hi guys im wanting to change my clutch out,,,stock one aint holding my new power levels ive gone and purchased a ACT street/strip clutch kit. The problem is i dont have axcess to a car lift,,,,can the swop be done with the car on the floor if so how (ive changed lots of clutches but always on front wheel drive cars where the gearbox is in the engine bay not in the middle of the car).

im thinking of jacking the car completely off the floor at all 4 wheels using axle stands and jacks so that i can climb under the car .?
also i read the CAT has to be removed to do a clutch is this correct?

any advice ?

 

You need the car about 2 feet in the air in order to have room to drag the transmission out after you've dropped it.

Disconnect the battery.

Remove the shifter from inside the car.

Remove the under car splash guards.

Drain the tranny.

Remove the starter.

Remove the PPF.

Remove the driveshaft.

Disconnect the clutch release bearing from the pressure plate.

Remove the bellhousing bolts.

Remove the transmission.

 

You're going to need to pull down the tranny so, whatever is the way of removing the trans needs to come off (power plant frame, exaust, ect). You need to remove the slave cylinder, the inspection cover on the trans and, take a big screwdriver and push in (towards the engine) the wedge collar. If you do not do this, the trans will not release from the clutch.

 

Don't need to remove the PPF to drop or remove the tranny. Aside from what DamonB listed, yes you will need to remove the main cat. The rest of the exhaust system can stay in place.

 

mahjik do u leave the power plant frame and just undo it from gearbox,,, then lower gearbox (wont this make it ackward to line gearbox back into flywheel???). does the cat get really in the way then?
also can i just lift front end of car or will i need to lift all 4 corners?

 

You undo the PPF bolts from the tranny (after removing the driveshaft). It will then hang down to the ground giving plenty of clearance to remove and then install the tranny. I have done plenty of clutch changes (2 on my car), dropped and installed the tranny (more times than I care to count on my car and some friends' cars as well) and have never removed the PPF.


You can't drop the tranny with it in place.

All four corners. You'll need it level and you'll also need to drain the tranny as DamonB mentioned (so you want it level for that) unless you have a Transmission Jack. If you have a Transmission Jack, you can get by no draining the transmission but I can tell you that a filled transmission is damn heavy!

 

another quick one for you,,,, what about the drive shaft does it unbolt or is it with of them ones that pop out the back and have a ring clip (does it need unbolting at the diff end first or also left hanging)_ thanks for all the info mahjic

 

It unbolts. 4 nuts/bolts hold it to the diff and then it slides out of the tranny.

 

Never thought of that. Hopefully it will be quite some time before I have need to try that out


***OOPS!!*** I forgot from my original list. The cat absolutely has to come out and the clutch slave needs to be removed from the bellhousing (though you don't have to remove the hydraulic line. Just unbolt the slave and push it aside).

 

thankyou think im ready to start,,, is there anything needs replacing while im there,,,im gonna do the pilot bearing and the seal (ill check to make sure rear rotor housing seal isnt leaking) what about the spring thing that clips into the clutch (not the release bearing) that release clip thingy lol (ive had engine out before so i remember,,, maybe i should replace with new)

 

Wedge Collar?

IIRC, they are a "use once" item (i.e. once you remove it, you are suppose to trash it). Considering how delicate those things are, if yours is original I would replace it.

 

excellent,,,right im ready,,,,ill let you know if i shaft it up LOL

 

can be done, but a lift and tranny jack makes things a lot easier. after being a tech and having my own lift, I'll never go back to working on my back again.

 

You're going to need a pilot bearing puller if you are truly intent on changing the pilot bearing.

 

lol trust me mate,,, ive been working on my back for the last 10 years , i hate it (but unfortunatly i dont have a lift)

 

not many of us do (have a lift)
my next house will before i even move into it....

good luck with the trans.

brad

 

I haven't done it, but if you're only changing clutch components you could leave the tranny under the car, sort of inside the tranny tunnel. That way you won't need to have the car a full 2' off the ground.

But yeah Damon's description about covers it. When you disconnect the t/o bearing from the pressure plate, download the video that shows how to do it. If you do it right it comes out snap easy. If you monkey with it much at all, you'll damage the wedge collar and maybe also the wire ring.

IMHO, the wedge collar and wire ring are not high-stress items (like the clutch fork is) and so if they are undamaged I wouldn't replace them. Just install them on the pressure plate outside of the car and see how smartly they fit. If any of the wedge collar tabs is slightly bent or doesn't fit perfectly into the corresponding slot on the ring, or either part is out of round, then replace them.

Dave

 

I changed mine out on a lift. The clutch change is easy when compared to the damn flywheel and its massive nut.... Switching flywheels is a PITA.

 

yer,, im thinking about just lowering the gearbox on a big trolley jack,,,changing out the clutch then reinstalling.,, does anyone have the link to that video to release the collar without unbolting the clutch?

 

http://71.102.125.165/rx7/pullclutch.htm