Clutch install difficulty??????

[alexB]

Ok to break it down I have installed three clutches in the past. All on a honda though. I am not a mechanic by any means but I have a little experience. I also have access to my uncles lift and a garage that probably has every tool known to man in it. Including air tools. I have a friend who is more knowledgeable than me who is willing to lend a hand also, but like me he has never insatlled a clutch on a mazda. I was pretty wondering if you guys think this is a job that is doable or should I fork out the extra money and have a shop do it. I currently have an exedy stage 1 clutch and 4 quarts of redline mt-90 transmission fluid. I plan on having the flywheel machined and reusing it. I appreciate any kind of input.

[alexB]

Anybody have any knid of feedback? Like suggestions or reccomendations. I would prefer to hear from people who have actually experienced it first hand. But any kind of feed back is welcome.

[Maxx Mazda]

Look in the How To Section. TurfBurn did a write up.

[alexB]

Look in the How To Section. TurfBurn did a write up.

Thanks. I will do that.

[MrDiggler]

Anybody have any knid of feedback? Like suggestions or reccomendations. I would prefer to hear from people who have actually experienced it first hand. But any kind of feed back is welcome.

I've done it twice in the last four months and can give you some good feedback in addition to what Turfburn wrote up. However, I won't have time to do much until tomorrow night.

[orng1]

I recently replaced the transmission myself and I had a hard time with it. It would not seperate from the engine as if there were still a bolt but after a few tries wiggling it from different spots it finally let go. Then the axles didn't want to release from the hub as if it was welded there after a few tries with and air hammer and a BFH it let go too. If you have the option to have someone else do it i would do that but I didn't have too much money so I did it myself with some help I got it done.

[MrDiggler]

Sorry I won't be able to provide that info for ya tonight. I just got in after a very long day and am now trying to figure out how to reattach the brake dust shield without pulling the rotor. God awful noise those last couple of miles. I'll post a separate thread for that issue. Arrrggghhh.

[MrDiggler]

With Turfburn's How-To in hand, here goes -

I'm working basically in the order he did, and only mentioning something in error or something I did differently.

*Tranny drain (and fill) plugs are 23mm, not 22.

*Don't bother looking for a speedo sensor switch on the MSP, we don't have one because we have ABS.

*I didn't unclip the wiring bundles this last time, just undid the brackets from the tranny.

*I tied the clutch line & actuator off on the fan motor support.

*Remove the ball joint clamp bolt, but don't pry the ball joint out yet. Use a rubber mallet to tap the control arm down a hair to make sure the ball joint is loose.

*Remove the control arm bolts. Once it's free I used a wood handled hammer with the wood end down on the control arm, then whacked it good a few times to pop the entire control arm out, ball joint included. Reinstallation is the reverse, but put the vertical C.A. bolts in loosely, then put the long through-bolt in last. Obviously, after the ball joint is started back into the spindle. Then tap the ball joint up into place and tighten the clamping bolt.

*If you can fairly easily remove your j-pipe, do so, and use the arch-shaped area under the engine block as a place to support the motor. Much more stable this way. If that isn't easy enough, just use the oil pan and wood block, but make sure the wood isn't already cracking and it's nice if you can put a small square of solid rubber pad between the supporting block and the oil pan to help keep the pan and wood block from scooting around against each other.

*The recommended method for the axle is to leave it connected to the hub & not pull the axle nut. This has not worked for me yet. I can't get the axle to swing clear of a lip on the tranny when I try this. Now I undo the axle nut and tap the axle free from the hub. -NOTE- It's a good idea to have an extra axle nut on hand for reinstallation. I don't reuse them. After lifting (or grinding) the locking flange out of the axle nut, take the nut off. Mine always takes superhuman strength to remove. As in, 3/4" drive breaker bar with a 1 1/4" socket, and a 5 ft. length of heavy steel pipe to use as a cheater bar. Pull the axle out of the hub first, then pop it out of the tranny. When it comes time for pulling the half shaft/axle from the tranny, I had to use a good size pry bar to give it a little encouragement. The axle stub has a c-clip in the tranny end and mine never pops free easily.

*A couple of the bolts up near the starter are hard to see. Don't overlook them. A couple down near the bottom are smaller and can round off easily.

*Remove the three bolts that hold the pass. side half shaft/intermediate shaft to the block. This gives you some room move the shaft while trying to get the tranny out and off of it. It beats tearing the oil seal up.

*I used a scissor-style tranny jack to support and drop the tranny. Works great. Leave just enough slack to be able to rotate and dip the tranny as needed to get it off the pass. side axle and clear of the engine bay, and then work it down and adjust as needed. IF you got the car high enough up on stands (20-22 inches) and with the control arm out you should be able to maneuver the tranny and jack out through the drivers wheel well. I found it essential to have an extra set of eyes & hands under the car behind the tranny as it's being removed and reinstalled. My gf actually did a great job both times with helping me clear the axle without damaging the seal. For removal, I laid a towel over the drivers fender, stood on something solid and heavy (I'm short), and leaned over the fender to grab the tranny from above for removal.

Clutch R&R is the easy part. Use a 23mm (I think) socket & breaker bar on the crank pulley nut to keep the engine from turning, insert clutch centering tool, then remove pressure plate bolts slowly and evenly. The tool keeps the disc from falling right out. Remove flywheel bolts the same way. I used just a bit of red locktite on those when they went back in.

Don't forget to clean out the bellhousing as best you can, and clean the recesses in the block as well. Clean and inspect the metal gasket that goes b/w the tranny & block. Grease the TO bearing and fork ball, lightly grease the input splines, and grease the clutch actuator ball as well.

I had the shop install my new pilot bearing when they resurfaced the flywheel.

Finally, take lots of pictures of things under the hood and underneath before you start, and as you proceed. That saves a lot of time trying to remember how something was supposed to oriented/fitted. Oh, and my tranny took exactly 3 qts. of fluid.

I may have left a few things out, but hopefully that will help you.

*PS - This is a great time to put in brozeoil bushings and kartboy bushings, since you're undoing part of the shift linkage.

[MrDiggler]

*bump* Requested info is in there now.

[Prodigy]

*bump* Requested info is in there now.
MrDiggler is the man! Thanks for the how-to review!

I'm in the middle of replacing my clutch + flywheel.