Hi, The clutch on my stepdads 02 stilo 1.6 dynamic is slipping and close to going.I have said i will attempt it ,Was looking for a guide but can't find one for this engine.Is it similar to 1.3 punto Clutch change?,There is some on youtube for punto. I have got as far as removed battery,battery-tray,fuse box and wiring out the way.Was hoping the Sub frame and passenger side suspension strut don't need taking off?.Also the thermostat housing does this need removing?.
next i'm drain gearbox,Undo lower arm, track rod end,Drop link to remove driveshaft.Then i will Assess the rest after that.
Any Help/Tips would be grateful,I have 2 new driveshaft oil seals and and input shaft oil seal, Driveshaft seals i can do,The input shaft seal i need help on.
as Exhaust got to be unbolted.Also hope not but exhaust manifold,does this need removed?. any help be useful Thanks in advance.
PS, do i really need alignment tool for re-install clutch or can i get away with tight fit socket or similar and eyesight?.

There's nothing too tricksy about the 1.6 gearbox and it sounds like you're half way there already.

You may need to detach the starter motor which you didn't mention, to make life easier.

Depending on what's in the way in front of the gearbox you very probably don't need to remove/shift the subframe or the suspension strut.

My JTD has the airbox right where you don't need it in front of the gearbox so yours may be there too. If you remove the whole airbox and its pipes then the gearbox will come out a few cm, drop off the shaft and then roll forward into that wheel-arch space between the radiator and the driveshaft.

The biggest ball-ache for me was supporting the gearbox (32kg) so as not to drop it from a height and clearing the inner wing/subframe.

I used my trolley jack to support the gearbox and I had several layers of cardboard and an old carpet under the car, so that when the box inevitably dropped the last 10cm onto the ground by itself, it didn't get damaged.

While the box was on the jack, I realised there wasn't enough clearance between inner wheel arch, subframe and the ground to be able to get the box out, once it was on the floor.. joy! I had to jack the car up a bit to be able to drag the box out (using the cardboard/carpet made it easier).

I didn't touch the exhaust on my JTD which is theoretically a bigger engine/box than the 1.6... but to be honest, if you've done all the other removals, unbolting the manifold if you have to is not the biggest drama... but fit new nuts/studs afterwards.

I dunno about the input (output?) shaft seal but legend has it that they're like the driveshaft seals.. you "just" pop out the old one and then gently tap in a new one. I don't know if it's a regular rubber doodah or one with the metal casing like the driveshafts. My only tip here is "buy a few" in case you knacker one when fitting it. They're only a few quid so it's good insurance to have a spare one.

Clutch alignment I used an 18mm (I think) socket on an extension bar.


Ralf S.

Hi Ralf,
Thanks for your reply mate.
Also i forgot to put that i got airbox off too yes,fuse wiring around battery tray was awkward,But already had fuse tray off and apart before so that helped.
Yes i forgot starter too .Have changed slave cylinder recently so thats new.
But can't remember about fluid loss,if i unbolt slave from top (2 bolts) aslong as piston stays in i should'nt lose any fluid,Is that right?.
I got some foam carpet underlay i use for when under car to lie on so that be used for soften the the gearbox when ready.
Should i put gearbox in neutral before removing.
Gonna go and drain gearbox oil now and undo suspension joints.
Looking at it when i did battery+tray the thermostat housing looked close to top of gearbox.So hope no bolts behind it or its in way?.
Have a borg+beck clutch plate,release bearing kit.So hope its decent.
Last gearbox i did was a Citroen Saxo,Same 1.6 but was difficult as they low anyway but was lowered and was quite low down even being jacked up lol.
But that went ok .
I watched vid on you tube punto 1.3sx clutch change,Chap gets on his back under car and lifts gearbox on his chest and puts it on like that,twist's it to get shaft in when he lifted it right height.
Hope i get on ok!.

Thanks again and i will report back when done what i can.Let you know how i getting on.
Ps. only problem so far was Shield(cover) under tray for gearbox 1 bolt by pass foot well first turn on wrench snapped head off bolt(10mm)Left bolt in thread,Might be able to get it out with mole grips,When done. So hope not many bolts like that!.

