doing a clutch change, what do i need to know

[pimpcain]

hey guys, my exedy clutch kit is on the way for my 93 accord lx. i just wanted to see if anyone had any tips on how to make it easier. i wont be lifting the engine out, just supporting the engine with a floor jack and wood block. thanks for the help guys!
David

[wed3k]

well, you didnt have to lift the block anyways, lol.

umm, label the tranny mount bolts, i got them screwed up but just slapped them on

make sure to double check the torqueness on the flywheel and clutch plate and shit...because it is a long process taking the tranny back off.

check rear motor mounts, rear crank gasket and such.

remember to fill in good mtf fluid.

you'll need to jack the car up 14"+ in order for the tranny to clear the bottom of the car, i used my mom's RX300 jack.

as for bringing down the tranny, i used a ATV/motorcycle jack...costed 50 bucks at kragen and was way cheaper than the tranny jack.

remember to resurface or scuff up the surface of the flywheel...mine chatters a bit because i didnt

umm, any other questions just post in here.
i did the clutch job by myself so that is as dangerous and tiring as it gets, lol.

[CBL]

well is you want some advice from an actual mechanic, i would suggest resurfacing the flywheel. If you dont there is about aa 80% chance of chatter. Also you will need some brake fluid to bleed the hydrolic clutch.

Oh and you will need a lower ball joint puller and a big ass spindle nut socket. If you have all that it will be smooth sailing.

[wed3k]

yea, a deep 12mm socket and a 12pt 10mm socket for pressure plate bolts.

[ChroNicBoosT]

yea and dont forget to replace your rear main seal on your crank... i forgot mine when i did my clutch and i loose literally a quart of oil a week... its fukkin bad and i already kno its going to be hell all over again to replace it now... and i think off hand the axle nut is 36mm....

[93CB7]

If the flywheel is heat stressed... REPLACE IT!!!

[TheTempest]

Yes it's a 36mm axel nut. Agreed on the suggestion of resurfacing the flywheel. When you're bleading the clutch make sure you know what you're doing or you'll be there for days with little/no progress.

1) have someone get in the car and with their hand pump the pedel about three and a
half times, then on the last half push have them hold it there with a little bit of pressure.

2) Place a hose on your bleader valve on the slave cyinder, and then place the other end of it in a jar of brake fluid.

3) Lossen the bleader valve untill your friends hand hits the floor.

4) have your friend hold the pedel down while you tighten up the bleader vavle.

REPEATE.

Be careful and watch your clutch fluid level at the top of the car, it doesn't take but a few times to run out of fulid and then you are suckin air back into the system, which is not desired.

[pimpcain]

ok, as much as i like working on my own car and such, i think that im going to sit this one out and let my friend do this and a timing belt at his mechanic shop that he owns. thanks for all the input though guys. i think that im gonna get under the car and see if i can visualize everything that i need to do, and maybe ill end up doing it myself

[wed3k]

ok, as much as i like working on my own car and such, i think that im going to sit this one out and let my friend do this and a timing belt at his mechanic shop that he owns. thanks for all the input though guys. i think that im gonna get under the car and see if i can visualize everything that i need to do, and maybe ill end up doing it myself

well, its not like you do this thing in one day, lol.
it took me 5 days with about 3-4 hours each day. it isnt very hard especially if you go by the online manual (it has lots of pirctures)

[accord91lx]

DEFINATLY lable the tranny mount bolts and locations. I too made the mistake of assuming they were all the same... not a huge deal, but irratates me that i dont know for sure if i have the correct legnth bolts in their respective locations.

[pimpcain]

well, its not like you do this thing in one day, lol.
it took me 5 days with about 3-4 hours each day. it isnt very hard especially if you go by the online manual (it has lots of pirctures)

where do i find the online manual? my mechanic quoted me about 4-500 bucks, and if i can do this myself, then i definately want to save the money

[F22-GURU]

where do i find the online manual? my mechanic quoted me about 4-500 bucks, and if i can do this myself, then i definately want to save the money

The Times & Labour Guides (Mechanic's Bible) quotes 7.0 Hours for a Clutch Repair including the Flywheel.
You will need every minute of it as well if you do it on your own on the floor.
If you can get hold of a Cherry-Picker Engine Crane use it to lower the gearbox to the floor. That way you can manouvre the tranny around. That's how I do it.
BTW: Do Not just scuff up the Flywheel.
Take it to a Machine Shop and resurface it. If you don't you may void any warranty on the clutch kit.

