I have to replacement my clutch on my 99 Z24. I have already picked up a full clutch kit including slave. Besides brake and tranny fluid.. do I need anything else?
This is my first front wheel drive clutch. I have a fully stocked garage to work in.
Any tricks or suggestion to make the job easier? I have a shop manual but it seems to make the job look bigger then it is.
I have looked for posts outlining clutch replacement but can’t find any.
Any suggestion would be much appreciated
Thanx
- - - peter
You have to remove the intake to access some of the bolts, remove the slave cylinder hydraulic line, the shift cables, electrical plugs for the VSS and the Reverse switch, the two plastic covers that keep dirt out of the bellhousing (bottom of engine/tranny), the axles, the driver's side splash shield, and a couple bolts in the subframe. Once that is done, you can remove the tranny mounts, and the bolts to the engine. Separate the tranny from the engine and lower it down and out the bottom. I find it very useful to wedge a pry bar or something between the subframe and the body instead of having to have someone else pry down on it while you guide the tranny out. Once it is out, remove the bolts from the pressure plate...loosen each one 2 turns at a time to gradually release the tension of the pressure plate. Then wedge something in the teeth of the flywheel to keep it from turning while you crack the bolts loose from the crankshaft. Them simply re-install in the reverse of removal with the new parts in there and bleed the clutch fluid.
Oh and if you are just replacing the clutch, you will need to have the flywheel re-surfaced. If it is a new flywheel and clutch it is fine out of the box. Just clean it off after it is mounted on the car and awaiting the clutch.
-da chinchilla
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replioes
-da chinchilla
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Thanx for the info,
The reason I am doing this is because the slave is leaking. So far not a problem with the clutch. So do I still have to have it machined down?
do i have to add any axtra steps because of the brake fluid leaking in to the clutch from the slave.
Are their any other parts or seals that I should replace while I got it apart?
Thanx
- - - peter
if you are not changing the clutch itself, then you will not have to have the flywheel machined. Since the brake fluid is leaking into the bellhousing, I would recommend taking the clutch off and cleaning up the flywheel and pressure plate with BrakeKleen. Also make sure the clutch disk is not glazed over because of this. Has the clutch been slipping?
Other seals to replace...not really if you are just replacing the slave cylinder. Just be thorough when you clean up the mess in there or your clutch will be slipping on that brake fluid.
-da chinchilla
<img src="http://registry.gmenthusiast.com/images/jiggamon/avatar15569_2.gif">
I am changing the clutch while its apart. 220000 km on origional clutch..
may as well change it.
so I guess the flywheel will have to be resurfaced.
- -- peter
Do you know if the flywheel is stepped or not?
thanx
yeah resurface the flywheel.
99 is an Isuzu tranny, so you have the stepped flywheel.
-da chinchilla
<img src="http://registry.gmenthusiast.com/images/jiggamon/avatar15569_2.gif">
I would replace the release bearing too while you're in there.
now i heard that you couldnt resurface the flywheels in the j-bodies, i have a 98 with a 2200 in it and the dealer told me that due to heat related stress i had to have a new one, and no they havent touched my car, dealers are evil creations designed to suck up your cash
i'm also planning to replace my slave cylinder/clutch so if i can just have the flywheel resurfaced then i can save myself some serious cash. thanks in advance
J~
J~ wrote:the dealer told me that due to heat related stress i had to have a new one
Translation:
Just give us another $200 or so...that ought to cover it.
Anyway, what they are saying depends on the condition of the flywheel. The place that resurfaces the flywheel will be able to tell you if it is re-usable, but more than likely it is.
-da chinchilla
<img src="http://registry.gmenthusiast.com/images/jiggamon/avatar15569_2.gif">
Hello All,
I have 2 other quick questions before i start on the job tomorow.
1) I called and got a price to resurface the clutch $51 can plus $3 per dowel.
What is the dowel?
2) What kind of tranny fluid do i put into it. (other then GM stuff) Anything special i should use?
Also are you sure their is not a crank/rear seal that i should change while there?
Thanx!
