Ok, some of you may know i have recently replaced my clutch, i found it hard to get good information, so i thought i would share my recently gained knowledge with you all.

Step 1: If you dont have a car hoist (like me) you need to get the car as high at the front as possible. i did this by using a trolley jack to lift the car as high as possible, then removing the wheels. i got some wooden blocks and put them on the wheels, then placed them under the car on both sides.
(dont put them too far back from the front.) make sure it is pretty high, as this will be your home for the next couple of days! also, you need height to get the box in and out.

Step 2: Now that the car is secure on blocks etc, you must remove all connections and wires form the box an bell housing. Start by putting the car in neutral, then:

--remove the air intake, and MAF computer from the throttle body

--remove the lever cables.
take the clips off and remove the cable, then undo the mounting bracket bolts from the gearbox.

--remove sensor wires
there are 2 or 3 of these, have a good look.

--remover the slave sensor and hydrolic hoses
DO NOT disconnect any hoses, you should not loose any fluid (therefore no need to bleed etc), only undo the 2 bolts that hold the slave cylindar and the little box on. also remove any guides that hold the hoses to the gear box, tie these out of the way.

So far this should have taken about 30-60 mins

Step 3

Remove CV joints:

--undo steering tie rod at the knuckle head, then undo the bolt that holds the control arm onto the stut (control arm = the main pivoting arm attatched to the sway bar and hub.)

--undo the ONE of the nuts that hold the sway bar on, disconnect it from the control arm.

Step 3A (the same on both wheels)

--to loosen the cv joint spline from the hub, undo the 32mm main hub nut accept 3 or 4 threads, then tap the top of the nut toward the motor untill the spline moves.

--once the splines are loose, push the control arm down (may take some persuation), and pull the strut away from the motor, then push it towards the front of the car.

HERE IS THE TRICKY PART!!

Grab the part of the part of the hub where the steering arm bolts on, now pull that hard (making the wheel turn full lock towards the motor) push the spline of the cv joint out of the hub. this WILL take a bit of messing around, dont be affraid to pull out on the strut hard to get it far enough away from the car to get the cv joint out of the hub.

Now that you have the hub separated from the cv joint, give the passanger side axle a good yank to get the spline out of the gearbox (dont pull on the outer cv). (you can also do this by prizing the inner cv with a screw driver at the gear box)

Drivers side:
there is an extra cv joint here, the only extra step is to remove the brace between the hub and gearbox, after you do this, you will be able to remove this cv the same way.

step 3b

disengage the pressure plate from the trowout bearing, there is an inspection hole on the bottom and top of the bellhousing, use a screw driver carfully. i found it usefull to practice on the new clutch on the table, just so i knew how it worked.

Step 4

now the cv joints are gone, you have to remove some engine mounts, so firstly put a brace (trolley jack if possible) under the gearbox and bell housing, and a normal jack under the sump (with a piece of wood so you dont dint the sump).

to support my motor, i tied it onto my awsome diy strut brace, look at my thread for more info
remove the passanger side engine mount and the main rail under the engine.

step 5

(atleast 2 people are needed here)

slowly unbolt the engine from the bell housing, ensure the gearbox and bell housing are supported so they dont fall, also so there is little weight on the bolts holding them to the motor.

once they are separated, slowly remove it as a whole.

the entire unit only weighs aboutt 40 kgs, but it is awkward, if the car isnt high enough, you are stuffed.

Step 6

the pressure plate will now be exposed,

DONOT UNBOLT THE PRESSURE PLATE BY TAKING ONE BOLT OUT WITHOUT LOOSENING OFF THE OTHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
unbolt the pressure plate slowly, turning each bolt 2 or 3 threads at a time, then going onto the next bolt, remember, there is 1500kgs of pressure on this

take the pressure plate off, be carefull, the clutch plate will now fall out, take note of which way it went in.

step 7

clean most of the clutch dust out of the bell housing, remove the clutch fork by taking out the little metal plug and pusing the rod through the side of the bell housing. note: the spring will fly out, take note of where they go.

