ok i have an s5 n/a with 3k on a sp rebuild, and the clutch is about a year old.

the clutch was installed by the previous owner, and i dont really trust his mechanical skills too much.

when i got the rebuild i was told that i was going to need a clutch in the future.

well its the future... for the whole time ive had the car, ive had throwout bearing noises (chattering when the car is in neutral, clutch pedal OUT, chattering stops when i PRESS the clutch) and generally some annoying whirring and scraping noises from the clutch area.

as of yesterday, when i put her in first to drive off normally, the clutch pedal feels a little bit looser (dont know if it really is, i started driving a chevy s10 at work and its got a really hard clutch so it could just be how my leg feels it) and the rpms soar, while the speedometer just kind of slowly bounces up, nowhere NEAR how it should. the engine also sounds higher pitched, kind of like its just freely spinning.

i have ordered an ACT clutch, but i will not receive it for 4-5 days...

please tell me this is a clutch problem....

also, i have mechanical experience but i have never installed a clutch. how hard will it be to do? afternoon job? i know about the 52mm socket ill need and everything... i just dont know how hard it is... anyone know of a writeup?

btw quick answers will help me a lot, i have to check my email at the library and theres a time limit on computer use so i have about 45 mins left)

thanks

 

put it in 4th gear, and punch it and see if it slips???

 

what would that show?

also my idle is perfectly normal (about 900) without bouncing, no shaking, just no power...

4th gear is kind of driveable, i cant get past about 40/45mph but the rpms just go up slower in that gear... its kind of like it catches better in 4th than in 1st or 2nd or 3rd

 

if it slips
maybe the clutch material is pretty much gone
therefore cant contact the flywheel good enough?

 

thats what im hoping... that its the clutch and i havent lost a rotor (even though i dont have bad idle, smoking, etc etc, engine seems perfect)

is it safe to drive on this clutch until my new one comes? how about the install questions i asked?

 

^^ bump (runnin out of time)

 

usually, when your clutch is REALLY spinning you can smell it but yeah, it sounds like a owrn out clutch, my TII had the same symptoms and I burnt the clutch a week later...

changing a clutch is a bit of work.

On a TII, you have to remove some exhaust parts and heat shield

Removing shifter assembly makes thing lot easier!

there are a couple of bolt on the bell housing that are simply bitches and it's hard to reach them. You also have to remove the starter.

unbolt your clutch slave cylinder from the bellhousing

unplug every electrical connector from the tranny, remember or note their initial position

unplug speedometer cable

drain the tranny fluid. inspect it to see any bizarre color or deposits

be careful to mark the position of the driving shaft on the differential. You wouldn't want to throw this assembly out of balance...

if you're working in a pit ( that's the way I did it ) someone has to support the tranny while you unbolt the tranny support ( 4 big bolts ). If the car is only on jackstands, use a tranny jack.

remove the tranny by pulling it and then, of course, be careful not to drop it!

remove pressure plate, inspect it, the clutch disc will fall on the ground, inspect the flywheel

use a bearing puller to remove pilot bearing ( it is possible to swear during this operation )

put a new one in ( as difficult as removing the old one )

squeeze the new clutch disc between PP and flywheel and align it with the alignment tool

torque the PP bolts to the appropriate number

Install a new throw out bearing and grease it

put the tranny back etc etc etc in reverse order

dont forget to fill the tranny with the appropriate oil!

there's no use for the 52mm socket, it's for the flywheel removal, and unless you want to have it resurfaced, you dont need this

* I may have forgotten some small steps, that's just what I remember quickly from my clutch change...

EDIT : I've never seen a rx-7 running on one rotor...

 

how far off of the floor is the clutch pedal before the clutch starts to engage? you're not resting your foot on the pedal are you? if you can still do a burnout then the clutch is probably not slipping all that bad.

 

thank you very very much... ill bookmark this thread

anyone else want to reassure me that its my clutch? the only thing thats got me going is the fact that the engine SOUNDS different, very high pitched, as if its on free spin... im terribly worrited about this and im also worried about driving on it for the next 5 days (20 min to work, 20 min home... TONS OF HILLS)

:/

 

one more bump before i get kicked out of the library

 

good luck with the ACT i hear good things about them. how much did you pay? or do you remember how much a turbo act clutch was? maybe i'll get one for my turbo2 eventually

 

i actually just bought it straight from act (advancedclutch.com or something to that effect, google it)

it was like 415 before shipping... probably got majorly ripped off, but i just want to get the damn thing asap because not being able to drive me daily driver is bad news

 

where can u get a tranny jack?
all this time i heard u can just balance the tranny on a normal car jack.
haven done clutch job yet but will soon when i get my flywheel. =P

 

i have always been told that a block of wood works fine

 

i am trying actually right now to remove the tranny from my s4 t2 with a normal hydraulic floor jack with a block of wood but i don't think the weight is centered seeing as how it moved back two inches but is very difficult to move now, probably just gonna take time. i seen a tranny jack in the haynes manual i think. $415? almost as much as my whole car (turbo II), and more than my fb.

 

as I stated above, I did it in a pit...

si I dont know anything about tranny jack... I just figured out it was the best thing to use

 

One more thing, if the flywheel shows anything more than mild discoloration, have it resurfaced. Most machine shops will tell you if it has any hairline cracks. This is one of those "ounce of prevention" steps. Saves a lot of pain in the ***, re-do steps.

 

TII '87, How long did it take you to do? I'm going to have to do mine in the next few days and dont know if its going to be more than a day job?

Chris

 

it depends...
if you this alone and you don't have the appropriate tools, it's gonna be pretty long

but if you have access to a pit or a lift and a buddy give you a hand... I'd say about an afternoon if you know your **** and you don't f*** something up or see something's worn out

the pilot bearing is nearly impossible to remove unless you have the right type of puller, so I'd begin by checking that first if I was you

Other than that, it's simply a case of bolts and patience