Tip: Get some Brake & Parts Cleaner to Keep all surfaces clean of oil residue.
and don't forget to use a Clutch Aligning Tool.

[wed3k]

where do i find the online manual? my mechanic quoted me about 4-500 bucks, and if i can do this myself, then i definately want to save the money

the site is either removed or down

[xaxis360]

i too did my own on the floor. it was a BITCH. i wish so bad i had access to a lift... anyways, REPLACE the flywheel like honda says. don't just resurface it. it gets the hell beat out of it every time you drive with heat and whatnot. I replaced mine and the clutch has been like butta for 100K miles. also, USE OEM..USE OEM... USE OEM.. i had an aftermarket "luk" clutch that sucked ass and burned up in 30 K. btw, there is no need to break the fluid seal for the clutch. it's just extra work. and i second that on replacing the crankshaft seal.

the whole operation is a long and tedious job but better than spending 500 bucks to have someone else do it IMO.

[Jacob_Neal12]

good luck

Hey, I just did that myself this weekend. Act HA3-HDSS + 5thgen lx tranny, smooth as silk, grips like a mofo. Its a long and tedious job. It took me two days, but I ran into some hurdles with that other tranny. Make sure you can have the time to do the job right though.

Definitely replace the rear main seal on the crank, and I'd suggest the oil pan gasket too if it needs it, while you have the tranny out and the crossmember and downpipe off. Its hella easier with straight access to the oil pan. Check your output shaft seals (the seals where the axle and intermediate shaft plug into the transmission), CV boots and balljoint boots to see if they are leaking or cracked, and get new ones before hand if at all possible so you don't have any delays while working.

Once you get everything unhooked and clear of the tranny, undo both side engine mounts (just the big bolts at the top of the mount, so the engine will be able to tilt forward so that you can get the tranny out), then support the block by a weight spreading board on the oil pan, then completely remove the tranny mount.

You will have to of course remove the lower ball joint and steering ball joint on both sides, and the radius rod on the right side (you will have to partially remove the front splash guard to get to the front nut, I think that was 17mm all around), otherwise it will prevent the tranny from dropping.

Instead of removing the two power steering hoses from the mechanical part of the vehicle speed sensor, undo that weird tall 10mm bolt and wiggle the whole sensor out (be careful, the nub the bolt attaches to is 1/4 inch cast aluminum, fairly east to snap), and bag it up so the gear doesn't get dirty. Depending on the hoses you might have to do that when you tilt the engine/tranny forward.

Be careful when taking and putting the tranny back on, there are two alignment sleeves that are easy to crush and a bitch to fix. They are important and need to not be crushed because a bolt has to slide through.

MAKE SURE you draw a simple little diagram and label all 10 tranny bolts. I'd put them in like little sandwich bags and mark the bag. That is a big important step, so you know where they all go.

If you keep the other shit seperate you should be able to easily remember where it all goes.

While the tranny is out, take the time to clean the bell housing and release fork with brake parts cleaner, then lube the input shaft splines, inside and front of release bearing (throwout bearing) and all contact points on the release fork with high temp caliper grease (slave cyl rod socket, backside pivot socket, and end of fork where it contacts the release bearing).

Definitely either get a new flywheel or have your stock one resurfaced. If you don't its likely you will have chatter. I got mine resurfaced for like $40 at Fisher Auto Parts in like 15 minutes.. any machine shop should do it though.

Don't forget the locktight or other thread locking compund on the flywheel bolts, and torq them to 76 ft/lbs in a cris cross pattern just like you would a tire. If the flywheel spins put a block of wood on the right side wedged between the frame and the teeth, that should hold it just fine.

Then put your clutch disc on, put the alignment tool in, wiggle it untill its as centered as possible, and tighten up the pressure plate bolts slowly in a criss cross pattern. Once they are all snug and the pressure plate is flush with the flywheel, torq those bolts to 20 ft/lbs.

Then you gotta get that tranny lined up and slid back on, it can be a real bitch. Then its just crankin' bolts man, you are in the clear at that point!

So yeah, that was kind of a long post, but hey pass on the knowledge .

Good luck man, you will learn so much about your car from this maintenance task, and save SO much $$$ bacause you are DIY. I know I did, and would definitely do it over again.