grease these parts sparingly.

replace the throw out bearing, and grease the shaft sparingly. use your brain and make sure it looks and feels right before you put it back together.

step 8

after getting the flywheel machined (i didnt, lol) put the clutch plate back in, then hold it in with the pressure plate.

you need to line the clutch plate hole up with the hole in the pressure plate, so that you can get the gearbox spline in easily. remember that once the pressure plate bolts are tight, you cant move the clutch plate. so line it up first, the tighten the pressure plate bolt.

it is really really really hard to line the clutch plate up without an aligning tool, i did it without but i am a cheap skate, so just buy an aligning tool to make it a billion times easier.

line the gearbox and bell housing back up with the trolley jack, and put it back together.

once the bell housing is secured properly to the motor, engage the throwout bearing by pushing the fork towards the passenger side of the car. if it is engaged, it will not spring back as far.

[B]step 8 - step 20

put back together the same as you took it apart.

Nearly finnished, just a bit more, and some editing.

the way this is now, it is 10 time better than the hayes manual.

Looks good so far but you might want to amend your shaft removal part to a far easier method

Remove the 2 bolts holding the strut to the hub and swing back, pish the shaft axle clear of the hub.

If you want to complete this I will add it to the few I am looking at the moment and will then add to our FAQ's

Did you take any pics for people to refer to?

Yes yes, more info is good, with input from others who may have a slightly easier/speedy way to do it!

+1 for continuing the thread!!

ok, i will continue this tonight.

Madmagna- unfortunately i didnt get any photos, i guess you would understand just how dirty this job is, first playing around brakes, then cv grease. Also, you picked up on how i did the cv removal differently, i did this so i could check my bushes etc on the control arm and sway bar, grease them up, replace them etc. feel free to put in the easy/different way. i just figured while i am under there i will do it anyway.

cheers
edit: i got a couple of the wires to remove. but then my hands got too dirty.

more added, nearly finished

how come you have done it the hard way..

you should have instead popped the throw out bearing and removed the gearbox THEN removed the pressure plate

thats what i did? Pop bearing.take off bell housing. Take off pressure plate

thats what i did? Pop bearing.take off bell housing. Take off pressure plate

oh so u did

sorry mate, i read that while very tired..

nice write up

thats ok, there is still alot of editing to come, but if you know a bit about cars, you can do it now.

i mainly did this to give people an idea of exactly what needs to be done, so they can decide whether or not to do it themselves.

for the time being, if anyone has any questions, pm me and i will do my best to help, (i am not saying i am an expert)

cheers

excellent writeup mate, how much do you think you saved on labour by doing it yourself rather than taking it to a mechanic?

excellent writeup mate, how much do you think you saved on labour by doing it yourself rather than taking it to a mechanic?

i was quoted over 2 grand by mitsubishi for a hd replacement

and a few mechanics underquoted me, around 800 just for labour, they had no idea how long it took.

so, by doing it myself, i ended up with it costing $470 for a exedy hd clutch (same as evo) and $50 for box oil, and $8 for clutch fluid (not needed but i flushed it when i was doning the rest)

i also added a cv joint for $125 (repco).

so: pressure plate
clutch plate
throwout bearing
gearbox oil (castrol 80w-90 protector series, plus nulon g70)
new cv joint and boot
clutch fluid

all up cost me $660,

so doing it myself saved me atleast $1200, and dont forget that those other quotes didnt include cv and boot or a clutch fluid flush.

i also get peace of mind knowing i did it right, and from some of the threads on here, lots of mechanics have noidea when it comes to magnas, especially clutches.

So I've been replacing my transmission... I got it all bolted up now. Getting it in place was a massive bitch with only a floor jack. Now for some reason the release bearing won't re-engage. Is there any easy reason that might be? I REALLY don't want to take it off again. I was about ready to cry when it wouldn't engage.

slam it in hard with your hand, it has to get past the circlips in the pressure plate to work.

also make sure you are pushing the right way.

