21337R

I'm in a bit of a bind at the moment. I think my clutch is coming apart, it doesn't slip at all, but at a stop with the pedal depressed.. it is intermittently grabbing and starts shaking the hell out of my car. It also feels like it is not fully releasing as I have to rev match every gear. What do you guys think?

When it first started acting up I replaced the master and slave cylinders, which helped but didn't fix the problem. After reviewing the how-to's I am a bit intimidated by the replacement procedure. I'm trying to do most of the labor on my car to save money mostly because I have my first kid due in a month but also because I enjoy learning how to work on my own car. The most challenging thing I've done so far is remove and replace the differential. How much harder of a job is the clutch?

AusS2000

The clutch is a pain in the arse to do by yourself, in a garage, with only basic tools and jack stands.

And you problem doesn't sound specifically like it's the clutch.

The clutch is held on by springs and hydraulic pressure works against the springs to release it. If the hydraulics are in good order there is nothing to make the clutch grab.

I'd seriously suggest replacing the slave cylinder and see how that works out before pulling the transmission.

RedY2KS2k

It is time-consuming, but with jack stands, a floor jack, basic hand tools, and a manual the clutch replacement is not a stretch. Absent any of the above, you've got your work cut out for you. When I did mine, I found one bolt on the heat shield between the battery and the exhaust manifold, and a couple of the reusable cable ties that mount to the frame to be the hardest parts. A couple of those cable ties came right apart; a couple of others defeated me and I had to buy new ones.

One tip: when you reach the point where you are loosening the bolts to lower the subframe, support the weight of the engine on the jack and loosen the bolts the recommended distance. Then lower the weight of the engine to rest on the bolts.

Second tip: two people for about 10 minutes to help with bench-pressing the transmission back into place would help. I did it with my wife operating the floor jack and me alone under the car. Help for 10 minutes would have been very expeditious.

luder_5555

i would put this at about an 8.

its a pain to do, but the hardest part is just doing it, and then remembering how everything goes back together.

BTW it makes it soooooo much easier to do this on a lift.

Suzuka_Joe

my brother and i just finished mine up. im gonna call this a 10 to do. if you have an ap1 order new drive shaft bolts before you start because you'll strip them out. i used a small pipe wrench to remove them.

also, instead of lowering the subframe we jacked up the motor and removed the mounts and pedestals and lowered the motor on the crossmember. works well and you don't need an alignment afterwards

21337R

I replaced both the master and slave at the same time. I also flushed an entire bottle of brake fluid through to clean the lines before I installed the new parts.

I've read a few posts about the pressure plate breaking and\or a broken piece of the clutch jammed between the disk and flywheel, which would explain my symptoms.

21337R

Thanks for all the tips guys, and that link looks very helpful!!! I wish xviper was still around these parts.


Suzuka Joe... when I r&r'd my diff the drive shaft bolts came out without any problems but that was at the rear, are the front bolts harder to get to or something?

AusS2000

IIRC it's the rears you have problems with. On AP1 they are brass or similar and easily round out.

But I know when I did my clutch I had to remove the drive shaft entirely. I can't remember why though.