Chip

If you remove the slave from the gearbox and plonk it somewhere where it can't fall off (get some string and tie it to the master cylinder) then it shouldn't lose any fluid. If you stick a bit of tape over the end, that'll prevent the piston/rod flying out if you dab the clutch pedal somwehow.

The thermostat should clear the gearbox.. there's about 8 bolts that pass through the bell-housing and screw to the block, from memory, and one or two nuts that attach to studs that pass through the bell-housing. The best technique is to get under the gearbox and work your hand round the bell-housing until you find every single bolt.

If you miss a bolt it's not fatal, since the weight of the box is supported by the output shaft, so it won't all be resting on one missed bolt. Once it's all undone, the bell-housing should start coming away from the engine. If one end looks like it's not shifting then there may be a bolt still in there... Just don't bash it.. it should come apart just by tugging it.

Your gearbox weighs 42kg so the Punto fella (36kg) is not that 'ard.. It's going to be a real MoFo to refit. It's worse since lifting the box on a jack makes it rise up at about 1 o'clock, whereas it wants to go on at 12 o'clock, so you need to lift it and rotate it at the same time.

I was going to rig up a hoist made up of a strap and a scaffold pole supported across two step ladders.. but in the end I got the lad next door to hold it on his chest and lift it, while I did the rotating/positioning. It's not a one-man job without a gearbox cradle. It's well worth making as much space as possible, and keep the carpet/pile of cardboard underneath it.

B&B is good gear. It's the brand used by Fiat as the original equipment in Stilo/Punto era cars and it's now owned by Firstline and made in the UK as far as I know. Some people think they're a bit grabbier than Valeo but compared to an old clutch, it'll be sweet.


Ralf S.

Hi, Cheers , ye was gonna try make some support maybe 4x2 across struts at top with some rope to take most weight of gearbox?.
Could i undo the 2 bolts that hold shock at bottom to hub to remove driveshaft instead of lower arm,etc?
thanks again Ralf

Hello again, Sorry to double post.
before i go ad undo bolts not needed i would like info on best way to go about this please anyone.I'm not 100% but have a good idea .
The track rod ends look rusty but rubbers look ok.But don't want to undo if i can get away without that.If the strut to hub nuts don't give enough play/room to maneuver driveshaft from gearbox,Would just the lower arm balljoint pinch bolt removed.Would that do what i want?.
Got oil drained,starter off,So just driveshafts now the,2 mounts.Do i undo bolts for bracket to pass box mount or the mount bolts?.
Thanks in advance.

Hi, just to update, everything went well,gearbox came off nice.Actually was expecting it to be heavier?.slight problem getting shafts out box but done it,changed shaft oil seals and found out been sent 2 same size seals.So got in touch with Ebay seller,Who was great(very helpfull).so could 'not finish befitting.Done seals and cleaned box today.put it together tomorrow now.
Any help with bolt torque settings pls.pressure plate,bellhousing,both mounts pls if you can.Be helpful.
Ps. Only need lower arm,Balljoint pinch bolt undone and gives enough room to remove drive shafts.loads of room to remove box.did'nt even have to move/lower/higher engine.
Thanks again

Any help please? Dont like to keep posting!
Can only find settings for pinto tourqe settings.and help with passenger side shaft seal into box,Do they have to be knocked in as far as it will go? Trying to finish it today.Chip
Edit. You have been very helpful to me .
Look for real advice on here and always got it Thanks

I dunno the torque settings but they're big bolts so you probably won't be able to strip the threads. Just "bloody tight" will be okay.

The driveshaft oil seals are tapped in.. but they're fairly soft (aluminium) and won't take much of a beating, so make sure you have some kind of socket that will fit over them and then use a mallet, so you don't damage the socket.

They don't take much force to tap in but if they're slightly distorted they can be a proper Mo-Fo to get seated "square" in the housing. You might need to sand down the edge of the inner rim slightly to make it more angled; that will help it find its way into the housing more easily.


Ralf S.