EDIT: Here is my post after completing the project which can also be found below if you're interesting in reading the progression of the thread. Thought I would put this at the top, so someone doesn't dismiss this thread after reading the first post.
-----------------------------------
Finished. After 8 days the project is completed. No leaking, clutch feels 100x better. Bell housing unfortunately is still cracked, but when it falls apart at least I know how to get the tranny off, and it should go much faster next time.


Here's the order I did it: Feel free to suggest changes to this order.

1. Cracked bell housing bolts loose, remove top center and top passenger bell housing bolts, rest can be accessed under car.
2. Remove shifter (do this inside the car, remove boot, clip, reverse plate-2 screws, plastic and rubber pieces). After raising car you'll need to remove allen screw and shifter connection to transmission
3. Undo reverse light connector from driver side panel and pull it from under carpet so you don't stretch it when the transmission comes out.
4. Secure Engine so it doesn't mash against the firewall when tranmsission is unsupported (2x4 across engine bay and some good rope worked for me)
5. Raise car, support transmission
4. Remove starter, clutch cable, all bolts except bottom 2 from bell housing
5. Remove transmission crossmember
6. Remove driveline making sure to mark anywhere the driveline is unhooked. I removed the driveline at the rear of the transmission and the front of the rear differential, marked both placed so I could put it together correctly.
7. Remove remaining bell housing bolts and carefully lower transmission
8. Remove pressure plate bolts
9. Replace clutch disk (this is about the end of the road if all you're doing is the clutch, if you need to do Rear main seal... FORWARD!)
10. Remove flywheel and mark position on engine block so you know how to install it correctly
11. Replace RMS, housing gasket as needed
12 put 'er back together. Reverse order basically. Don't put the transmission crossmember back on until you've put your driveline back together for ease of assembly.


Tips:

Use a friend if you have one when lowering and raising the transmission. Especially if all you've got is jack stands under the car. It's not TOO heavy ~100 lbs??, but it is awkward under there. Holding a transmission with an arm fully extended will wear about anyone out, especially a wimp like me and if it drops on something soft like your face, it's going to leave a mark.

When raising the transmission back into place, it has to be rotated in a clockwise fashion if you are facing from the rear of the transmission/pressure plate in order for the starter motor housing to clear the floor of the vehicle. This is a good time to have a friend so you don't rest the transmission on your brand new clutch disc and bend the plate!!!! I found we had to remove the piece from the back of the transmission that holds the shifter in place (4 bolts) to get it all back together.

Alignment tool = must have. Very cheap.

Pilot bearing. Easier to get out than insert in my limited experience (mostly because I didn't care if I damaged it while taking it out). I got it out by putting a "seal pick" that was angled at 90 degrees behind the bearing and then hitting the handle of the pick with a pair of pliers (jaws of the pliers around the pick portion). Poor man's slide hammer I suppose! Work the pick around the bearing so it doesn't become jammed.

Release bearing- extremely easy to do, would suggest replacing it anytime the transmission comes off.

I didn't refinish the flywheel. It did not have any cracks (fine or large) on it upon inspection and I roughed it up a bit with some steel wool. It now feels GREAT. I didn't know how bad the old clutch was until I used this new one for the first time. Difference was night and day.

Rear main seal- easy enough to replace, I broke down and got the actual "Volvo" part from the dealer. The Elring seal I received from FCP was cheap feeling and flimsy. I feel much more comfortable with the more sturdy "Volvo" part. I didn't want to replace that again for YEARS, which is the biggest reason I went with the Volvo part. I could not use gasket sealer on the outer rim because the darn thing kept sliding out of place.

Rear seal housing gasket- Like swiftjustice suggested, it must be meticulously cut to length. I got under the car and made a lot of adjustments to where it was just the right length according to the two dowels that holds the housing in place. Put the gasket in place and use the dowels (obviously the housing is removed at this point and the old gasket scraped clean) to determine if the gasket is the right length. If it's too long the bottom portion of the gasket will not meet up with the engine block but instead meet the oil pan gasket prematurely. When all was said and done, the gasket was cut JUST SLIGHTLY shorter than the left and right sides of the gasket housing (about a hairs length). I used Permatex gasket seal on the gasket to hopefully ensure no leakage around the housing.

Bell housing bolts- I was able to break loose the top (center) and top passenger side bolts from the top without too much trouble. The rest, I assume, are easiest to access from below the car.

