Transaxle Installation

So, it goes in the way it came out, right?
Since I am going to marry the transaxle to an electric motor, I needed to cap off the starter hole so rocks and dirt won't get in.  I took a paper towel and traced the  pattern then used a razor knife to cut out the plastic lid from a coffee can.

Here's with the cover in place.

Getting the transaxle on the jack was awkward.  Since I didn't have the car up 4 feet in the air like they did in the video, I had to push the transaxle under the car, open the trunk, and squat over the transaxle, lift, then  slide the jack underneath.  Now I forgot to mention I bought a new boot and replaced the one that looked like it was going to crack at any moment.  Now that the transaxle was up on the supports, I could see the axle with the new boot had rotated and was no where close to where it needed to be.
Long story short, if you loosen the boot, it will allow the axle to turn to the position you want it to go.

Reinstalling the axle means you need to have a good awareness of all three points that need to line up - right axle, left axle, and pointy end into the tunnel.  Not to mention mounting that forward transmission mount. (That's why I got into this mess to begin with!!)
The part that goes into the tunnel was difficult to remove so I decided to see what the problem was by slipping it on beforehand.  Wow, what a tight fit!  No wonder it didn't want to come off. A quick rub with some metal sanding paper then adding some grease made the connection much easier.

 

When you go to reinstall this shift linkage be ready for some frustration.  First, my three inch lift was in the way and I had to cut a little out.

Next, if you have big hands, you're not going to like this part at all. There is very little room to attach the Y part to the linkage that is laying in the tunnel.  It takes a lot of wiggling and giggling to get the sleeve in one side and through the linkage to the other side then you need to add the 8 mm screw and use that tool you made to stop the sleeve from turning while you tighten the screw.
The last part is screwing in the set screw.  You will more than likely drop the screw in the tunnel.  You'll need one of these..

This is a telescoping magnetic lighted picker-upper!  One of my favorite tools.  Looking for that set screw in the dark tunnel can be a real search and rescue mission, but with this tool you have a chance.