zooming993

I'm thinking about replacing the clutch in my 95 C2 myself, do you think I'll regret this decision? I'm thinking about doing based on: 1. I have the time (winter project), 2. I have the tools (except special clutch tools), 3. I have a 4-point lift for easier access and 4. I consider myself to be mechanically inclined and have done other successful DIY’s. I would hope to find a how to book or article to guide me though the process. One of the main areas of concern is, do I or don’t I have to remove the motor? I’ve read a few posts that say you should and others that said you shouldn’t. My car has 40K so I don’t think I need to replace the ignition wires and at 30K I had the plugs, alternator belts, A/C belts distributor caps and rotors replaced. For those of you who have taken on this DIY, any words of wisdom?

AOW162435

nsully and I removed & reinstalled his 993 transmission with the car on jack stands. No need to drop the motor unless other items need attention.



Andreas

chaoscreature

You bought the lift and tools for a reason. You are way ahead of most DIY'ers in this regard.
I say go for it.
There are a few writeups on here that will help out. If you don't mind upsetting your alignment specs I would go ahead and drop the engine since you have the lift.

IXLR8

What level of DIYs; spark plug changes or clutch jobs?

NP993

Go for it.

Pags993

I say go for it, take your time, do the research and enjoy the bonding time LOL

I have really enjoyed working on my 95, nothing serious like a clutch job yet but i am progressing slowly and carefully.

element

lefty loosey, righty tighty.. bolts are bolts, so if you have the time go for it. There is soooo much support for you here and other places online that the only thing that will happen is that you learn something and have fun bonding time.

I just finished a clutch job on my mini cooper - lots of fun and learning!

phil.

ppashley

As a data point my ignition wires were changed at 30k miles about 4 years ago. I would think this is more to do with the condition of the cable due to age rather than mileage on the engine, so you should inspect what state they're in.

Sounds like a nice project. Good luck!

boman993

Do it! Make sure you have all of your tools and parts ready before hand, take it slow, document and label everything and you should be good!

CarreraX

Do it. I would also drop the motor. It can be done w/o but if you aren't in a hurry, why not? It will give you a chance to clean things, replace #12 plug etc.

GwynnieMae

It's not that hard, just time consuming. I dropped the engine and trans together when I did mine. I did it by myself with just jack stands and a couple jacks. No special tools required besides the clutch alignment tool that usually comes with clutch kits. Make sure you have XZN(Triple square) socket bits for the pressure plate.

Cactus

Where are you located? I need some practice since I will be doing a new clutch and trans regear in aprox. 5.75 years when the house is paid off

Mike J

Dropping the engine triggers an alignment, so take that into account. But this is not a hard DIY, but it is a chuck of work.

On his car, no point to drop the entire engine if nothing else it to be done. However, to drop just the transmission on a lift takes a transmission jack to support the transmission when its being removed when on a lift. If the car is on jackstands, you can use floor jacks to do the same thing.

The two riskiest spots are

- when you reattach the transmission to the engine, you will need to align the spline shaft with the engine very carefully in order for the transmission and engine to mate correctly. If you drop or twist the transmission at this spot, you run the risk of bending the input shaft on the transmission - and that is expensive to fix. Don't freak out, its not that hard, but you need to be careful.

- when the transmission is attached, you will need to feed the clutch fork shaft into the housing and place it correctly. This can be a bear if you do not have clearances, and you run the risk of disturbing the open roller bearings that you need to insert into.

The above two points are much easier if the engine assembly is dropped, but its also doable on the lift by dropping just the transmission by itself. That saves a lot of time and costs.

The procedure if on a lift would be to support the motor just ahead of the bell housing, loosen (but not remove) the front motor mounts to allow for some slack, and then lower the tail of the transmission by using that motor support. That will allow easier access to things like the clutch slave, starter, and upper bell housing bolts. Ideally, on a lift, you need the following:



and



Cheers,

Mike

axl911

At 40K, why do you need to replace the clutch?

If you know what a torque wrench is, and when/where to use it, then go ahead and drop the engine. Otherwise don't.

After 3 engine drops, I don't think it's easier to change the clutch w/o dropping the engine.

Mike J

Do you have a lift, and have you done one without dropping the engine?