I'm half way through getting this thing out and am totally stuck. The two bottom most bolts - with internal hex heads - screwed from the engine side towards the transmission - seem entirely impossible to get a tool to. I can not even imagine a tool that could be used to get around the subframe. Can someone suggest a trick? Is this even possible or am making life more difficult by not pulling it with the engine?

Can anyone who has done this before please help?

The ebahn manual indicates that one should insert wood wedges to force a gap between the back of the subframe and it's mount to the engine (states maximum 50 mm). Later on it indicates to lift the transmission slightly to remove the bolts in question. I assume the idea here is force engine/tranny to pivot up and separate (slightly) from the subframe. This has not helped though - and I don't want to know what it's doing to the engine mounts!

Thanks,
Josh

 

Couple ways to do it. You can either use an offset wrench. It is bent to go around the subframe. Or you can support the engine from above or below and loosen the subframe.

 

Thanks for the advice. If they had only used a regular bolt head (and not the hex socket type) an offset would have been ideal. BTW - do they make some kind of wrench for use on hex key type bolts - I've never seen one, but it'd sure be useful.

I probably spent more time fighting this than it would have taken to pull down the subframe, but nailed it in the end. I ground off both ends of an 8mm allen key and stuck a combo wrench on it that luckily had the right amount of angle on the head.

Interesting to note - in the manual they indicate to replace these two bolts with regular ones during reassembly.



[IMG]local://upfiles/46116/518C6FD3174548D99B6F6B11457917B7.jpg[/IMG]

 

Unfortunaltly you don have a picture of the bolts but in the Us they are a combination bolt. You can use an 8mm allen or a 16mm socket or wrench. From your description it sounds like your only option was the 8mm allen.

 

It's CA,US, but no 16mm head - my bad luck i guess.