Slam the lever you mean? There's only one way you can push it, it's all the way up towards the drivers side of the car. When it engages it should sit in the middle I think.

the throwout bearing needs to be in the pressure plate if you know what I mean. Push the lever so the bearing is against the pressure plate then give it a whack and it should click in. I just hope you didn't damage the circlip/spring when taking it apart.

I'm pretty sure it's all in good nick - was actuating fine before I put it on. I'll try using a bit more force tomorrow.

yo engage the throwout bearing,you need to slam the clutch for hard towards the passenger side of the car. then it should only spring back to the center

probably best not to hit it with a hammer, just slam it hard. if you use a hammer you risk more damage, and if it wont go in with you hand, there is something wrong (usually)

Yeah. It won't go in with my hand. *worried*

is the box totally bolted up? look through the inspection hole and get someone else to push the fork and then see what happens.

Please do not slam the fork, if it does not go in with a gentle push then you have done wrong. The bearing is held in place by a clip, there is no need to hit, slam or any other sort of force.

Push the fork until you feel the fork stop agains the bearing, give a firm push (not anymore than a firm push with your hand) and you should hear it click in

So I've been replacing my transmission... I got it all bolted up now. Getting it in place was a massive bitch with only a floor jack. Now for some reason the release bearing won't re-engage. Is there any easy reason that might be? I REALLY don't want to take it off again. I was about ready to cry when it wouldn't engage.

Continuing on from my post above, it is very easy to damage the pressure plate when you install the box, especially if you have been trying to position it and it has been forced into place, weight has been allowed to hang off the motor etc etc.

where did your replacement clutch come from? was the clip definitly on the pressure plate?

last time i put a used pressure plate in a car (dont no why i agreed to do that) i went 2 clip the bearing in and it wouldnt grab.. had a look inside the gearbox and noticed the pressure plate didnt have the clip on it.. box had to come back off and we used the clip off the old pressure plate.. only lost 10mins but still not fun having to lift the box back off and on again.. ah well

could be same problem ur having.. check it out

Yeah, I looked through the inspection hole and the clip has come out of the pressure plate. It must have been knocked out when I was aligning the box. Gonna have to take the whole thing off again and clip it back in. FML

Edit: how can I tell if I've damaged the pressure plate?

Just out of curiosity, what method do you guys use to lift the box back up to mate with the engine? It seems to be completely impossible without at least three people.

after i slide it in under the wheel arch, i roll it on a trolley jack, lift it up,to desired hight, rest the front lh corner (with the black inspection cover) on a milk crate (this is perfect height) and then just slide it in, i have no trouble doing it by myself.

DOes anyone know if you can put the bellhousing and the gearbox on separately? like bell first, then gear box? might make it easier to do by yourself.

You can not do the bell housing and then the box, it needs to be a single unit

Yeah, there's two bolts inside the bell housing that hold it onto the gearbox.

I guess my problem is getting the unit up onto the jack by myself. I think for next time I'm going to invest in a hoist :)

Yeah, there's two bolts inside the bell housing that hold it onto the gearbox.


na the bellhousing isnt removable on these boxes.. its all one unit

I'm not sure if I'm using the wrong terminology for it, but I took a gearbox apart the other day. It definitely comes apart.

I'm not sure if I'm using the wrong terminology for it, but I took a gearbox apart the other day. It definitely comes apart.

as in you pulled the gearbox apart and exposed the gears etc?

yeah, bellhousing and beagbox come apart. Thatt the only way to look in the gearbox.

and ofcourse you cant do them separately, i forgot about the 2 bolts that come through from the other side.
:facejump:

yeah, bellhousing and beagbox come apart. Thatt the only way to look in the gearbox.

and ofcourse you cant do them separately, i forgot about the 2 bolts that come through from the other side.
:facejump:

ah i see what you guys mean now.. i was talking commodore styles with bellhousing seperated from an unopened gearbox....

I have very high lift jacks thus do not have a clearance issue, also have a proper trans jack so I put the box on then slide under the car then lift.

