Just as it states boys, we're at the last damn step of this daunting process, and we're unable to get the snap ring on. We've tried turning the trans over and dropping it on wood to get the countershaft to drop. No luck. The snap ring appears to be seated correctly in the case, and the top bearing spins freely.

The only thing that seems possible at this point, is that maybe the countershaft nut was overtightened. Let me explain; I let my redneck friend "german tighten" the damn countershaft nut on, and I believe it's wildly overtorqued, causing the bearing to sit higher on the shaft than normal. We are literally like .25mm away from the snap ring being in the bearing groove.

HELP...I really don't want to split this case open for the third time tonight

 

Do you have the transmission case supported on something to keep the input shaft from touching the bench/table/floor/whatever that its on? I've seen that before, input shaft can't drop the last little bit because its pushing against the top of the bench.

 

The trans is being supported. The problem is with the countershaft, not the mainshaft.

 

alright here is what we did.

tried holding the trans upside down while my friend opened up the snap ring and see if would drop enough. no it did not

tried banging it on a 2x4 pretty hard

tried prying it up with a screw driver

tried prying it up while holding the snap ring open

i hear the clunk but it makes that noise before i can get it high enough for the snap ring to lock in. it gets very very close but not quite enough to make it all the way. its got me completely puzzled. anyone ever encounter an issue as such?

 

Counter shaft nut being over tightened isn't going to cause this.

Why was the counter shaft torn down? What did you replace?

Did you tighten the case bolts down? Don't. You should be able to drop the case down and have the c-clip spread, and then just pry up the bearing with a screwdriver. Sounds like you guys forced something and have it all tight.

 

lol the hardest part of the whole rebuild

 

This might sound weird or dumb but once u install the tranny back and start driving, it will snap back on it's own. I've done it before (more than once) and believe me, it will.

 

 

So... what possessed you to know that wasn't in and STILL install it back into the car? lol

 

:facepalm:

 

If it doesn't pop in there is a problem. an issue with the main shaft can and will cause an issue with the counter shalft cause they rest on each other. What did you do when you pulled it apart? replace syncro's gear sets? maby the gears are not pressed together proper. I mean if you don't have a torque wrench you prob don't have a press. pull apart and re check. make sure everything is in its right order and placement. Good luck

 

Thanks for all of the help and encouragement guys. We actually finally got the countershaft to seat after we had pretty much given up all hope. We read somewhere on here of a post that said "atomic drop that ****!", referring to dropping the trans on the ground. So I set aside my fear and let my body basically drop the damn thing as hard as he could without throwing his back out. And PRESTO, that damn countershaft fell right into place.

We thought about letting the shaft back on it's own by driving on it, but that just seemed way WAY too scary. I also read that catastrophic damage to the transmission can occur if the countershaft isn't in it's snap ring. I would much rather risk damaging the case dropping, as opposed to letting the shafts/gears play patty-cake.

Anyway though, the trans is back in the car and running like a champ! Thanks again 'Honda Bull' for your writeup. You're that man.

 

I have one more question/concern...

Every know and then, the trans slides out of 5th. It's no longer "popping out", as that issue was the main reason why we tore the trans open, and has been fixed. Brand new 5th sleeve/hub/synchro/spring. But sometimes while off throttle, I'll realize that I'm not longer in gear. I'm using a short shifter and weighted **** now, and I wasn't using these before. I took the weighted **** off, and the slide out decreased by ten fold or more.

There is still a very infrequent slide out from time to time. I'm thinking it must be the short shifter. There is NO reason for this trans to be sliding out of 5th gear anymore...

 

make sure the boot over where the linkage rod connects the the trans through the bitchpin isnt getting in the way. happened to me in the past.



though you got the c clip seated, here is what i found works best after messing with it a ton and even breaking a case.

put a little bit of grease on the outside of the ring. put the case on and get the c clip to be right on the top of the bearing. spread the clip while tapping on the case with a rubber mallot. this will get the clip over the bearing but not into the grove. now take the trans with the bolts in and flip it over and shake like a crying child (j/k) but let the weight of the shaft do the rest. never had and issue doing it this way. i also put a lil grease on the dowel pins to help on assembly/reassembly

 

Thanks for the tip. This is an H series trans though, so no bitch pin. Will definitely try your way of getting the ring the seat on the next trans I rebuild.

I'm finding that it's only popping out of 5th around corners though. It also popped out of reverse once too, so I guess that rules out my bent shifter fork theory. I'm going to swap out the short shifter this weekend.

 

So magically it seems as if the popping out has stopped...

 

I know this is years later, but THANKYOU... Just just DROPPED THAT **** and it popped right in to place after about 3 hours of BS - ahhahahahahahahaha

 

Years later threads needs bumps too! What i did on my H trans was screwed 4 bolts finger tight then dropped the trans to a block of 2x4 worked like a charm! The secret is out! Transmission work seems like its like a holy grail of secret's and not much write ups about it! I recently resealed my m2y4 trans and I couldnt find a single write up until i came here to find info. It was a B series write up but the comment's really helped!!

 

Even more years later, dropping that s**t is still the most effective way to get the snap ring seated 😂 Thanks y'all! LaFawnduh the Honda will live to shift another day...
​​​​

 

Even more years later after about two months of trying everything. Im about to Just DROP THIS ****!! I tried this method once before but I was afraid of breaking something so I barely dropped it. now my question is did you drop it on a 2×4 thats on concrete. or like me kitchen floor

 

2x4 on concrete... stay out of the kitchen.

 

And yet years later still LMAO

Okay so do I put the rtv (hondalube) on first, get the case where it is touching the ring then DDT that bia bia? Like a couple guys said I'm scared to break it.....

thank you

 

Yes, put the Hondabond on the clutch housing mating surface and begin the install of the transmission case. Open the snap ring so that it is around the counter-shaft bearing... even if it isn't snapped into the slot. Torque all transmission case bolts. Complete your re-assembly until seating the snap ring and installing the sealing cap... this is when you gently bounce the whole transmission to seat the snap ring. Keep trying until the snap ring gap closes... increasing the drop height until you get results.

 

I usually leave the sealing cap off until I can visually verify the snap ring is fully seated.

 

Absolutely... maybe my above post wasn't clear with that detail. Bounce the transmission assembly with the snap ring pointed down onto the 2x4 or 2x6 over concrete, checking after each bounce to see if the snap ring has seated inside the groove found in the top counter-shaft bearing. If not, slightly increase the drop height and repeat. Once the snap ring IS seated, you may install the sealing bolt to complete the transmission re-assembly.