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    ENG: Clutch Replacement

    So, mostly from a post I made about a year ago or more, I am making a DIY guide for a clutch replacement job. This is meant only to supplement a repair guide such as Haynes. These are just some important things to do and some advice as to some techniques. Please PM comments as you see fit, and I will improve the guide with any good recommendations.

    The Times & Labor Guide (Mechanic's Bible) quotes 7.0 Hours for a clutch repair including the flywheel. I would plan on at least double that if it is first time. It might take that long if you move quickly and have a shop / lift. If you do it on the ground, I wish you the best of luck, you are brave. So why would you want to do this yourself? Check this out.

    A recent (Aug-2007) quote for a clutch and master/slave cylinder job at Merchants Tire & Auto Center in Charlottesville VA is as follows:

    $692.11 for clutch / pressure plate
    $345.79 for clutch master and slave cylinders.
    Total $1067.90

    Now, I have heard reports of the clutch job generally costing $400-$600, so this is a high quote, there are probably places you could have it done for less – you could at least buy the parts yourself, that would help.

    Here is approximately what it would cost me to do the job: $65 for a pair of remanufactured master and slave cylinders on eBay, $95 for an OEM clutch kit on eBay (clutch disc, pressure plate, TO bearing, alignment tool), $25 for rear main crankshaft seal, $25 for new transmission fluid. Total: $210 plus one weekends time or less.

    Now if anything goes wrong or you find bad axles or something like that, that will cost extra, but you can bet that the auto place will charge you for any tiny little thing that they find. Sometimes even stuff that is included in a normal clutch job they will make into a big deal and charge you for.


    On to the info:

    I now have an Act HA3-HDSS + 5th gen lx tranny, smooth as silk, grips like a mofo. It’s a long and tedious job. It took me two full days, but I ran into some hurdles with switching to the other tranny. Make sure you can have the time to do the job right. Don’t do it right before a road trip, unless you have a backup car. Rarely do you not hit obstacles that may be very time consuming.

    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 cross member and down pipe off. It is much 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 ball joint 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 under the car.

    Once you get everything unhooked and clear of the tranny, following the Haynes manual procedure, 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). Support the engine block by a weight spreading board on the oil pan (the more surface area to distribute the weight the better, so that you don’t damage the easily bendable oil pan), and 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 for that), otherwise it will prevent the tranny from dropping. It is a lot easier to do this before you try and remove it, otherwise you will be stuck holding the tranny while trying to remove this and it will be a nightmare.

    Instead of removing the two power steering hoses from the mechanical part of the vehicle speed sensor, very gently 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 put everything in a bag and zip tie or twistem it so the gear doesn't get dirty. Put a clean rag or paper towel in the hole in the tranny so dirt doesn’t get in. Depending on the hoses you might have to do that when you tilt the engine/tranny forward.

    Be careful when removing and putting the tranny back on, there are two alignment sleeves (1 inch long hollow sleeves that fit ½ inch into the tranny and ½ inch into the engine) 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. They are just for aligning the tranny to the engine block.

    MAKE SURE you draw a simple little diagram and label all 10 tranny bolts. They are different sizes and are designed to go in a specific spot. You don’t want to get them mixed up. I'd put them in little sandwich bags and number the bag corresponding with the picture. That is a big important step, so you know where they all go.

    If you keep the other parts separate you should be able to easily remember where it all goes. What I did is took a clean bench and starting making two (left and right sides of car) neat rows at one end, and worked in one direction as I removed things. This is an ordered process, so if you do this, you can just work backwards when putting things back together. Arranging the parts linearly will help keep you in line as to what to do next.

    While the tranny is out, take the time to clean the bell housing and release fork with brake parts cleaner, and then lube the input shaft splines, inside and front of release bearing throw out bearing, slave cyl rod socket, and all contact points of the release fork with high temp caliper grease.

    Definitely either get a new flywheel or have your stock one resurfaced. If you don’t have it resurfaced, there is an 80% chance that you will have engagement chattering, and you will likely void any warranty on the clutch kit. Don’t just scuff up the Flywheel, take it to a machine shop and resurface it. It cost me like $40 at Fisher Auto Parts, and took maybe 15 minutes... It is cheap enough that it is simply not worth the risk of voiding the warranty or having to tear it all apart to fix the chatter (or just dealing with it forever and not fixing it).

