Removing and installing the manual transmission

Caution: on the 2.0 l petrol engine, the front subframe must be removed before the transmission is removed.

To do this, the power steering housing, the anti-roll bar and the front suspension control arms must first be removed from the subframe. A suitable support tool is required to remove the subframe so that it does not drop down after the mounting bolts are loosened. It is therefore recommended that this work be carried out by a specialist workshop. Removal

• Remove the battery and battery bracket, see page 14.

  Caution: when disconnecting the battery, electronic memories are erased, such as engine operating values.

  Observe the notes in the chapter "Removing and installing the battery".

• Remove air filter and air hose from throttle body, see page 100.

• Drain the transmission oil, see page 302.

• All except 2.0 i engine: using a ruler on the release lever, measure and note the length of the thread protruding up to the lock nut. This allows the new clutch cable to be preset to the previously determined length. Unscrew the clutch cable from the transmission, and unhook the cable from the release lever and the abutment on the transmission.

• 2.0 I engine: unscrew the clutch slave cylinder of the hydraulic clutch actuation -2 upper-.

  Remove the transmission ground cable. See lower arrow.

• Disconnect the reversing light cable at the front of the transmission.

• If fitted, unscrew the speedometer cable from the transmission.

  Otherwise, disconnect the connector for the electronic sensor on the transmission.

• Remove the ground cable at the top of the transmission. See lower arrow.

• 1.4 L engine: unscrew the reverse gear lockout cable on the transmission -arrow up-

• Remove the 2 shift rods and counter rod from the gear lever. See arrow. On the 1.4 L engine, there is only 1 shift rod.

• 1.4 L engine: Use a screwdriver to lift the gear shift cable off the ball joint of the gear lever. See arrow. Pull the retaining bracket off the counter bearing upward.

• Loosen the hub nut on the left and right axle shafts while the vehicle is standing on the ground. Caution: high torque, use sturdy tools.

  Have an assistant depress the foot brake while loosening.

• Mark the position of the front wheels relative to the wheel hub with paint.

  This allows the balanced wheel to be refitted in the same position. Loosen the wheel bolts. The vehicle must be standing on the ground.

  Raise the vehicle at the front and remove the front wheels.

• On both sides of the vehicle, remove the wheel arch liner screws and release the clips. See arrows. To remove the liner, the brake pad wear sensor connector must also be disconnected.

• Remove the starter motor. See page 261.

• Remove the cooling fan motor with bracket. See page 77.

• Remove the front exhaust pipe from the manifold or turbocharger. See page 121.

• On both sides, unscrew the nuts and press out the tie rod ends with a commercially available puller, e.g. Hazet 779.

• On both sides of the vehicle, remove the strut bolts from the steering knuckle. Remove the brake hose and ABS speed sensor cable from the strut brackets.

• Pull the drive shafts out of the wheel hubs. Hold the drive shaft and push the steering knuckle outward with the other hand. If the drive shaft is tight in its splines, use a commercially available puller.

Warning: to avoid excessive bending of the drive shafts, suspend them with wire from the engine/transmission unit.

• 1.8 L and 2.0 L engines and diesel: Remove the left and right driveshafts from the intermediate shaft flange and take them off. Then remove the intermediate shaft. See page 152.

• 1.4 L engine: Use a wide screwdriver to pry the right and left driveshafts out of the transmission and remove them.

  Place the screwdriver at the recess. See arrow.

• All except 1.6 L engine: Remove the front exhaust pipe retaining bracket so the front flange bolt between engine and transmission can be reached. Remove the bolt. See illustration.

• 1.4 L/1.6 L engines: Remove the clutch cover plate.

• 1.8 L engine: Remove the upper engine mount. See arrows.

• Attach a rope to the engine. Use a suitable rope or chain and hook it onto the engine above the transmission flange. On the 1.4 L engine, hook it onto the intake manifold. On other engines, screw an eyebolt onto the thermostat housing and hook the rope onto it.

