DIY Clutch Replacement Howto:

[emi325i]

if you take your time and do everything by the book, you shouldn't have any problems. The right tools and patience will do the trick. If you get pissed off at it, just take a break... And keep shit organized so you don't loose any parts, like that big washer that goes on the flywheel.

[chasiubao]

glad i took mine to the shop

well worth it after reading this thread. i like to "dabble" unnder the hood but out 10 wrenches (10 the most difficult) i think i'll stop at 7, 8 being the clutch job this thread is talking about.

[emi325i]

Oh man ... sounds like my timing belt replacement; I kept several souvenirs from that one.. broken bolt head, broken drill bit, broken easy-out (why do they call it easy out?), a little bit of blood on this one screw... Let's not forget the time a piece of plastic got sucked into my engine; i kept that, too, along with the $1k shop receipt to get it out.

But on the upside, replacing my clutch went a lot better

[erik325i]

I felt the same way as you after the first time I replaced my clutch.
Trust me, it gets easier the more you do it. It also helps when you have access to a lift.

A little over two years ago I replaced my clutch and it was the largest pain in the ass I have ever dealt with. About a month ago my tranny decided to not let go of reverse, so I had to replace it.
I was able to drop the tranny, pull the clutch and balance my flywheel all in an afternoon. (The clutch disc still had the logo and part number printed on the face, so I didn't hesitate to reuse it after bolting the flywheel back on). The next day it took a couple hours to put everything back together and get the car running again. I'd say the biggest pain in the ass was bolting the starter back on.
*note- I did everything myself with no helpers.

-Erik

[vectorsc]

On a more serious note:

Here are some serious tips:

1. Make sure when you drop the tail of the transmission, you don't pinch a bunch of cables/wires at the firewall. It will drop more if you don't.

2. Make certain you are using the PERFECTLY sized and proper star head socket. Also make sure you have hammered it onto the head of the bolt. You almost can't strip a star head if the socket is all the way on there.

3. Put a piece of cardboard over your rusty sharp edged exhaust and tape it there. Really helps.

4. Use impact rated universal joints, not the normal ones. The impact ones work a lot better, IMHO.

5. You must remove the starter bolts to get the tranny out.

6. Be very aware of the little bolt that goes to the shield on some models. This bolt will stop you dead. It's on the passenger side rear of the transmission bellhousing. 10mm.

7. Cut a notch in a small section of 2x4 that coincides with the casted in line on the bottom of the engine side of your transmission. Use this 2x4 between your jack and transmission to make a very good transmission cradle. This will greatly assist your transmission remaining in the upright position when you lower it.

[More&Faster]

all true

trying to pull my transmission out was complete hell. every time i'd break one of the star bolts loose, my hand would smash into the rusted heatshield on my exhaust and bloody my knuckles just before sprinkling rust flakes in my eyes. then after 10 minutes of crying like a baby, i'd get back under the car and find out i had only rounded off the star bolt which i could neither see nor feel with my hand. pulling the engine was easier.

[vectorsc]

I had my own nice shop setup in a garage...wife took it when she became ex-wife. Now I have a 1 car garage that is way too small.

A lift and air tools make this job look easy. It's doable, it just sucks. I mean gas powered shop vac sucks. Turbo inlet sucks.

And there is always another bolt. In the worst place. It's like the tranny/engine mate-up was designed by a Nazi who knew they were about to catch up with him so he made a spiteful design.

"Ach, Gerade ein weiterer Schraubbolzen!"

Scheiße.

[FredK]

If I could afford it a Shop would do EVERYTHING.

Nah, I'd still do the EASY EASY shit like changing the oil and sparkplugs. Just so I get that feeling of satisfaction of a job well done, after around 20 minutes of work, and tell the guys, yeah, I worked on my car this weekend.

[backtrail69]

If I could afford it a Shop would do EVERYTHING.

[FredK]

Well it could be worse, you could have gotten hit by the diff. That would leave a mark. :mrgreen:

The worst that happened to me was getting a faceful of sand and salt when I unbolted the heat shield.

[Kruzen]

Jesus, fuck it i'm taking mine to a shop

[vectorsc]

Sorry...now that my glasses are fixed I can see that maybe I was too harsh...However, I was smacked in the face one too many times and in manners I didn't think possible. Like the exhaust.

It had a spring load towards the direction I was that was really strong. It didn't fall down...it SPRUNTed towards the center of the car and smashed me in the face like a baseball bat, even though I wasn't under it and had an arm on the thing to stop it from doing that. Apparently it had been 'repaired' previously. Ow.

And the drive shaft wacked me in the head when somebody walked by and decided to give a wheel a spin while I was under there. I did have some fun with that one though. I started screaming like I was dying and yelled "Oh God Help!!!!"

[Mastrcruse]

LMAO...Thats awesome dude.

[NC325iC]

its not that bad... you just gotta know to not be right under anything when you unbolt it.

[vectorsc]

I think this should be a sticky.