    Don't forget the loctight or other thread locking compound on the flywheel bolts, and torq them to 76 ft/lbs in a criss-cross pattern just like you should tighten the lug nuts on a wheel. If the flywheel spins put a block of wood on the right side – wedge it between the frame and the teeth, which should hold it just fine.

    Then put your clutch disc on, put the alignment tool in, wiggle it until it is 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. Don’t torq them fully one at a time, do like a half a turn and go to the next until they are all at 20 ft/lbs, so that it seats properly

    Then you have to get that tranny lined up and slid back on, this can be a real bitch. Then it is just crankin' bolts and reattaching stuff, you are in the clear at this point!
    1992 Honda Accord EX 4 Door Sedan. Granny Eddition :-).


    #2
    is it common practice to replace the Master cylinder and slave while you do the clutch?


    "You've done more threatening prescription drugs..."
    "the character of a man can be judged by how he takes his criticism"
    "Quoting yourself is like, masturbation" -Starchland

    Comment


      #3
      i am confused as to why the oil pan cam off.. for a clutch replace,, we've replaced mine with 2 people in 2 1/2 hours. both times..
      nice write up though.. now when you get a chance take some pics and post them in here for a better diy for those who are confused,, nice job though
      "Self Renewed"

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by KeelesKustome
        i am confused as to why the oil pan cam off.. for a clutch replace,, we've replaced mine with 2 people in 2 1/2 hours. both times..
        nice write up though.. now when you get a chance take some pics and post them in here for a better diy for those who are confused,, nice job though
        x2 Because I know for one Im not wanting to read something that tells me how to. I would want someone to show me instead. Pics are a definite. I mean we could all read the haynes manual and do it but pics would really help us out. Besides I want to really see how hard it is cuz I might want to do this very soon
        Maple50175 - you're annoying =P
        Brandoncb7 - I don't mean to come across like an ass but I see why you irritate Aaron now.
        JoshM - Crotch rocket = chick magnet.

        Comment


          #5
          Im attempting this next week, im replacing my REAR MAIN SEAL. I wanted to know, when i put back the tranny, how much oil do i put, i have a 5speed, is it 2.5 quarts??
          **Blk Housed Slut Crew Member #1**

          **Don't b scared be prepared for the worst**
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          Comment


            #6
            for the 5 speed you keep filling until the oil starts coming out, thats how you know its full.


            "You've done more threatening prescription drugs..."
            "the character of a man can be judged by how he takes his criticism"
            "Quoting yourself is like, masturbation" -Starchland

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by starchland
              is it common practice to replace the Master cylinder and slave while you do the clutch?
              No, but often times they are leaking and should be. They should be checked while you are doing it as you should bleed the system anyhow. Just like the rear main seal, it doesn't have to be done, but the $15 part is no problem to replace while it is apart and better than it blowing out on you. Same with the oil pan gasket. If it doesn't leak, don't worry, but it is very easy while you have the downpipes and cross member off and have full access to it easily.
              1992 Honda Accord EX 4 Door Sedan. Granny Eddition :-).

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by slick
                eelesKustome]
                i am confused as to why the oil pan cam off.. for a clutch replace,, we've replaced mine with 2 people in 2 1/2 hours. both times..
                nice write up though.. now when you get a chance take some pics and post them in here for a better diy for those who are confused,, nice job though
                See last post about oil pan. I don't see how it is possible for two inexperienced people to do this in two hours. I can see if you have mechanical experience and a shop, but for those that will try to do it in the driveway, if you can do it in 2 1/2 hours then you are amazing. Also, as a consideration, coming from an EX model, there is less stuff under the hood on an LX or DX, so it would make it quicker - less to disconnect and reconnect. Thanks, I did spend a decent amount of time, hopefully some people find it helpful.

