Removing the Transmission From a 1985 RX-7

While Mazda's FD chassis may get all the press, the fact is that, in many ways, it wasn't the car that the previous-generation FC was. The FD was absolutely brilliant when it wasn't broken, but it never had the reliability that its forebear did. But the second-generation RX-7 remains a fairly old car, and something's bound to break eventually. And if you're driving it like you should be, then that will probably be the transmission. Removal isn't difficult as such things go, but it does take some muscle and involves a bit of heavy lifting.

Instructions

1

Get the car at least two feet up in the air; preferably with a lift, but alternatively with a set of ramps, or with a floor jack and four jack stands. The transmission is just under 18 inches high, so you'll need at least this much clearance to get it out. After you get the car up, disconnect the negative battery cable, and then unbolt the converter housing's upper cover. . Disconnect the vacuum sensing tube from the vacuum diaphragm.

2

Remove the air cleaner, and then the converter's side housing cover. Remove the bolts securing the upper converter housing to the engine. Go under the car, and remove the metal pans covering the bottom of the car and drivetrain. Then, remove the converter's lower cover. Disconnect the air pipe, and then remove the converter's support brackets.

3

Unbolt and remove the rear exhaust pipe and rear catalytic converter, and then the front exhaust pipe and converter. Remove the floor under-covers -- formerly located between the exhaust pipes and the floor of the car -- and then disconnect the driveshaft from the transmission. Remove the starter motor, and then the lower converter cover. Mark the flywheel and the torque converter for correct alignment later, and then remove all of the converter bolts.

4

Remove the bolts securing the transmission to the engine, and support the transmission with a suitable jack. Disconnect the speedometer cable, and then disconnect the gear selector rod from the shift lever on the transmission. Have an assistant help to steady the transmission, and remove the rear transmission support bolts from the frame. Pull the transmission back slightly, and carefully lower it. When you get the transmission low enough to access them, disconnect the transmission oil cooler lines.

5

Lower the transmission and pull it out. The procedure here is essentially identical for the manual transmission, apart from the fact that you'll need to remove the shift lever from inside the car, and disconnect the clutch linkage. Installation is the reverse of removal for the automatic; see the Tips section below for torque specs. With the manual transmission, you'll need to realign the clutch with an alignment tool before reinstalling the transmission.