General Clutch Tip(s)

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General Clutch Tip(s)

mr500

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Sep 10, 2005
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If you're doing a clutch on a sporting then you'll find the centreplate splines are quite small. My universal tool wouldn't fit.

If you dont get the centreplate central then you're box aint never going back in. Don't bother doing it by eye. I was trying to find something but couldn't find that perfect fit. Then my dad appears with a bit of standard copper water pipe. PERFECT! Fits in flywheel tight. So there you go lads!!

And I tell you what, the clutch fingers on mine were virtually through. One had pinged off. Thats why I was getting a cracking sound and I drepressed pedal. My new original valeo clutch is about 10 times lighter and so smooth. So I reckon that's why these cables break. A knackered old stiff cover causes drag which overloads your cable and mech.

Don't waste your time buying cables. For £40 spend about 3 hours grafting and put in a valeo!! Quite a nice job if you take your time.

Over and out
 
Last edited:
I didn't take any pics. Is it still worth it without?
 
I just put the clutch back on my new box and my universal tool didn't fit either! It even had 3 sizes.

Now I'm trying to put the box on and its right f**king pain! Just about broke my back now lol. Even witha helper, getting it lines up is tricky, and the engine wants to spin everywhere as it suspended in the air, just resting on a bench.


What pics could be usefull while I have it partially apart? I'll snap a few before the box goes back on and post them in here,

Kristian
 
Clutch and Flywheel assembly:

P1010790.jpg

Head on view, of course the plate here has to be central:

P1010791.jpg

Indide the GB with new bearing fitted and High Melting point greased parts:

P1010793.jpg

The old thrust bearing, nearly warn through...compared to the new bearing. Note these are mpi Sei and a Bravo/a one....hopefully interchangable...I did at least!

P1010794.jpg


If someone wants to knock a guide up with these pics? Give it a week and I will hopefully have my build done and more time if its not done before! (if its not, Custard, give me a PM or bump and I'll get on with it :slayer: )

Cheers,

Kristian
 
i shall be doing a clutch too next week so can take pics throughout if i remember. Cheers for the headsup RE the waterpipe (y) All the clutches ive done (2x ford pinto, 1x Range Rover and 1x Vitara) have all been done by eye with a 90% success rate first time, but anything to ensure its correct is worth doing!
 
Don't put any grease on anything in the clutch area except,

Perhaps a little graphite on the input shaft splines and a tiny drop of oil where the forkpads touch the bearing.

The release bearing is prelubed with some moly stuff as it slides on the guide on the box. The fork bushes on my box are phospher-bronze. Leave alone I say.

Normal grease will get boggy with dust and cause the whole mech to one day bind.
 
It must be clutch overhaul weekend, guess what, I was also doing mine. And my universal tool did not fit either, but it was plastic, so a little bit of surgery with a knife did the trick. And my pressure plate was also close to be gone with teeth hanging by a thread. Few things out of our experience:

My box was never before taken out (I suspect) and the car is 11 years old - clips on the linkages were so rusted it took 2 hours to undo those alone, cluth cable was also rusted at the end, the locking screw would not come off, had to be cut (good advice - always change the cable along with the clutch, makes things much easier). Finally, the big bolts were really tight, took some clever contraptions to undo them - the big nut on the pin is best accessible from the right side of the car with a ratchet plus three extensions bars. Two small screws holding the frame that holds the exhaust have to be undone first.

You need two people to take the box out, and really two people to put it back in - I still really have no clue how it went in, my brother did most of the job lying under the car with the box on his chest. Putting it back in with a jack did not work for us at all (I think we also had the car a little bit too high). People that can do it alone are magicians :D Also make sure you clear all the cables before you put it back in - we got one pinned between the engine and the box with the box already positioned, it was a real pain to free the cable.

Did not take any pictures, although I was planning to, sorry, was just too much stuff going on. Car is still on the stands waiting for a new clutch cable.

My brother also had a go at dissassemblig the box to check the bearings/sychronisers, etc. We had to stop this half way through, because we were missing long enough bearing splitter :( Taking the box apart yourself is doable, but you really really have to know what you are doing - for me it was plain magic :D (I do have one picture of the box with its bowels out if anyone's interested)

Cheers,

Woj
 
Regarding lubrication - we did put a touch of copper grease on the input shaft splines, all against my concerns :D, my brother said it will be perfectly OK and insisted on doing it, and told me I should learn more about mechanics :eek:
 
Coppergrease on splines is OK.

One more tip.

Sling a bit of rope round box and get helper to lift through engine bay. All you have to do (laying in dirt!) is get it in place and up against lump. The box is easy to lift but under a car it's a swine.
 
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