                Originally posted by slick
                x2 Because I know for one Im not wanting to read something that tells me how to. I would want someone to show me instead. Pics are a definite. I mean we could all read the haynes manual and do it but pics would really help us out. Besides I want to really see how hard it is cuz I might want to do this very soon
                If you read the beginning of my post, I state that the information should be used as a supplement to Haynes. Before you do any mechanical repairs, you should read as much as you can - haynes manual, DIYs, posts, etc. I don't understand why you don't want to read as much about how to do it as you can considering you are about to do it...? My intention for this information to be used is for it to be printed and stuck in a Haynes manual, so that as you follow the instructions you can reference this info for slightly easier / better explained things or advice from experience. As far as pictures, the next time I have to replace a clutch, I will certainly do that if I have a digital camera available. Also, note that the Haynes manual has some pictures, check that out.
                1992 Honda Accord EX 4 Door Sedan. Granny Eddition :-).

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by starchland
                  for the 5 speed you keep filling until the oil starts coming out, thats how you know its full.
                  Exactly right. So that you know what you should buy, I believe if you just drain it normally (while in the car) it takes 2.0 qts to fill, but if you drain it completely, the capacity is 2.1 qts. I'd recommend getting 3 qts and returning the last quart if you don't need it.
                  1992 Honda Accord EX 4 Door Sedan. Granny Eddition :-).

                  Comment


                    #10
                    yeah from a simple drain and refill 2 bottles are MORE than enough.


                    "You've done more threatening prescription drugs..."
                    "the character of a man can be judged by how he takes his criticism"
                    "Quoting yourself is like, masturbation" -Starchland

                    Comment


                      #11
                      good write up man, ive done a clutch job in 3 - 4 hours but that was on a lift, doing a clutch job on some jackstands is a task.
                      ]

                      Comment


                        #12
                        yup just did a clutch replacement yesterday. Things i ran into were while taking the tranny out it got stuck on some damn clutch hardline..not being able to get the damn tranny spline into it's damn home! lol.. breaking the VSS nub,and not being able to get the damn fill bolt off cus of H22/h22 tranny being so close to passender side control arms and stuff. . so i just drained the fluids and put in 2 quarts of mtf(i didn't know how much for h22 tranny either so i had to do reasearch) H22 Tranny = 2 quarts of Fluid just like the F <-- for future references lol.

                        But good write up u got there!
                        -:¦:-
                        Originally posted by wed3k
                        i rep cb7tuner all day, everyday. people say, "fuck y0 honda." and i say, "bitch, please."

                        Comment


                          #13
                          [QUOTE=Jacob_Neal12]See last post about oil pan. I don't see how it is possible for two inexperienced people to do this in two hours. I can see if you have mechanical experience and a shop, but for those that will try to do it in the driveway, if you can do it in 2 1/2 hours then you are amazing. Also, as a consideration, coming from an EX model, there is less stuff under the hood on an LX or DX, so it would make it quicker - less to disconnect and reconnect. Thanks, I did spend a decent amount of time, hopefully some people find it helpful.=quote]

                          I was not bashing you...
                          i stated a simple known fact that people like pictures, It's been proven that men are more photogenic, they remember much better with pictures.
                          Also yes i am in a shop with no experience the first time my buddy and i changed my clutch, he had changed a few before.
                          hey my car is an EX
                          and i did say you did a good job on the write up,,, now when you find time scoure the internet or take your own pics and then you could have a really great diy
                          "Self Renewed"

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Jacob_Neal12

                            Then you have to get that tranny lined up and slid back on, this can be a real bitch.
                            I'm trying to reinstall a manual tranny on my '92 Accord right now... I cannot get the transmission to line up for the life of me. I've been trying for almost two hours now. So frustrating!

                            Any tricks or tips? It seems like there's something between the the pressure plate and the tranny that's keeping it from going together... I don't think it's just the input shaft not lining up with the clutch disc splines, because I can still turn the flywheel...

                            Comment


                              #15
                              yea it took thenextazn and i about 2 hours to line the tranny up and ive done plenty of FWD clutch jobs. sometimes it just goes right in and sometimes it doesnt.

                              i remmeber doing it by myself and it lined up perfect, now it just seems to give me problems.
                              I <3 G60.

                              0.5mm Oversized Stainless valves and bronze guides available. Pm me please.

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