Clutch cable- Probably my next repair. I think mine was screwed up from the start. The Bentley manual claims that the adjustment nut is closer to the clutch fork. The only way I was able to adjust it was from the plastic piece that is just aft of the round cable support on the bell housing. Tore that sucker up with pliers trying to adjust it for removal and then tightening to spec. The part that Bentley describes as being the adjustment nut would NOT move, in fact it looked like it had sucked into the cable housing that goes through the support and would not move. Cost me a good 2 hours trying to figure that thing out.

Pressure plate bolts- Allen headed bolts, came out easily for me with a good allen wrench and some tapping from a small hammer. Some people have described difficulty with these and stripping problems. Mine came out fairly easy and I replaced them with hex-headed bolts.

Overall, a fun project. Glad to have it done though. Thanks for the help I got here. If anyone has any questions, I'll certainly be willing to TRY to explain something.




=====================================Original Post============================







Looking for any tips on how to get this done as efficiently as possible. Will update and provide any tips I find as well, would love to take some pictures as well, we'll see if I can get a friend to help with that a little. Need it done this week.

Items I have:
clutch
pressure plate
pilot bearing
release bearing
transmission mount
rear main seal


1. Do I need to get the alignment tool or is it easy enough to align the darn thing?
2. I'm planning on just manhandling the transmission into and out of the car. Good idea or bad idea?
3. Any special tips that will make my life a lot easier?
4. What transmission fluid should I put back in?
5. Any additional parts that I should have on hand?
6. Jack stands at 4 corners or just the front?

7. And of course, Thanks for any help!!!!!!!

 

You always need the alignment tool and even then it's a prayer! If you lack the tool a long socket will often have close to the right diameter, put it on a 6" extension if needed.

IDK specifically how these are balanced but it might be useful to have the crossmember attached and borrow a friend.

 

BTW, just noticed that according to the VIN, this car has a M90 transmission (is that even possible?). Don't know if that changes the process at all...

 

anything else? Countdown to ordering parts is on!

 

Your car does not have an M90...those never made to the US market. It should have an M47. If you're intent on swapping the rear main seal, be sure to get the gasket for the rear main seal carrier. When installing the gasket, gut it a tiny bit shy of the bottom of the block. If it overlaps with the oil pan gasket, it will drip annoyingly just as if it was the rear main leaking. If you remove the flywheel for any reason, be certain to note the location as it will not run if reinstalled in correctly.
The manual transmissions use ATF...originally Type F...but Dexron 3 is fine. When I use jack stands, I prefer to have 4...you may need to have a bit more room w/ a tranny on your chest.

 

Thanks swift. Found the rear crank gasket that you recommended. We'll see how it goes together when I get all the parts.

I'm only going to have the rear seal on hand in case it looks like it needs changed. If it's dry and supple, I'm not touching the thing.

 

That's what she said!

 

Hahahaha

 

Instead of starting yet another thread for more small questions, I'm going to post all my questions here and anyone can chime in.

1. Still wondering about the seriousness of bell housing fine cracks. Don't want the bell housing to fall apart while driving across North Dakota!

2. Where are places that oil could be entering the bell housing? I replaced the rear main seal and RMS housing gasket, and that area (in front of the flywheel) was oily, but behind the clutch assembly was REALLY oily. Not sure where that oil is coming from, but I'd love to find out and repair it before putting it back together and burning up another clutch due to oil.

3. What is the proper way to raise the transmission back into place. I know it has to be supported, but it seems that it won't simply lift into place without being rotated. Any tips? Should I start with it rotated counterclockwise (reference point being the front of the car from the back of the car) and then rotate clockwise, vice-versa, or another totally different way?

I'll get this job done eventually. Kind of hard when the car is about 45 minutes away and I only have a few hours after work each evening. I'm really worried about that bell housing, and will probably end up putting the stupid thing back on, just because I have to get the car out of my friends garage (so he can store his car) and won't have time to ship one here to phila. I guess we'll see how long it lasts.

Thanks for all the help and the patience with the newb.

 

Finished. After 8 days the project is completed. No leaking, clutch feels 100x better. Bell housing unfortunately is still cracked, but when it falls apart at least I know how to get the tranny off, and it should go much faster next time.


Here's the order I did it: Feel free to suggest changes to this order.

