hey guys i got my car running and everything did a full brake job with new rotors, calipers, pads, wheel bearings, drums, shoes, and wheel cylinders. I tried to drive the car and i realized i need a clutch disk. ive been working on this car at home and cannot drive it because its not insured yet i was wondering if anyone had any tricks to installing a clutch without using a hoist or any real shop equipment i have jacks and axle stands.

 

If you have a big floor jack it could be done fairly easy. you may want to get some ramps rather than just jack stands.

check your pilot bearing while trans is out
also you may need flywheel surfaced
also you should get a new throwout bearing, and pressure plate.
just get a clutch kit. it come with a alignment tool also.

lift the car all around as high as you can. be creative, but make sure its stable
support bottom of engine with a jack stand
drain gear oil
remove drive line,
remove starter
remove clutch line
remove bottom bolts from trans,
support rear of trans with anther jack stand
remove trans mount
place floor jack to bottom of trans
remove top bolts from engine to trans
remove jack stand from rear of trans and slowly lower it out.

 

dont forget to remove the shifter

 

Oh yeah, forgot that part. I knew I was forgetting something. Remove the shifter first, would you be able to drive onto the ramps, or is your clutch toast.

 

disconnect the battery first and foremost..

 

no i cant drive it onto ramps there is no clutch and yes i will be buying a clutch kit to install everything thanks alot guys is there anything else i will need and does anyone have a write up on the clutch job for this car

 

A member basically outlined the job a few posts up.

It would be a good idea to either purchase a Haynes manual or download a copy or your FSM (Factory Service Manual) if you are going to work on your car. You can find a copy of your your year FSM by copying and pasting the link from my signature.

All of the parts that should be replaced-

Clutch disk. Pressure plate, Release bearing, Pilot bearing and seal.

Optional-
Transmission fluid. Rear main engine seal (inspect for signs of leakage).
Transmission mount (rubber usually separates)
Front and rear transmission seals plus gasket for front cover. Inspect for signs of leakage.

Inspect clutch slave cylinder for signs of leakage. (pull back rubber boot)
Inspect clutch master cylinder for signs of leakage. (from inside of car)

Optional servicing of Flywheel.

Link for removal of pilot bearing-
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ghlight=clutch

Consult FSM for removal of flywheel. (Will need 54mm or 2 1/8 socket plus either impact gun or long cheater bar on 1/2 inch ratchet. Will need 3/4 to 1/2 adapter for socket.

Also can purchase flywheel nut removal tool from Mazdatrix or Racing Beat.

You do not need to purchase a flywheel stopper to prevent the flywheel from turning. You can use your alternator adjusting bracket and drill out a spot where the opening is to adjust your tension. I did a post somewhere that shows how to mount this but you can figure it out.

You can use either a puller to remove the flywheel or just pound on the backside with a hammer. Remember to leave the nut threaded on a few threads as the flywheel can and will come flying off and injure you.

A tip for reinstalling the transmission.

Go to the hardware store and get a couple of bolts about 1-2 inches longer than the stock ones that hold the transmission to the engine. Cut the heads off of them. Install one at opposite corners into the back of the engine where the transmission mounting bolts go. This will serve as a pilot when reinstalling the transmission and take the frustration away from lining the transmission back up for reinstallation.

 

alright thanks alot guys im gonna tackle this next week

 

Napa has some cheap stock clutch kits unless you wanted to go aftermarket

 

ya im getting a kit for 170 cdn stock i get a discount at partsource does anyone know how much the transmission weighs

 

Approx 70Lbs.

 

Biggest tip I can give when using jacks/jackstands is to try and get the car up pretty high, and get an assistant - one person benchpresses the transmission while the other jiggles it to get it in place.

RX-7Doctor's suggestion about the long bolts is probably a very good idea because it can be a pain to get it lined up when you're lifting at an angle.

 

ya i wanted to know how much the tranny weighed cuz im gonna be benching it out ha and my clutch kit was 132 CDN $ ordered for monday

 

That is why I use the bolts as there is no wiggling required. It pretty much makes it a fool proof insertion.

If you have a floor jack you can set it on that and lift it up to the aligning bolts.

 

finally had to do a bit today on it so i removed the drive shaft starter shift *** and drained the tranny. is the only thing holding the transmission to the engine the bolts on the bell housing and the tranny mount or is there something i cant see is there any wires? i havent tried to take it off yet it was too dark

 

theres the speedometer cable. I forgot to add that to my list.

 

Pilot shaft supports the front until you pull back quite a ways... and don't forget to support the rear of the engine!

