Changing clutch plate and bearing

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Doug G
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Changing clutch plate and bearing

Post by Doug G »

How difficult (for a beginner never done it before) is it to chang the clutch plate and bearing.

I souppose that the engine and transmission have to be removed first.

Opportunity to renew engine rubber mounts etc?

If changing clutch plate is there anything else that you suggest I take the opportunity to change?
Having a moking good time!
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Tim
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Post by Tim »

It can be done in the car without pulling the engine. You support the clutch end of the engine on a jack, so that the engine mount doesn't have any weight on it. Undo the engine mount from the subframe. Then you undo all the bolts holding the clutch cover to the clutch housing. The bolt at the back is always an absolute sod to get to, some mechanics throw them away to make it easier next time. Then you should be able to just pop off the clutch cover, it holds the throw-out bearing that you'll need to replace. Next you mark the relative position of the diaphragm spring against the flywheel and unbolt it. Now the difficult bit. The problem is that you do have to remove the fly wheel to get to the clutch plate and that usually requires a special puller. If you're doing it with the engine in the car you need a short stubby one. Once you get the flywheel off, its easy to swap the clutch plate and bolt it all back together.

If you find the clutch plate contaminated with oil, you'd want to swap the oil seal on the crank shaft. You also might need to replace the diaphragm spring and maybe have the flywheel and pressure plate machined, but thats unlikely. You might need to change the engine mount, otherwise the throwout bearing and the clutch plate are the main things that usually need doing, most of the rest of it can be accessed from the "outside".

If you have the tools and enthusiasm to pull the whole engine out it does make it easier, but I wouldn't bother unless there was another reason to do it.

Tim
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Ezeltje
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Post by Ezeltje »

Please, before you remove your flywheel put it on TDC.

You explane Tim :wink:


André
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Tim
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Post by Tim »

Yeah, I actually don't worry about that. Basically the issue is that there's a C shaped washer that retains the primary gear on the end of the crankshaft. It slots into two grooves machined into the crankshaft and in use its only held in place by the flywheel being over it. As you start to remove the flywheel it can potentially slip in such a way as to prevent the flywheel coming off or going back on. It will only slip if its up the wrong way. At TDC its supposed to be the right way up to hang neatly over the crankshaft and stay put. The problem is that its possible to assemble the engine with it either way up so that if the previous engine builder just stuck it on there any old way, it can now be hanging upside down, in the worst possibly position.

Some recent advice I read suggested putting the engine at TDC on cylinder 2, that way the retainer will be definitely be lying on one or other of its sides and won't slip, that makes sense to me.

I've always found that no matter what I do I always end up rotating the flywheel while I'm trying to undo it anyway, so even if it started at TDC it soon won't be. I've never had a problem but maybe I've been lucky. Still, if it did jam, it would be a horrible feeling.

Tim
Nigel(no top)Sykes
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Post by Nigel(no top)Sykes »

It's go to be easier to hoist the engine out - my sons had his in and out so many times all he has to do is whistle and it jumps out !
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Tim
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Post by Tim »

It depends a bit on what driveshaft couplings you have. If you have the hardy spicer universal joint type driveshafts then getting the engine in and out is much easier. Rubber crosses are a bit harder and pot joints are a real pain. I can do an engine in and out in about 3 hours, my mechanic used to claim 20 minutes out and about 45 minutes back in, but thats with a hoist. I still prefer to do clutches with the engine in the car (actually I prefer to get my mechanic to do it however he likes), but theres no doubt that there is a lot more room to move, especially when it comes to pulling the flywheel.

Well Doug, what are you going to do?

Tim
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Post by Nigel(no top)Sykes »

A mate of mine once broke his engine at an autotest. We had the engine out and a replacement (that he collected from home) back in during the hour long dinner break, that's witout a hoist BTW, but with lots of willing helpers

And he beat me !!!

You should be able to do it Christmas day afternoon if you go steady on the turkey Doug :)
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Doug G
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Post by Doug G »

Tim wrote:Well Doug, what are you going to do?
Tim
Well I have a mate here on holiday, who used to have a couple mini's a few years ago, and brought out the clutch plate etc.
I was going to bribe him with lots (and lots) of Carib (beer) and try to do it without removing the engine.

Well we will start that way.

I don't mind if the engine has to come out.
I can then clean and mask it and spray with a heat resisting paint (another post coming up).
Having a moking good time!
Stephenx
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Re:Clutch repair. starter etc removed. How do I get to the last two bolts ? I have jacked up the engine as you suggested

Post by Stephenx »

Tim wrote: Sun Dec 16, 2007 22:45 It depends a bit on what driveshaft couplings you have. If you have the hardy spicer universal joint type driveshafts then getting the engine in and out is much easier. Rubber crosses are a bit harder and pot joints are a real pain. I can do an engine in and out in about 3 hours, my mechanic used to claim 20 minutes out and about 45 minutes back in, but thats with a hoist. I still prefer to do clutches with the engine in the car (actually I prefer to get my mechanic to do it however he likes), but theres no doubt that there is a lot more room to move, especially when it comes to pulling the flywheel.

Well Doug, what are you going to do?

Tim
Nigel(no top)Sykes
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Re: Changing clutch plate and bearing

Post by Nigel(no top)Sykes »

Stephenx, whatever he did he did it nearly ten years ago if you look at the original post!
Come on summer
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Tim
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Re: Changing clutch plate and bearing

Post by Tim »

Hi Stephenx, I don't think you're doing this quite right. Is this your question?:
starter etc removed. How do I get to the last two bolts ? I have jacked up the engine as you suggested
If you mean the two bolts that hold the clutch cover at the the back, then you just have to work away at them. It helps to have some very short spanners, you may even need to make up a bent spanner to reach, then you undo them one flat at a time. Its painful, but it can be done. I always replace the difficult ones with the shortest bolts that will fit, but around here a lot of mechanics leave the rear most one out, they reckon its not needed.

Tim
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Stephenx
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Re: Changing clutch plate and bearing

Post by Stephenx »

Hi Tim,

Thanks for your reply.
I have persisted and managed to get the last bolt outs you say, one flat at a time.
I have just made a puller and will continue as suggested.
I spoke with Tony Cullen at Minisport, he was extremely helpful with how to proceed and is supplying the parts I need.

Stephen
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Tim
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Re: Changing clutch plate and bearing

Post by Tim »

Good stuff!

Good luck with the pulling. you may be lucky and the flywheel will come off easily, but often it takes a lot of tension on the puller. I'm sure its not recommended, but before I had a decent puller I'd often stick a piece of wood in the starter motor hole and give it some judicious whacks with a hammer, rotating the flywheel each time (see warnings above about C washer).

Tim
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Stephenx
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Re: Changing clutch plate and bearing

Post by Stephenx »

All done thanks Tim. After all that the hose from the Clutch master to the slave was blocked and needed replacing!
Also replaced the slave cylinder,
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Tim
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Re: Changing clutch plate and bearing

Post by Tim »

Good stuff. You can get some weird things happening with blocked hoses. They look OK on the outside but are falling apart inside.

Tim
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