- - - peter
1) You are resurfacing the flywheel...not the clutch. The clutch pressure plate is bolted to the flywheel. Remove 6 bolts and the disk will come with it. What is left on the engine is the flywheel. There is not dowel on the flywheel surface to be machined.
2) You should use Gm Synchromesh in the Isuzu tranny. There is no known equivalent. I have heard of people using other stuff, but it just doesn't protect as well.
-da chinchilla
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Thanx for the info.
I did mean flywheel. opps
- - - peter
now is the clutch fluid and trans fluid the same? if not what clutch fluid did you use Craig?
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Clutch fluid is Brake fluid. Any DOT3 brake fluid will do.
-da chinchilla
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ah ok, thanx for the info.
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My '96 is an Isuzu - it did not have a stepped flywheel. I didn't remove the intake or sub-frame either, but maybe yours is different.
Since I knew my clutch was garbage I also took it off before I dropped the trans. Gives you an extra 2 or 3 inches to work with.
I guess your doing this right now! Have a good weekend!
Well after spending 4hrs friday night I had the tranny detached and ready to drop out Sat Morning. Not to badd I thought.
Then it took my dame near 4 hours just to get the fn tranny to drop out of the car. Its tighter then a virgin on prom night in there. We tried every angle and rotation and it still hit the sub frame. Finally i have the engin a good shake and noticed if I pulled the engine back i got the needed clearence. this is the trick it needed. so i pulled it pack and jamed it there. The Clinton manual is usless fore this. It says something like undoo all bolts and simply drop tranny. A little more description would of helped.
Got it out and saw the stupid Slave. i took it out and smasked it with a sludge hammer. Stupid leaking seal. I compaired the new clutch and the one in the car was in perfect shap with the same amount of meat as the new one. (car has 220,000km on it)
So tonight i have to throw the tranny back up into it.
This goes out to anyone that has done this before... What is the easiest way to guide it back up into the motor. how should the engine be angled etc??
Any help would be appreciated.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And to the others who are thinking off doing this job. Make sure you have lots of bandaids and some smoke to ease your frustrations. If not pay someone else to do it.
- - - peter
Yup it is in there tight. That is why I usually take the subframe bolts on the drive's side out and wedge an inch board between it and the body. That gives just enough clearance to easily slide the tranny out. Oh and taking out the 4" long stud on the back of the tranny helps a lot too. That thing always gets caught on the clutch. That is a good thing to have off to install it, then just put the sleeve between the tranny and engine, screw it back in, and add the nut.
I lift it back in with my arms.
-da chinchilla
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yeah that friggin 4" stud ***!*!*
How do I get it out? Does it just unscrew??
When you are talking about the subframe bolts you mean the the 2 foot support bar that goes from the bumper to the sub frame? Thats the stupit hang up i had. Was ready to torch the corner off the subframe where it bolds on.!!!!
look at the end of it. it is something like a 5.5mm or 7mm socket that fits on it. Then just turn it like any other bolt.
-da chinchilla
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Going in I'd suggest turning the differential part of the transmission strait up towards the motor. I had better luck that way. Also had better luck having an engine support holding the enigine rather then a jack and 2by4 holding from the bottom. I think it was 1/4" stud or something. I've seen blocks break when that wasn't taken out. That ear with the hole pop right off trying to get it out without taking that stud out. I'm suprised you didn't break it. I never had to take the entire cradle out, but that bar running from the lower rad. support to the body had to come out. I took the same transmission out of the same car 3 times because the tranny shop @!#$ up, and I tell you, It never got easier for me to wiggle that damn thing out, but going in was the easy part.
Well I got everything back together last night. All was going good until I started bleeding the clutch. I bleed and bleed and could not get the bearing to release. I started to get worried. So then I decided to see if the car had to be on in order to create additional pressure.
I start the car and bang….bearing released.
Next for the test drive. All is perfect!!! Clutch is smooth like a hot knife through butter.
It was a large job but for a total cost of $250 (Canadian) for all parts/fluid, I cant complain.
I just want to thank everyone who aided me on the forum with their advice.
All the best!
- - - peter
Good to hear all is well. Did you end up having the flywheel machined, and what type of clutch did you put on there?
-da chinchilla
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