How to Replace the Clutch?

mightyray

Member
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03 MSP Protege Black Mica
Does anyone know how to replace the clutch? Is it a DIY job (any special tools, etc.)? Is it worth it to take out the LSD at the same time to weld it or is that a lot more work?

Also, what do shops normally charge to resurface the flywheel and replace the clutch and/or fix the LSD?
 
Eh, if you dont know much about doing it, and never was there to see one done. I would get someone that knows how to do it, to well, do it. I did it on my last time i needed a clutch, and i would suguest if you dont have many tools at your house, dont do it. (i have many toold though so i was safe haha)
 
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Does anyone know how to replace the clutch? Is it a DIY job (any special tools, etc.)? Is it worth it to take out the LSD at the same time to weld it or is that a lot more work?

Also, what do shops normally charge to resurface the flywheel and replace the clutch and/or fix the LSD?

if you dont have alot of experiance/tools i would recomend having someone do it..and its also a mofo to do without a lift or tranny jack.welding the lsd would be a good idea while your there.and as far as re-surfacing the flywheel id recomend against it.the flywheel and clutch have heavy spots,they are marked with paint where the heavy spot is.when installing the 2 heavy spots should be as far away from each other as possible otherwise you could create a nasty clutch chatter.by surfacing the flywheel you change its heavy spot and without having it balanced you will never kow where the heavy spot is.you could put it all together and find you created a clutch chatter and then u would have to take it all apart and rotate the pressure plate 180 degrees,and that would just plain suck...
 
I had always heard it's recommended to have the flywheel resurfaced when replacing the clutch, and assumed that balancing would be part of that job, if necessary. Are you saying that in most cases it's best just to leave the flywheel alone, or to replace it outright?

I'm looking at a new clutch in the next couple months--the stocker still seems to be clamping okay at 80k miles, but it's developing a nasty chatter. I was planning on having the FW resurfaced, largely because of the chatter, but now you've got me reconsidering...
 
I had always heard it's recommended to have the flywheel resurfaced when replacing the clutch, and assumed that balancing would be part of that job, if necessary. Are you saying that in most cases it's best just to leave the flywheel alone, or to replace it outright?

I'm looking at a new clutch in the next couple months--the stocker still seems to be clamping okay at 80k miles, but it's developing a nasty chatter. I was planning on having the FW resurfaced, largely because of the chatter, but now you've got me reconsidering...

i would recomend replacing the flywheel in your case because of the chatter.now can you re surface a flywheel and have no problems ..yes you most certainly can i have done it against my will because dumb as dealers dont listen to their techs and just wanna cut cost so the customer doesnt get scared away from a job because of the high price it takes to properly do the job.ive installed re surfaced flywheels on about 30 vehicles and out of the 30 maybe 7 of them had created a chatter and i had to remove the transmission and rotate the pressure plate which sucked big time because in the flat rate world you do it the second time for free..and in the world of DIY it sucks even worse because its YOUR car thats down a day or 2 maybe more depending on your talent and on another note when re surfacing you also weaken the flywheel.and thats the last thing you want to do if your making the clutch stronger.im unsure how well the stock flywheel is on these msp since im new to the msp.but i know re surfacing the srt4 and upgrading the clutch is a no no for sure..i recomend you get a good aftermarket lightweight ive read up and found out the stock protege flywheel is the same exact flywheel as the msp so with that being said i would recomend even more that you dont want to surface the flywheel and make it even less strucuarly sound then it already is
 
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Interesting...I've heard a lot of people have lightened the stock flywheel and it has worked great, but if what you're saying is true I guess I would want to get a new one. What about my other question? How much does tranny work usually cost?
 
Get the JDM lightened stock flywheel. That's what I have.
Here is a pic comparing it to the stock flywheel. This is done by Mazda or Mazdaspeed in Japan. They remove material and make it substantially lighter than the stocker.
Ask the Theman he can tell you all about it. He has the same setup in his car. This is a picture of the backside of the flywheel demonstrating the removal of material.

ry%3D480
 
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Interesting...I've heard a lot of people have lightened the stock flywheel and it has worked great, but if what you're saying is true I guess I would want to get a new one. What about my other question? How much does tranny work usually cost?

well we (my shop) would charge you around $350 to install a flywheel and clutch if you had all of the parts.but knowing most shops id say expect to pay$500-$700.also alot of shops frown on you bringing in your own parts because then they make no markup on parts
 
well we (my shop) would charge you around $350 to install a flywheel and clutch if you had all of the parts.but knowing most shops id say expect to pay$500-$700.also alot of shops frown on you bringing in your own parts because then they make no markup on parts

not only that....it puts them between a rock and a hard spot when it comes to waranty of the work....they can gaurantee theyre labor, but they might not gaurantee the parts

this is a big grey area when dealing with shops and bringing your own parts
..you know this isnt like bringing your own oil and filter to a shop for a oil change
 
not only that....it puts them between a rock and a hard spot when it comes to waranty of the work....they can gaurantee theyre labor, but they might not gaurantee the parts

this is a big grey area when dealing with shops and bringing your own parts
..you know this isnt like bringing your own oil and filter to a shop for a oil change

yes also throws a wrench in warrenty areas.we would warrenty our labor but if someone brought their own part they would have to contact the company they purchased from to get the part covered.or they would have to pay us a administative fee for us to deal with the company they bought their parts from..only reason we charge a fee is because sometimes you spend over a hour dealing with them and then all the paper work to get paid
 
Thanks for all the info. I also wanted to know if I could get by with the exedy oem replacement instead of the stage 1. I'm pretty much done with my mods the main ones being 626 Intake, SMIC, Unichip, and Corksport exhaust. Do I really need the stage 1 seeing as it is $200 more? I've never driven anything but stock so I don't know what the stage 1 does except handle the new power.
 
Get your flywheel resurfaced and get a correct clutch for the car. Don't cheap out or buy unneccessary parts. I can get a flywheel resurfaced for less than $30. Never had one problem with resurfacing flywheels. You can also get a stock replacement MSP clutch from Mazda for less than the Exedy stage 1.
 
Get your flywheel resurfaced and get a correct clutch for the car. Don't cheap out or buy unneccessary parts. I can get a flywheel resurfaced for less than $30. Never had one problem with resurfacing flywheels. You can also get a stock replacement MSP clutch from Mazda for less than the Exedy stage 1.

Thanks for the flywheel info. I know I can get the OEM one cheaper but I'm wondering if I actually need the stage 1 with my mods? I'm at 85k on my stock clutch and it seems to be holding fine. I'm going to weld my LSD though and I figured it's time to upgrade or replace the clutch.
 
I know I can get the OEM one cheaper but I'm wondering if I actually need the stage 1 with my mods? I'm at 85k on my stock clutch and it seems to be holding fine.

well you've pretty much answered your question, the stock clutch is fine for your mods and most importantly driving style if its still grabbing with 85K.

don't go opening up the transaxle unless you have to, same with clutch replacement. just my opinion and approach.
 
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