 

There are 4 wires, two bullet connectors and two plastic connectors in the same area. They may be tucked up on top of the trans. Just drop it slowly and check to see you got them. However if your careful of your placement when you drop the trans you can do it without unhooking any of those wires or the speedo cable. Just unhook the speedo cable from the tabs that hold it to the body. You can also avoid draining the gear oil (although in your case you should just change it anyway) by carefully pushing a rag into the tailshaft housing. I had to do this earlier today as I did not want to drain the fluid. It was nearly new Amsoil, and that stuff isn't cheap. If your just using the car for spirited street driving the stock replacement clutch is fine, however I just replaced a 4 month old stocker with an ACT 6-puck because the flywheel side friction material seperated from the disc assembly. Came out in two pieces. I laughed for a good ten minutes and decided then and there never to buy a stock replacement wear part such as a clutch. The stockers will not hold up to abuse from racing. Not for very long anyway. Also I would seriously recommend using a jack to get it back up. There is limited space unless you have very tall safety stands, and you may not be able to get your body underneath it. The jack also makes it easier to move it around when your underneath. if you don't get it in place on the first shot your arms are going to get very tired very fast. Good luck.

 

ya i drained the oil out of that 15mm plug on the side is that the right plug and where do i fill the oil back in and what type should i use im going to atempt dropping it tomorrow

 

The drain is on the bottom and it's considerably larger than 15mm, though I don't recall the actual size, 21mm maybe. Maybe. The 15mm plug on the side is where you fill it. You need a small handpump (don't get a tiny one though, get one that holds at least a litre), or a funnel and hose that will fit in the fill hole. Your best bet for fluid if your not worried about price is Amsoil Severe Duty gear oil - 75W90, Redline Synthetic, or Royal Purple. I'm sure theres more but I don't know of them. These oils you will most likely have to get from an aftermarket shop. However if you aren't looking to spend that much then you can get along just fine with the Synthetic gear oil available at Canadian Tire. It's in a dark blue bottle, with a tapered top like silicone tubes. Two of those will be enough, and it's fairly cheap.

 

What are the sizes of wrenches and sockets required. My thread with this question was closed. really want to know before I drive 100 miles to the car to do this and find out I didn't bring the right wrench. I know the procedure just need to know the tools.
thanks

 

You will be using a 14mm wrench/socket and ratchet predominantly. All the bolts that hold the trans to the engine and the trans mount to the body are 14mm, the driveshaft nuts are 14mm. My RB exhaust also uses 14mm, but yours may not, so you need to check yours beforehand. The 3 shifter bolts which must come out to remove the trans are 10mm. I don't remember the drain plug off hand. It's fairly large. 19-21mm I believe, but don't quote me. A 12mm for the 2 slave cylinder bolts. If you don't have at least one full socket set and one full wrench set, pick them up before you get started. The ratcheting wrenches are really great for the tight spaces, but you can get along with just a regular set if you don't want to drop $100+ on a set of them. A couple various extensions and maybe a swivel or two as well.

A creeper makes the job go faster, as well as a jack, and at least two stands, but preferably 4 or two ramps and two stands. Your going to spend an awful long time under the car, and the trans isn't tiny, so room to move is essential. Get the car as high as you can, safely of course. A good size ball peen hammer is useful for knocking that stubborn driveshaft loose. I use a 32 ouncer. Hit it towards the front of the car right on the shaft where it meets the rear U-joints. A drain pan, funnel and something to get the oil back in the car, either a hand pump or hose and funnel as I mentioned before. Don't go thinking you can get it straight from the bottle into the trans fill hole, there just isn't enough room and you'll end up wearing it.

You can use a long screwdriver to keep the flywheel from turning, just stick it between the teeth and jam it into a steering arm or whatever else is within reach. Do not forget something to support the rear of the engine. If you leave that unsupported you will seriously bend the front engine mount and put unnecessary strain on the engine mount bushings and bolts. Lots of rags or shop towels as well. It's very very dirty under there and you'll be good and covered. Safety glasses are probably a very good idea as well as lots of tiny bits seem to have a way of falling near your feet and landing in your eye. Brake cleaner to clean the flywheel off as well as your hands. I found out today it works very well for removing the grease that is going to easily come off without scrubbing, although it does get very cold due to the propellant, so short bursts will keep your hands from getting numb. Expect to spend 5-7 hours doing this if your going solo, especially if your constantly forgetting your tools on another side of the car like I do.

Good luck
Chris

 

Good info. That's exactly what I needed to know. I wanted to make sure I didn't run into an odd size bolt or some thing. Already removed the drive shaft so not a problem.

 

Forgot to mention the pressure plate bolts are also 14mm, however two of them are doweled. The trick is to remove the four that are not doweled and then put the two doweled ones back in their originally holes. This will save you from having to find out which two of the six holes they belong in. It's a pain in the ***, trust me. They are also very stubborn when your reinstalling the clutch assembly, so tighten the other four down a bit then start threading the doweled bolts in.

 

the drain plug was 24mm so i removed the tranny took a while to get it down i had to remove the hangers for the exhaust and let it hang down to get it out got the clutch and pressure plate and throw out bearing on pretty easily transmission was a pian to get back in my arms are killing me but i had some one help guide it in as soon as i felt the input shaft spline onto the clutch i was so happy then bolted it on and put the mount back up got the starter in then it got dark so im going to be putting the propeller shaft on tomorrow and the shift **** and re attach the exhaust hangers and fill up the tranny oil and probly drain and fill my diff all in all i think i got real lucky benching the tranny into place im sure it could have gotten alot worse sorry for my huge sentence im tired !!!!!