how hard was it? i was on evomoto.com and i seen there write up on how to install a clutch and it really doesnt look that hard, just want to see how many people do it themselves cause i'm at 30k miles now and i know i might have to do it soon. thanks


John

 

At my man Adam's house but it doesn't count cause he has a garage and a lift

Seriously though I can't imagine the job being all that more difficult of jack stands. Its a PITA no matter how you look at it

 

PM evo8dad on here if you want someone who's done countless by now to help you out. He lives outside philly but worth the drive

 

I'm not a very mechanical minded person and I don't have very much experience on clutch installs at all. Therefore, I had an Evo specialist replace my clutch for me. He charged me $625 including new fluid for the tranny. I know the cost was steep, but I wanted to make sure I get the install correctly done so it doesn't give me additional stress or problems in the future. It has been 4-5 months since my clutch has been installed.....And I am very impressed with my clutch performance.

 

I did it by myself. You need a floor jack, jack stands, a slide hammer, prybars, lengths of 2x4 (about 1' just to help with supporting the engine and tranny if needed) I recommend a torque wrench, double box-end wrenches and the factory manual (for torques). The evomoto guide is great for pics and step-by-step.

Also, IMO the hardest part was seperating the tranny. That clutch throw out bearing (TOB) is a royal PITA. Sometimes they pop right out, mine didnt. Looking thru the little access hole in the tranny drops little particles of dust in your face (I recommend safety glasses) while trying to turn the screwdriver can be tough. A friend who can help is a big plus.

The bolt by the ACD banjo has to be loosened as you pull the tranny away (this keeps you from having to break the ACD line and thus have it bled when you put it back together. Bleeding the clutch is easy though, just remember to top the fluid all the way to the rim of the reservoir, then bleed. Otherwise the reservoir just sucks air and you get nowhere. The final bleed you just keep cracking the line and performing the bleed until it reaches the full mark.

If you plan on doing it yourself, get a cheap tranny jack or motorcyle/atv jack. If you cant find a slide hammer (usually can rent one from autozone) get some chain and thread a bolt into the half-shaft, wrap the chain around a weight or dumbell and tug gently, it will pop out.

Brake cleaner for cleaning the flywheel before installation of the clutch because you want a oil-free surface. The torques on the flywheel bolts are around 120ft/lbs and you want those that high.

To break the axle nuts free have someone step on the brakes while you loosen them. It may help to have a cheater bar like a 2-3' long pipe to fit over a breaker bar because those torques are 160 ft/lbs. This is all memory BTW so some of the torque values may be off but I know they are high.

If you choose to remove the struts to remove the axles I recommend taking the ABS sensors out of the hub so you dont snap the wires or damage them when the rotor/hub ***'y hangs down. In fact I like to zip tye rotors back up to something after the axle is out so you dont hurt any joints having them hang down.

It seems like a lot of work and it is. Dont be overwhelmed. If its your first time do not try to get it done in one afternoon. Pay attention. Bag and tag ALL parts and bolts with their respective parts. Follow the manual and evomoto guide. If you have to struggle too hard, something is not right. Force is required, just not excessive force. Think rent-a-cop vs LAPD.

If you get stuck, just ask for help. People are always on here ready to answer questions.

Good luck.

 

Great advice^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Ive done 30+ clutch jobs by myself in my garage on jackstands, never had any problems.

 

Me and my brother did my clutch install ourselves with the help of the evomoto guide. Without that guide, I would've never attempted to try it out. Thanks evomoto!!! It was my first time and since my brother was more mechanically experienced(nissan) then I am, it sure did help alot during the process. The most PITA was taking the tranny off and putting it back ON! It kept getting stuck towards the rear and leaning on some of the firewall ledges. Definitely you'll need help on that part regardless. Without the guide, it would be almost impossible for a noob to attempt and replace the clutch without a experienced partner. Overall, it was a experience to remember and it also taught me new things that I now know about my car. If I could do it a few more times; I could probably memorize it easily. But one thing I didn't do was use the torque specs. Me and my brother just tightened it by hand to our best. Hopefully nothing bad won't happen in the future but I think it should be fine. It's still fine til this day and I hope I won't have to change my clutch too soon.

P.S You don't necessarily have to change your clutch at a certain mileage point. Only when it starts slipping, you should need to replace it. The rpm's will skip and you can feel that your powerband is not all there.

It's not how many miles it's been on the clutch, it's how you treat your clutch everyday that'll determine it's life span.

 

Above post was pretty hand.

Ive done two clutch changes in a garage so far, withi an upcoming third when my car decides to die.

Only advice I can give is to get jack stands that are high so you have plenty of clearance under the front, aswell as to give yourself plenty of time.

Our first clutch took us 5 nights of work, which would of been about 20-25 hours. Second clutch took us under 8. The first time will be strange and werid, but, overall, its not to hard

 

you have an MR 6 speed...whoooo hoo that tranny is heavy...lol..

better get some buddies...

 

wow thanks alot guys i'm kinda looking forward to changing out my clutch now lol i know its not going to be easy the first time but i think ill be ok. anything i need to know bout 6sp vs 5sp or is it the same? how much heavier is the 6sp then the 5sp? special thanks to althemean

 

Less than 2% replace their own units.

 

i have done two clutches on the ground pain in the *** from being cramped under the car, but it worked out. i used evomotos write up.

 

also 5spd is way easier than 6 spd. dont be be afraid to work on your own stuff it saves money an it makes you feel better about your build. you can say yea i built it!!!!

 

I've done it with a buddy's help, and like a few others have said; the most difficult part for me was the throw out bearing. It is a two person job getting the tranny in and out, but it's very doable.
You definately need the right tools. Beg, barrow, or steal the right torque wrenches; you really don't want bolts backing out just to tear it down again to torque something down. The slide hammer I picked up at Harbor Feight. I think it was about $20, it's ugly Chinese junk, but it worked.
I don't have an ACD so I can't comment on that part. Give yourself plenty of time and good luck.