Dead transmission? No power to wheels

I just did a motor/tranny swap on my 96 Prelude: I installed a JDM H22,
and the original 5-speed tranny that was paired with that engine. After
installing the axles, I noticed that they spun freely, even when the
tranny was in gear. After bleeding the clutch, I started the engine,
put it in gear, and let out the cluch. I could hear the "normal" noise
when the clutch is released in neutral, but nothing else happened. No
drop on the tach, no power to the wheels at all. With the front end
jacked, the wheels turn freely when the transmission is in gear. The
shift selector feels perfect, but the tranny acts like it's always in
neutral. Could it be that the axle isn't in the tranny all the way? Or
does this sound like an internal tranny problem? Is there something I
can do to further isolate the problem? I spun the wheels and watched
from the bottom of the car, and both axles turn all the way to where
they attach to the tranny, and there's no tranny oil leaking from where
they attach.

Thanks in advance for any replies!

 

Did you remember to transfer the clutch assembly (disc and pressure
plate) to the new engine? They're bolted to the flywheel and the new
engine likely wouldn't have included them.

 

Matt,

Thanks for the reply.

I guess I should have specified-- what I did was replace the
motor/tranny as an assembly with a JDM motor/tranny assembly. Never
separated the motor/tranny that I removed, nor the one I installed.
I thought about replacing the clutch on the new tranny, but I was told
that the motor/tranny combo only had 30-40k miles, so I figured it
ought to be good for lots of miles to come....

 

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Hmmmmm. Better peel back the rubber boot and look inside the clutch
housing to see if there's a clutch in there. Wouldn't that be a kick in
the head??

'Curly'

 

Hmmmmm so much for that idea then...

Shift linkage working properly, engaging gears? I know it's hydraulic,
but at the tranny end there still has to be a mechanical linkage between
the cylinder and the gears... maybe it's not actually getting out of
neutral?

 

Hmmmmm. Better peel back the rubber boot and look inside the clutch

Today I got it to work, sorta... With the front end jacked, engine
running and in gear, clutch pedal out, the wheels turn now, but I'm
able to apply the brakes and stop them without the motor stalling.
Guess this would mean a totally worn clutch pressure plate? Would it be
safe to go ahead and order a new clutch set? It couldn't just be that
the clutch pedal/hydrolics need further bleeding, right? I mean, if
that was the case, I'd have trouble DISengaging, right?

Thanks for your patience, everyone!

-Randy

 

Still sounds like you're stuck in neutral... your wheels will still turn
if there's nothing to stop them.

 

you still need to go back and check that clutch guy. lesson learned!
/always/ take the opportunity to check the clutch if you have the motor
out!!! /particularly/ if you didn't have the thing running yourself
beforehand!!!