as with any evo owner there comes a time to replace the pos clutch. i have an 05 evo equipped with ACD, concerned about running into issues when replacing the clutch myself. i have another evo owner helping. he had removed his tranny and clutch numerous times, but drives an 03. is his "expertise" irrelavent? is there anything i need to be concerned about? do i need to get the special tool to drain fluids when just changing clutch? is it just best to bring it to a shop? also, thinking about getting the single disc cerametallic exedy clutch. full factory car expecting bolt ons this year. any opinions? thanks

 

The only major differnce is the ACD, the top bolt on the transfercase to tranny is hard to get to because you cannot use a socket to loosen it because the ACD line is in the way.

There are posts on how to bleed the ACD if you choose to remove the line. I personally think it's better just to leave the ACD line connected and use a good 6 pt box wrench to loosen the bolt because depending on the wrench you may not be able to get it to slide all the way onto the bolt so you want the most contact so you don't strip the corners. Once you loosen it, you can turn it with your fingers so it's not too bad, but you will have to turn a few turns, then pry the transfer case out a bit, turn a few turns, pry some more, because the bolt head will hit the ACD line as you try to back it out. It makes more sense once you see it.

The one thing that helps so you can get a wrench in there is to remove the four bolts to the bracket that supports the intake manifold the the engine block. You can leave the bracket hanging and maybe shove it up and away just so you have room for the box wrench.

First time took me a while to get this one and to figure out how to release the throwout bearing but if you have someone helping you with experience that should go easily, otherwise the rest is just like any normal FWD tranny removal.

If you don't have a hoist, the methods that have been posted about removing the subframe bolts and steering column connections and lowering it a bit make it easier to get in and out. I have a hoist so I found that was a nice step for more room, but having done it both ways, i'd rather remove the hood and use a hoist than deal with a small bit of power steering fluid leakage and realigning the steering rack.

Ultimately it depends on how much you're willing to deal with and how much time you have. The first time probably took me about 10-12 hrs mostly by myself with the time to replace the syncros. The second time probably about 6 h working at a relaxed pace.

 

thanks for the reply. helps me figure out my budget & if i needed anything else for that ACD.

 

you can do it yourself. i have an 05 w/ acd as well and did my clutch install myself. let me know if you have any questions.

 

i had to fabricate a wrench and weld it at an angle to get to the top bolt for the clutch line. kinda sucked but works now. has changed the lines on several evos in the area so far.