I recently installed a new flywheel/clutch/press plate onto my motor while i was doing a motor swap.

this being my first FD tranny job, I asked some friends for re-instal advice. I was told by everyone I asked, that I needed to snap the press plate into the ring thing on the clutch fork, put the disk on the input shaft, and then bolt the tranny to motor, before bolting the press plate to the flywheel through the acess hole.

I followed this procedure EXACTLY, and ran into problems when the old press plate bolts from my centerforce flywheel wouldn't thread into my new RB flywheel. I pulled the tranny back off the motor and decided to buy new bolts and try again. the second time, i wanted to hurry a little and took a short cut. i bolted the press plate and clutch to the flywheel before bolting the trany to the motor. once everything was bolted up, i pivoted the clutch fork to make the ring snap into the press plate. i heard/felt a snap and proceded to install motor/tranny into car.

Now i have all of the people who gave me the advice saying that i need to drop the tranny and install the clutch the other way. besides loosing pressure to a leaking slave cylender, the clutch seems to be ok. when i bleed the line i get pressure in the pedal, when i put the car in gear and press the clutch, it rolls freely, when i release the clutch, the motor spins.

the car is not running yet, but it should be done this weekend, my question is: Do I need to drop my tranny and re-install the clutch, or is it possible to properly install a FD clutch the way i did it? i dont want to start the car untill i know that i have done it right, but i dont want to spend a whole day on my back dropping the tranny if i dont need to. has anybody installed a FD clutch succesfully the way i did mine?

Thanx, and sorry for the long Post
Roan

 

hmmm, so no one has done a clutch job in a FD huh?

 

snap the press plate into the ring thing on the clutch fork, put the disk on the input shaft, and then bolt the tranny to motor, before bolting the press plate to the flywheel through the acess hole.

--This is the correct way.

The REW has a Pull type fork vs the push type. If the ring does not snap into the fork the pressure plate may not be able to disengage the cluth from the flywheel.

In other words get out the mechanic gear

 

i understand the pull type fork and all, what I'm wondering is weather or not it's possible that snapping the ring thing into the press plate after the tranny is bolted up will work.

sometimes there is more than one way to do things, even if the shop manual dosent say so. i'm just trying to save a day of work. i may just pay somebody to let me borrow a lift in thier shop on sunday, while everyone is at e-town.

thanx for the input though Wayne

 

The clip usually does not go in that easy, Try starting the car in gear pressing on the cluth and the brake at the same time and see if the clutch disengaged. If it did, you might be lucky, if so finish the car you can always fix the clutch later.

 

yeah, i guess i'll just finish it and try it....

 

Romeo is a twin turbo trans specialist. If it bothers you enough give him a call 725-0179.

 

HAhaha
Romeo is the friend I was talking about who told me that i gotta drop the tranny again.

I'm screwed

 

well, Wayne, and anyone else interested; i spend friday morning towing my car to a friends shop and pulling my tranny to 'correctly' install my clutch. after an hour i got the tranny out, and checked the pressure plate/clutch fork attachment to find that it the press plate was mounted correctly, and snapped fully into the retainer ring. even though it was a waste of my time, i took this opportunity to install a SS clutch line, and reroute some fuel lines under the car. the car stayed at the shop all day saturday, and i did all the little things to it that i wanted to before i started it. i'm still glad i dropped the tranny to double check, now i'm not gonna be scared to dump the clutch at 7 grand

Monday is the day that i'm either gonna start her up or burn her to the ground. i've doublechecked all of the haltech wireing, all opf my fuel system connections, and basically every bolt i ever touched on the car. If this thing gives me a problem on monday, i'm gonna go crazy. if all goes well, I'm taking off the rest of the week from work to celebrate (and tune)

so the moral of the story is.... there are TWO ways to properly install a FD clutch, but only one way to restore your piece of mind and confidence.

Thanx all!!!

 

everytime i have either pulled my motor or tranny. i would have the whole assembley flywheel/pressureplate/disk bolted to the motor..naturally you have to align the disk so the pilot goes in but thats how i always do it not reaching thru and doing it that way.and i have no problems with my clutch so there is no reson this isnt another correct way to do it. So your safe. Good luck with your car mine is just up and runing AGAIN today with the new motor.
Greg

 

Is your car a FD? while i now know it is possible to reassemble the clutch/tranny by bolting the press plate to the flywheel first, i still think it's impossible to remove the tranny from the car without unbolting the pressure plate first.

on a TII, this is nopt the case, but a FD makes it impossible to remove with the clutch still bolted to the flywheel.

 

from my experience it is imposible. you must take pres. plate off via loosening through the little access slot at the bottom.
turn with a pry-bar, loosen, turn, loosen, turn ......PIA.

 

Now I'm really curious. Do you have a twinturbo motor and tranny?

 

I have an fd its a 93 with a single now. What you have to do to remove it is take off that little bottom cover and reach up and snap that brass ring into the pressure plate Then it releaces the input shaft. It even says how to do it in the manual bc the first time we pulled it we could only get it part way out then it would stop then if you look on that cover it says "pull type clutch consult service manual" something like that and thats how its done.
Greg