Well I finally got it all back together and everything seems ok except it's leaking a lot of transmission oil. I expect by tomorrow it will have leaked dry... there goes $40 of oil :(

It looks like it's actually leaking from where the bell housing joins onto the rest of the gear box :S does that mean someone's opened it up and not sealed it again properly? (When I said before that I'd opened up a gearbox, that was my old one).

edit: I realised I forgot to put a snap ring back on the passenger side driveshaft. Could that cause a leak? Although it didn't seem to be coming from there....

About ready to cry now

i have just sent a box of tissues to your house, because you were meant to put gasket sealent on the gearbox, also, you have to put that snap ring back on. I feel so so so so sorry for you atm.

I didn't take that gearbox apart though, so I shouldn't have to put gasket sealant on it right? I can do the snap ring no worries, driveshaft goes in and out in 30 mins. Just as long as I don't have to take the tranny out again.

if its leaking oil, you have to put sealant on it. Just check to make sure that all the gearbox - bellhousing bolts are tight. looking like you willl have to take it out, unless you can prize the box away from the bellhousing enough to put sealent on it (nt recomended though)

Now, is it leaking when you have the car running, or when its just sitting there?
And EXACTLY how fast is it leaking?

Both, and really fast. Like not just drips, a stream. Pretty much lost all the oil out of it now. I'll do the driveshaft seals just to be safe. I know it's possible to prize the box away from the bellhousing a bit, because I was doing that to my old box before I realised there were two bolts inside. That is definitely my better option as I refuse to remove the box again :)

if its streaming out, and the bolts are all done up tight, i really doubt it would be the gearbox seal. Like you said, do the shaft seals then see what happens, ALthough if all your oil is gone, it might not be the shaft seals because they are about as high as half way in the oil.. (stupid question, did you put the drain plug back in?)

Haha... yeah I did. I don't know if ALL of it is gone - it's kind of hard to tell without a dipstick. I'll do the shaft seals and see what happens.

Is most likely the shaft seals, the clip should not have been taken off the pass side drive shaft either, no real reason to remove that

So I replaced my shaft seal, popped a new snap ring on the driveshaft and now I can't get the driveshaft to click in properly. It goes in enough for the splines to engage the diff, but not enough for the tripod joint to sit flush with the oil seal. WTF?

If the snap ring is not exactly the right diam when you replace it, it will catch and prevent you from fitting. This will generally happen when it has been removed and stretched back

The one I fitted was a new genuine part from Mitsu

well it should be going straight in. Is it snug around its grove, or is it sloppy?

Long story short, my car's back on the road now. See this thread (http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76392) for details. Had to get a custom driveshaft made. Very strange.

Hi I started to try and stick a clutch kit into my magna tr about 4 days ago now. I knew it wouldn't be an easy task but I didn't think it was going to be this difficult. I have read other messages where grown men said they nearly ended up crying and so I don't feel so much like a helpless girl now lol.

My current problem is that the wheel hub nut is refusing to budge. wd 40 a large heavy hammer and lots of unladylike language have miserably failed to make it turn 1 mm so I was wondering if any of you have any other gems of wisdom that I can try.
Please please help, they have taken the measurements for the straight jacket already and the doc is sharpening the needle on the syringe ready to sedate me if I can't do this.

These 32 mm (?) nuts are set at the factory at 266 Nm, but for some reason people who get to them afterwards do them up much tighter. My V6 TS needed a 1m extension bar on the socket and handle, and I had to really jump up and down on the end. My maths tells me that's something over 1,000 Nm!! Gotta be mad to do them up that tight, as the nut on the axle sets up the wheel bearing preload, a good way to kill them quick. Mine now acts like the wheel bearing needs replacing. Assuming you have taken the split pin out, all I can suggest is a BIG, LONG lever. I do mine up with a 30 cm bar, standing on the end. That's 300 Nm by my calculations.

I finally got them undone using a 6ft scaffolding pole over the breaker bar. I carefully pulled down on the pole because I didn't want to break the hub or anything but the nut gave way fairly easily compared to the jumping up and down on the 30 cm long breaker bar.
Now tomorrow starts the hard stuff.