Hopefully you have not continued trying to get the engine and gearbox to bolt together.

If your vehicle has an automatic transmission you may not have the torque converter properly seated. Forcing the gearbox and engine together using the bolts when the torque converter is not seated WILL break the transmission oil pump.

The torque converter should be almost level with the edge of the bell housing. Many people remove the engine without ensuring the torque converter is held in place which leads to a broken transmission oil pump when the engine is re-installed.

When installing the engine you should start all of the bolts in their threads before tightening any of them.

Seagrass

 

Thanks, Seagrass. I think the torque converter is seated properly. It was almost level with the bellhousing when I reinstalled the engine. And it still spins freely now that the engine is mated to the bellhousing. You're recommendation to get all the bolts started prior to tightening all of them is a good one that I wish I would have followed!

Dave

 

I know it's frustrating and you'd just like to get this job done, but a little extra work here will save you potential grief later:

1. Reconnect hoist and support engine.
2. Loosen everything.
3. Back the engine and transmission apart a little bit.
4. Check torque converter.
5. Check the hole in question by hand-threading in a little stubby bolt that's the same thread pattern.

How do I know this? I once spent a half day trying to deal with the last bolt on a Datsun L16 engine to get it apart; in frustration, my buddy finally called an expert he knew, and without batting an eyelash or asking further questions, he let out a sigh and simply said "6 mm bolt. Hidden under starter motor.". Had we not called him, we probably would have just yanked hard and broken something.

 

Johnre and Seagrass, Thanks for the suggestions. I did as suggested and was able to get that final bolt to go. Perfect!

I stitched it all back up and took it out for a spin. Sounds amazing. But...Head gaskets appear to be leaking coolant from both left and right. Ugh. They are new from DNJ. Both heads were milled. I followed the manual instructions. Frustrating.
Dave

 

The block surface must be warped as well. I just finished doing heads on an 08 Outback. The drivers head was warped pretty bad but saveable. Checked the block surface before installing the heads. Both had some deviation. Used a large file running a diagonal pattern, finished it up using a DA sander with 600 grit.