8v Clutch replacement - logical first steps?

[euroveedub]

May sound like a dumb question - but I've never replaced a clutch before.

Suggestions?

[Vampire Cockroach]

man same here... this thread could be very useful to those who are noobs to tranny/ clutch related stuff

[dekroon]

The Bentley, tools, and lots of beer/party favors for friends. :sex0ring-up:

[a4wdhybrid]

jack car up
take wheels off
disconnect battery
remove starter
discconect shift linkage
disconnect clutch cable
remove axles
remove bolts holding tranny to block
remove tranny

install new clutch

reassemble in reverse order

some of the steps in the middle can be worked in whatever order you see fit

[Shiftlink]

Buy NEW bolts for the pressure plate and flywheel.
the flywheel bolts are 9mm 12 point socket, kinda wierd

the axle bolts are 8mm triple square, if you need one I let you borrow.

when you tighten the hub nuts torque the ever living shit out of them.

Drew, if you need help or have questions give me a call and I'll help you out, and/or come over and help you, whatever you need, yo!

[Vampire Cockroach]

drew, want to do a clutch replacement day sometime in december? I really need to throw a new one in the jetta very soon, might be good to have some reinforcement/ a person there who knows what they are doing to kind of guide us along.

Any pro's out there willing to watch over us?

[euroveedub]

Ian: Thanks man!

Cameron: Got new bolts, I'll give you a call before I decided to tackle it!

Helke: Yeah, that sounds good man what day did you have in mind roughly?

Do you guys know of a local place that would resurface the flywheel for a good price?

Should I let the engine sit on its 2 mounts and remove the trans mount then the trans? Or would it be better to maybe remove the front mount and jack the motor up a bit and support it?

[Shiftlink]

Carquest on Grecade st. will resurface the flywheel for about $30. Give me two days advanced notice and I'll come help ya'll out. It would be best if we did it at your place though, my nieghbors are antsy enough with me having two race cars and 6 street cars around these days.
Let me know, I'll bring all the specialty crap, I can even bring my engine lift over to support the engine while we remove the trannys.

[euroveedub]

You are the man Cameron! Whats the turnaround usually on the flywheels...is it something we could run and have done in the process?

I'll give you a call this week:)

[Talareno]

You'll need to support the engine somehow, dealer uses a special tool that mounts to the strut towers & then uses the engine lift brackets to hold the engine up; I suppose an engine hoist will work but that could creep downward if left installed a long time. It's a pain in the ass to do this job on the ground; I'm letting Evan do my clutch soon, well worth the avoided aggravation.

[Shiftlink]

We swapped a transmission out on the race car in one hour during the race a couple of weeks ago, on jackstands in the dirt. I'm fully aware of what it takes to pull a clutch. and I've done it many many times off of jackstands with the engine lift. at the race track we didn't even have the engine lift, we used a floor jack under the engine. That was me and another well versed guy tearing into it with two helpers each. we don't have a team like that so it's going to take the day to do it. It would be nice to have another flywheel ready to go, as you can't count on the machine shop being ready to do it right away. I probably have a mk2 flywheel that you can have in exchange for your old one, take it up and get it turned and have it ready to go the day of the job.

[euroveedub]

I probably have a mk2 flywheel that you can have in exchange for your old one, take it up and get it turned and have it ready to go the day of the job.

Sweetness! I'll come out there this week and I can do that and we can discuss timeframe and all that:)

[Shiftlink]

All right just give me a call. I be's here mostly

[pinky]

loosen axle nut
jack car up
take wheels off
disconnect battery
remove starter
discconect shift linkage
disconnect clutch cable
disconnect speedo cable
disconnect ball joint from knuckle (or from control arm) to remove axles
remove axles (inner bolts) *you dont really need to completely remove the axles, but it sure helps.. *
remove bolts holding tranny to block
support engine with floor jack
unbolt tranny mount
remove tranny

install new clutch

reassemble in reverse order

put some grease on the input shaft splines for reassembly, it helps
also add some grease to inner CVs/trans output flange

some of the steps in the middle can be worked in whatever order you see fit

added some stuff..

[evan@absolute]

put a rear main seal in there while you are there. Unless it's not very old.

[pinky]

he's got a new rear main seal.. i suggested that when he was compiling a parts list ;)

[VDUBNLUVN]

if it hasnt been mentioned,, the ultimate maintance would include a new pushrod bushing and seal, thrust plate (duh) , drive flange seals. its a while you are in there thing and is well worth the time.


steer clear of any off brand clutches, luk is the lowest quality id go with, even beware of some sachs, brazilian, mexican, and west bumbfuck egypt discs can vary in quality.

one more thing to add to the procedure list is to remove the tranny mount bracket ( both of em ) completely. if you dont youll find it really hard to ease that bitch out. upon re-install turn hat tranny 90 deg counter clockwise, then settle clockwise as you mate the bellhousing and the diff clears the subframe. i like to let the motor fall as much as possible without stressing the mounts. gives the most clearance.

dont forget to remove the bolts for the metal splash guard thingy, there is one back there thats kinda hard to see and forgetting that will have you kicking your dog frequently.

the procedure is not really that hard, but been there done that experience is helpfull. i can do it in my sleep, btw if you need a flywheel i have about 15 used ones, one which may not need re-surfaced.

[sciroccodriver]

That silver 16v Scirocco that I sold a few months ago apparently had that pushrod plate break so the rod got stuck. The new owner called me a couple months later to tell me. D'oh....
From now on, I'll be replacing them also.... and DEFINITELY do the trans seals too like Tom said.
I saw my buddy Shawn Meze (old lister guy from scirocco.org etc) pull a trans on an 8v scirocco in 15 mins once..... blew my f'n mind. He was trying to beat his record while the car was supposed to be ready for ME to drive up the PCH with all the other scirocco dot org cars to go to a carshow. It was back in at the end of the hour. My best is 4.5 hours.