I'm getting ready to replace my clutch on my '84 SE and figured I'd ask what else I should consider replacing while I have the transmission disconnected. I plan to resurface the flywheel at the same time. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to replace the rubber transmission mount and any other rubber boots or fragile parts while I'm at it. Any suggestions?

 

throw out bearing definitly but other then that i think you got it all

 

Pilot bearing, check the rear main engine seal and the seals at both ends or the tranny. Refill with a premium fluid.

 

I always do the pilot, throw out, rear main seal (if removing flywheel), and front tranny seal & gasket. Here is a link to a write-up I did, showing all the parts, from about five years back...

http://rx-sevenandahalf.com/misc/clutch.html

 

Blake, nice writeup. Thanks for the help. I hadn't thought about the seals so that'll be a good catch. Only thing I had a question about was the pilot bearing removal tool - this will be my first clutch replacement so can you tell me why the Mazda one is recommended (I don't have any right now so I'll have to look to order one.) Thanks

John

 

Easy...it works and the others don't.

 

Mazdatrix.com sells a special one that everyone says is good. You can also try the old method of jamming the hole with thick grease then fit a tight bolt or rod into the hole and rap it hard with a big hammer to drive the bearing out with hydraulic pressure. Some guys rent a slide hammer and file the inside gripping tongs to fit.

B

 

Never worked for me. Either cut it with a chisel OR get the mighty SNAP-ON pilot bearing puller

 

Finally had time to put the new clutch in last week and wanted to post an update. First of all, I had no idea how much power I had been losing to the old clutch/pressure plate until I saw my performance with the new parts installed. I went completely stock for all the parts and am very pleased. Without a doubt this repair made the biggest performance difference I've seen yet (I've had 3 first gen's in the past 11 years.) I no longer have any shuddering when I release the clutch pedal and the car sprints through all the gears (the way it should.) I also eliminated another symptom that I hadn't previously attributed to a weak pressure plate: before the repair, whenever I'd push the clutch pedal in, the RPM would rise about 100-200 RPM with my foot off the accelerator. Now the RPM drops immediately when the clutch pedal is pushed. Makes for normal shifting again.

I ended up replacing the clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, pilot bearing and seal, front transmission seal and gasket, gear shift bushings, all three rubber boots/insulators, and refilling with Royal Purple (I'd had that in before too.)

I had intended to pull off the flywheel but I had a professional mechanic with me who's done dozens of clutches and he said my flywheel was in great shape; instead, I took a flexible rotary sander air tool and went over the flywheel to clean it up. I should caveat that by also saying that my old clutch wasn't excessively worn and still hadn't worn down to the rivets....my pressure plate was my bigger problem.

The transmission slid back in on the first try and reassembly went a lot faster than the tear down. The only issue I had after reassembly was a rattling/vibration throughout the transmission with the engine in neutral and my foot off the clutch pedal. When I pressed the clutch pedal in to move the throwout bearing forward the vibration went away; or if I had the car in gear and drove, the vibration was gone. This lasted about 3 minutes and hasn't come back again -- any ideas? Maybe just the fork adjusting into position slightly?

Thanks again for those who offered advice.

 

Which method for removing pilot bearing?

B

 

I used a pilot bearing removal tool (from Snap-on). Took 2 minutes but the old bearing and seal were lodged in there pretty good.