1. Cracked bell housing bolts loose, remove top center and top passenger bell housing bolts, rest can be accessed under car.
2. Remove shifter (do this inside the car, remove boot, clip, reverse plate-2 screws, plastic and rubber pieces). After raising car you'll need to remove allen screw and shifter connection to transmission
3. Undo reverse light connector from driver side panel and pull it from under carpet so you don't stretch it when the transmission comes out.
4. Secure Engine so it doesn't mash against the firewall when tranmsission is unsupported (2x4 across engine bay and some good rope worked for me)
5. Raise car, support transmission
4. Remove starter, clutch cable, all bolts except bottom 2 from bell housing
5. Remove transmission crossmember
6. Remove driveline making sure to mark anywhere the driveline is unhooked. I removed the driveline at the rear of the transmission and the front of the rear differential, marked both placed so I could put it together correctly.
7. Remove remaining bell housing bolts and carefully lower transmission
8. Remove pressure plate bolts
9. Replace clutch disk (this is about the end of the road if all you're doing is the clutch, if you need to do Rear main seal... FORWARD!)
10. Remove flywheel and mark position on engine block so you know how to install it correctly
11. Replace RMS, housing gasket as needed
12 put 'er back together.


Tips:

Use a friend if you have one when lowering and raising the transmission. Especially if all you've got is jack stands under the car. It's not TOO heavy ~100 lbs??, but it is awkward under there. Holding a transmission with an arm fully extended will wear about anyone out, especially a wimp like me and if it drops on something soft like your face, it's going to leave a mark.

When raising the transmission back into place, it has to be rotated in a clockwise fashion if you are facing from the rear of the transmission/pressure plate in order for the starter motor housing to clear the floor of the vehicle. This is a good time to have a friend so you don't rest the transmission on your brand new clutch disc and bend the plate!!!! I found we had to remove the piece from the back of the transmission that holds the shifter in place (4 bolts) to get it all back together.

Alignment tool = must have. Very cheap.

Pilot bearing. Easier to get out than insert in my limited experience (mostly because I didn't care if I damaged it while taking it out). I got it out by putting a "seal pick" that was angled at 90 degrees behind the bearing and then hitting the handle of the pick with a pair of pliers (jaws of the pliers around the pick portion). Poor man's slide hammer I suppose! Work the pick around the bearing so it doesn't become jammed.

Release bearing- extremely easy to do, would suggest replacing it anytime the transmission comes off.

I didn't refinish the flywheel. It did not have any cracks (fine or large) on it upon inspection and I roughed it up a bit with some steel wool. It now feels GREAT. I didn't know how bad the old clutch was until I used this new one for the first time. Difference was night and day.

Rear main seal- easy enough to replace, I broke down and got the actual "Volvo" part from the dealer. The Elring seal I received from FCP was cheap feeling and flimsy. I feel much more comfortable with the more sturdy "Volvo" part. I didn't want to replace that again for YEARS, which is the biggest reason I went with the Volvo part. I could not use gasket sealer on the outer rim because the darn thing kept sliding out of place.

Rear seal housing gasket- Like swiftjustice suggested, it must be meticulously cut to length. I got under the car and made a lot of adjustments to where it was just the right length according to the two dowels that holds the housing in place. Put the gasket in place and use the dowels (obviously the housing is removed at this point and the old gasket scraped clean) to determine if the gasket is the right length. If it's too long the bottom portion of the gasket will not meet up with the engine block but instead meet the oil pan gasket prematurely. When all was said and done, the gasket was cut JUST SLIGHTLY shorter than the left and right sides of the gasket housing (about a hairs length). I used Permatex gasket seal on the gasket to hopefully ensure no leakage around the housing.

Bell housing bolts- I was able to break loose the top (center) and top passenger side bolts from the top without too much trouble. The rest, I assume, are easiest to access from below the car.

Clutch cable- Probably my next repair. I think mine was screwed up from the start. The Bentley manual claims that the adjustment nut is closer to the clutch fork. The only way I was able to adjust it was from the plastic piece that is just aft of the round cable support on the bell housing. Tore that sucker up with pliers trying to adjust it for removal and then tightening to spec. The part that Bentley describes as being the adjustment nut would NOT move, in fact it looked like it had sucked into the cable housing that goes through the support and would not move. Cost me a good 2 hours trying to figure that thing out.

Pressure plate bolts- Allen headed bolts, came out easily for me with a good allen wrench and some tapping from a small hammer. Some people have described difficulty with these and stripping problems. Mine came out fairly easy and I replaced them with hex-headed bolts.

Overall, a fun project. Glad to have it done though. Thanks for the help I got here. If anyone has any questions, I'll certainly be willing to TRY to explain something.