  Fiat workshops use a lifting device with special adapter tools. See illustration. The Fiat lifting device is supported on the hood latch and cowl. Remove the cover first. If the lifting device is not available, place a suitable bar on stands and pre-tension the engine with a rope, i.e., lift it slightly to relieve the engine mounts.

• Clean the splines of the transmission input shaft and apply a thin coat of MoS2 grease, for example Molykote BR 2.

  Do not use too much grease, otherwise it can be thrown onto the clutch friction surfaces, where it causes clutch malfunctions. The required amount of grease is about the size of a corn kernel.

• Check whether the locating sleeves for centering the engine/transmission are present in the engine block. Install them if necessary.

• Lift the transmission and slide it horizontally into the clutch.

  If the transmission input shaft does not engage in the clutch disc during installation, turn the shaft by hand at the driveshaft flange with a gear engaged.

• Insert the engine/transmission connecting bolts and tighten them alternately to the correct tightening torque.

  Caution: the tightening torque of the bolts depends on the outer thread diameter.

  Torque for M12 bolts (Ø 12 mm): 80 N·m; for M10 bolts: 35 N·m; for M8 bolts: 25 N·m.

• All except 1.6 L engine: Install the front exhaust pipe retaining bracket. See illustration T-3046 under "Removal".

• 1.4 L/1.6 L engines: Install the clutch cover plate.

• All except 1.4 L engine: Install the left engine/transmission mount (transmission side) on the transmission in sequence from - 1 - to - 4 -. Otherwise, oil leaks may occur. Tighten bolts - 1 - and - 2 - lightly with 5 N·m.

  Then tighten bolts - 3 - and - 4 - with 5 N·m. Then tighten bolts - 3 - and - 4 -, then - 1 - and - 2 - with 40 N·m.

• Screw in the left and center engine mounts hand-tight. Do not tighten yet.

• Align the engine so that it is free of stress by rocking it.

  Then tighten the mounting nuts for all engine mounts. The nut torque depends on the thread diameter: M8 thread: 40 N·m, M10 thread: 50 N·m, M12 thread: 90 N·m.

• Remove the engine holding fixture.

• Install the starter motor, see page 261.

• Where fitted, install the right intermediate shaft. Attach both driveshafts to the transmission. See page 146.

• Install the strut on the steering knuckle with new self-locking nuts. See page 140.

• Route the brake pad wear sensor cable in the strut brackets.

• Install the tie rod ends on the steering knuckle. See page 162.

• Install the shift rods with new nuts and 15 N·m.

  On the 1.4 L engine, clip the shift cable onto the transmission and lock the counter bearing with the retaining clip.

• Install the front exhaust pipe, see page 121.

• Install the cooling fan motor. See page 77.

• Insert the inner wheel arch liner and secure it with clips and screws.

• Position the front wheels so that the marks made during removal align. Before fitting, lightly grease the wheel centering seat and the conical surface of the wheel bolts with roller bearing grease. Do not grease or oil the wheel bolt threads. Fit the wheels. Lower the vehicle and tighten the wheel bolts crosswise to 90 N·m.

• Engage a gear, apply the parking brake, and depress the foot brake.

  Then install the hub nut and stake the collar onto the driveshaft. See page 146.

• Connect the reversing light connector to the transmission and attach the ground cable to the transmission.

• Connect the electronic speedometer cable. Where fitted, insert the speedometer cable and tighten the union nut on the transmission.

• Install the reverse gear lockout cable on the transmission. See illustration T-10196 under "Removal".

• Hook up the clutch cable and adjust. See page 128.

• 2.0 I engine: Install the clutch slave cylinder of the hydraulic clutch actuation.

• Install the air filter/intake hoses. See page 100.

• Install and tighten the battery bracket. See page 14.

• Bolt the relay box to the battery bracket with 2 nuts.

  Place the cover on the relay box and secure it with 1 screw.

• Install and tighten the battery. First connect the positive cable (+), then the negative ground cable (-) to the battery.

  Set the clock, if fitted, and enter the radio anti-theft code.

• Fill the transmission oil. See chapter "Maintenance".