Honda Manual Transmission Removal and Input Shaft Bearing Replacement

Jack up the front of the car and support it securely on axle stands. Remove both front wheels and disconnect the negative battery terminal. Through the driver-side wheel arch, undo the gearbox oil drain bolt and drain all the fluid.

The original write-up removes the 32mm hub nut first (lift its staked tab with a flat screwdriver, then crack the nut with an impact gun or breaker bar), but the follow-up discussion agreed you can skip the hub nut entirely and simply pop the ball joints and pull the complete driveshafts out of the box. To pop a lower ball joint without hammering the control arm: place the jack under the lower control arm and raise the hub assembly, remove the cotter pin from the castle nut, undo the castle nut but leave it on by a few turns, then wedge the end of a breaker bar securely between the lower control arm and the ball joint holder. Lower the jack and the loaded suspension will crack the joint; if it doesn't, give the hub a firm downward push with your foot.

If you removed the hub nut, push the axle tip back through the centre of the hub (drive it with a socket extension and hammer if tight) and let the shaft hang free. On the driver side, never pull on the shaft itself or you will pop the CV joints apart - wedge a screwdriver into the gap separating the inboard joint from the transmission casing and pry the joint out of the case, supporting the shaft as it comes free. On the passenger side, undo the three bolts near the oil filter that retain the intermediate shaft, then slide the passenger driveshaft and intermediate shaft out together as one piece.

While under the car, remove the two bolts connecting the rear torsion mount to the transmission, plus the additional bolt connecting the engine to the transmission near it. Remove the 3-4 bolts holding the flywheel cover in place. Note from the replies: with a stock exhaust manifold, the 2-into-1 exit pipe must be removed (5 bolts plus 2 spring-loaded bolts) to access the flywheel cover.

There are two rods: the gear-change linkage and the stabiliser. The stabiliser comes off by simply undoing its bolt. The gear-change rod is retained by a spring pin that needs serious pounding with a pin punch to drive out - a much easier alternative used by the author (and confirmed by others) is to unbolt the linkage at the base of the gear lever inside the car instead and lower the transmission with the linkage still attached. Do not try to undo the split pins on the rod itself.

Remove the airbox and intake arm for access, then unplug: the vehicle speed sensor (VSS), the backup (reverse) light switch, the O2 sensor connector, and the two connectors on the back of the starter motor. The sensors themselves can stay in place - only the connectors need to come off at this stage.

Undo the two bolts on either side of the starter motor and slide it out. Remove the dust cover over the slave cylinder piston and release fork, undo the two bolts securing the slave cylinder hard line, then the two bolts holding the slave cylinder, and tie the cylinder out of the way (wire to the radiator fan bracket works). Take care that the clutch hard line never gets bent, and do not press the clutch pedal from this point on.

Place a piece of wood on a jack and take the engine's weight beneath the sump (the wood is there to protect the sump); raise it until the engine and transmission lift slightly so you know the jack is taking the weight. Remove the five bolts holding the transmission to the engine - note one hides under where the slave cylinder sat.

Position a second jack with wood under the transmission. First remove the earth cable running from the body to the transmission, then the three bolts holding the top mount to the transmission, then the three bolts holding the front mount to the transmission. To remove the front mount completely, undo the two bolts into the body behind the splash guard.

With the box supported on the jack, lean over the driver-side quarter panel and shake the transmission side to side to break it free from the engine. If it is stubborn, tap with a hammer against the release-fork opening, then against the opposite end near the diff casing, alternating until it lets go. Keep it fully supported as it slides off - resting the box's weight on the input shaft splines can damage the splines, the input shaft and the clutch. Once the box is out, wrap tape around the input shaft splines so they stay protected.

Sit the transmission input-shaft-down on two blocks of wood so the shaft is protected. Undo the 32mm sealing bolt with a 3/8" drive, unscrew and remove the backup light switch, then, working in a criss-cross pattern, loosen the housing bolts and take them out. Use a wedge or hammer to break the transmission housing free from the clutch housing - it will not lift off yet. Spread open the snap ring that sits on the countershaft bearing using snap ring pliers (or ordinary pliers) while yanking and shimmying the case upward to work the ring out of its groove and off the bearing. This is the trickiest, most time-consuming part of the whole job. Once the snap ring releases, the housing lifts off (the mainshaft bearing also sits in it, hence the wiggling).

Unbolt the reverse shift holder (two bolts), pull the reverse idler shaft straight upward, then remove the reverse idler gear. Undo the interlock guide bolt on the clutch-housing side (hex key required), then the bolt (with its washer) attaching shift arm B on top of the interlock. Now grip the mainshaft and countershaft assemblies by the gears (not by the synchro hub or collar) and pull the shafts and shift fork assemblies straight up and out together - some wiggling may be required. Lift the differential straight out of the clutch housing.

Working from the clutch-housing side, drive the input shaft bearing out with a long extension fitted with a 5/8" socket - anything of a suitable diameter that lets you drive the bearing through will do. If it resists, warm the case around the bearing with a hair dryer. Lever the rubber oil seal out from under it with a flat-blade screwdriver.

Lubricate the new oil seal with a little oil and seat it, then fit the new input shaft bearing and tap it home with even force all around. Putting the new bearing in the freezer for about 10 minutes shrinks it slightly and makes it drive in much more easily. While you are in there, check the countershaft needle bearing is fully seated in its bore and tap it back in if it has walked out.

Rebuild in reverse order: refit the differential, gearsets and shift forks, refit shift arm B and the interlock guide bolt, reverse idler and shift holder, then seal the housing joint with Hondabond, refit the housing bolts (criss-cross), the 32mm sealing bolt and the backup light switch. If gear selection needs aligning, take out the 28mm plug bolt together with the 1st/2nd select spring, which lets the interlock be turned. Refit the transmission to the engine (there is no sealant between the gearbox casing and the engine block), then reverse the removal steps: mounts, earth strap, slave cylinder, starter, connectors, linkages, flywheel cover, torsion mount, driveshafts (fresh CV grease where needed), ball joints with castle nuts and new cotter pins, and torque everything to spec. Refill with 2.5-3L of Honda MTF before driving.