96 Escort clutch replacement

We are having problems getting the transaxle and motor to realign, Is there a easy way to do this or do I just muscle it back together?

If you have an extra set of bolts you can make some guide pins: cut off the hex heads, grind-in a screwdriver slot (for removal) across the ends ... and grind a slight taper for much of the length of the pins. The guide pins will also help you see how well you've squared up the tranny to the motor ... which is usually the problem.

You might also remove the plugs so you can rotate the crankshaft as you try to hook-up to the tranny.

Did you use an alignment tool when you put the new clutch on? If you did then it should slide right back into place... if you didn't, go down to NAPA and see what they can scrounge up for you. They are supposed to come with a clutch kit but aren't always in the box. Make sure you use one that has the splines and will actully line things up, not just center it. Once the pressure plate is back in place you can pull it out and everything should be fine.

I finally got it all back together. It just took a lot of wiggling and pushing for it to come all together. Now 1 more quick question how on earth do you add tranny fluid? There is no dip stick or filler tube that I can see. Thanks for the comments.

take the speedo sensor out of the top of the tranny... stick a funnel in there and dump it in :P

Got it ! Thanks.