992 Miata one has part numbers in it). Does anyone have an idea what the number might be or where else to look?

 

Well, they are a metric bolt with a specific pitch count. You could just go get some SAE 5 or 8 bolts (these might also have something like "8.8" or "10.9" written on the head; has to do with the tensile strength of the bolt) in the proper size. They are likely to be M10 or so with 1.25 pitch but you should check to make sure.

 

After checking, I am almost positive that they are M10 bolts with 1.25 pitch; however, I am not sure what the JIS standard nominclature for bolt quality is. Whatever you get, get higher quality automotive bolts. What would be equivalent to SAE 5 to 8, (I would go for 5 or 6 as they are about 25% weaker than 8. That way, you minimize the chance of damaging the threads in your block if you over torque. If you over torque bolts that are stronger than the threads in your block, you have to retap your block (sorry, rotor housing.))

 

See the attached image. Aren't the 4 bolts identified as #99796-1055 the bolts you need? If so, those are standard bolts and the parts person should have no problem getting those.

 

I went back to Mazda today and poured over the drawings with the service manager, and on a whim tried the clutch drawing you showed. There are actually 5 bolts; 4 of the 99796-1055 and one of the 99796-1090. So I was able to cancel my previous order and get these on order. Parts should be here Friday, which will make my wife happy if I can get the car out of her parking spot in the garage.

 

Good! Sometimes they need a little help.

 

BTW: where did you get this drawing from? It's not in the service manual. Do you work for Mazda?

 

That came from the parts manual. No, I don't work for Mazda. See your PM.

 

With the shouldering on the bolt, I decided to go back to Mazda and pay the $6 each for new ones. Home Depot certainly had them for less, but it's not that big of an expense for a part I don't want to have to mess around with again.

The replacement bolts from Mazda are marked 8.8, which I believe is equivalent to grade 5 SAE hardware. I doubt the rotor housing is anything other than un-tempered steel (tempering usually distorts the shape of an object, while also making it more difficult to machine back into spec). In all the bolts I have broken off in my life (usually in engines), most are harder than the object they are being inserted into (an exception being nuts, which are usually a grade harder than the bolt).

 

More pictures from my "experience" can be found at:

Flywheel Install

Some notes:

1) The bolt at the top of the bell housing can be best seen with your head near the rear of the tranny looking forward. I could not find a place with my head up near the front of the tranny that I could see it. I needed about 24" of socket extension plus a swivel to reach it, as well as the one just below it. In this position, it is relatively easy to get at.

2) Yes, you do need to disconnect the battery. The starter motor has an integral solenoid, which means that the (+) terminal on the battery comes directly to the starter and is always hot. So when you pull the starter motor, you will have a hot battery cable just hanging there looking for trouble.

3) If possible, keep the car level on the jackstands (front and rear about the same height off the ground). This will reduce fluid loss from the tranny. It will also make the tranny sit on the jack better (esp. if you make your own tranny jack), which will make it easier to slip back into the engine later. With a home-made tranny jack, a rolled or folded towel at one end can be used to compensate for any angle between the jack and the tranny.

4) Wrap the driveshaft in a towel and tape the towel on. There are many opportunities to scratch it, such as it rolling on the floor or torquing it back to the diff. Don't forget to remove the towel later.

5) When you put the PPF back in, note the special procedure in the Workshop Manual to set the preload on it. This involves measuring the distance between the bottom of the PPF and the bottom of the front cross-member BEFORE torqing the bolts and taking the jack off the tranny, as well as after. I almost missed this, and was off quite a bit (almost an inch).

6) I tried to put the PPF on upside down. It will almost fit this way, but the exhaust hanger will hang up on the exhaust and the drive shaft. The exhaust hanger should go on the driver's side when remounting.

7) When removing the PPF, if you can get one end loose (e.g., the tranny end), you can wiggle the stuck end (e.g., the differential end) free much easier.

8) You WILL need a puller to get the flywheel off the engine. And a big hammer. It's on a keyed taper, which you wouldn't think could stick together so well, but boy does it ever. Make sure you leave the flywheel nut on (but out at the end of the eccentric shaft threads) when pulling so the flywheel doesn't pop off and hit you in the head when it finally comes loose. Same goes with getting the PPF loose (keep the nuts on part way until you have the whole thing loose), so you don't get an unexpected present suddenly in your lap.

9) A 2 1/8" socket is 53.975 mm and fits fine. I could not find a 54 mm socket for less than $100. I have a 2 1/8" socket + flywheel puller + flywheel stopper available cheap to the first requester. Stuff is in Detroit.

10) If you break off an exhaust bolt, buy a cobalt drill bit to drill it out. You will need a lot of drill bits, or a bench grinder to resharpen the one bit (hint: the grinder will cost you much less than the bits).


Overall, a fun project with a noticable change in the car. Took about 16 hours, without dealing with the two broken bolts. Not a project for beginners.

 

I would like to try this cuz I have alot of space in my backyard

but I find that if I need to get all the tools thats I need for this project, its gonna run me at least a hundred bucks if not more.

So I will just leave it to the people in the shop.

Which bolts do you guys recommend replacing besides the 4 of 99796-1055 and 99796-1090 ? Any Gaskets or anything ? I think it would be better if I can use all new bolts.

 

You don't need to replace the bolts unless one breaks, so don't worry about them. I appear to have been unlucky in this regard.

Typically if you pull the tranny to do a flywheel, you might as well replace the clutch (which I didn't do since I only had a few thousand miles on mine) and the clutch throwout and pilot bearing. These are special-order parts for most Mazda dealerships, so plan ahead.

 

Let me Bump this Thread ... bump.

One question, how heavy is the Transmission itself ?

Im trying to get a Transmission Jack Adapter, is 400 lbs good enough ?

 

the two on top aren't as hard to get to as they are to put them back on 'rolleyes'

the tranny is one heavy mother if I might add.

g/l with the install! it's a lot of fun, seriously.

look how much fun i had.


note in the third photo that I had an impact. not to mention a well knowledgeable friend who helped me out a lot (has a half-bridge ported fd, built it from the ground up).

 

I have an impact too, without it I dont think I want to do it.

Well I dont think the Tranny weight more than 400 lbs, dont you think ?

Edited (Correction, 400lbs)

I just have a Garage grade Jack and 4 3-ton Jackstand, Is it going to be high enough for me to move the tranny out ?

 

I ordered it -_-

Lets just hope that I wont be killed if it just snap off.

 

This sounds like something I might pay someone else to do. Any guesstimations on install costs at a reputable shop?

 

i might have to have a shop install mine also, even though i hate it cause i dont trust anyone with my car, and i wouldnt want them to screw anything up. gotta find a good shop

 

It weighs less than 150lbs.........unless the shipping CO that shipped mine are total idiots and shipped it for way less than they should have: