GranSport Clutch Change with Pics...

CraigWaterman11

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762
I spent only a couple of hours yesterday and today because it seems like I have the flu, and it's a bit difficult to work. This is just how I do it. Others might do it another way. Anyway so this is what I have:

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So to begin with I rip the trunk out so I have enough room to pull the gear box back when I'm under the car:

Start with pulling the spare tire and cover out. Then unscrew the black cover that's against the opening of the trunk like so:

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Next pull the carpet from under the battery side, and pull the carpet up:

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Next is the Spare tire carrier/plastic insert:

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Watch out for the screws on the side of the carrier. Sometimes they are hard to see and you need to peel the foam back:

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Next is the heat shield, but you have to do that underneath:

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I stopped with the heat shield nuts under the car but before we can get to those we need to remove some other hardware.

Going to the front of the car because I'm going to drop the exhaust as an entire unit, leaving the boxes on the car. We need to remove the sway bar nuts and remove the front cross member. We'll just leave the sway bar hanging it doesn't need to be removed from the car.

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Photos above show the cross member support bar bolts left/right side in the foreground and the sway bar nuts in the back ground.

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Sway bar brackets and sway bar hanging above.


Sorry for the blurred photo below. Ironically with greasy hands I thought the photo was clear, but what you are looking at is the bolts to the exhaust right before the pancaked down pipe.
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In this photo the exhaust is removed but you can get a better idea of the area I detached it from:

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Below you are looking at the exhaust hanger brackets. There are two 13mm bolts on either bracket before the exhaust will drop down. Afterwards you'll need to take both these brackets off in order to slide the gear box rearward through the cross member. If you don't they will hang up and catch and you won't be-able to slide it back.

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Lastly are the bolts going to the muffler boxes, 15mm one on either side and then take the exhaust out of the way.

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Now we come back to getting to that heat shield. We need to take this out before we complete the heat shield task:

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To remove it you'll need a torx head and a hex head. Sorry, at the moment I cannot remember the sizes. 5mm I think.

Once that's dropped remove the 10mm nuts at the back and front. I usually use a swivel socket with a long wobble extension for the ones sitting up in the rear of the car.

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Once they are all out pull it down. I push it in around the edges to maneuver it out. No worries it's aluminum based so it will fold up with persuasion, additionally you'll be able to put it back in and push it back into place with re-installation.

While you are back here. Go ahead and reach up on top of the gear box. Right side (Passenger side U.S.) by the harness that comes down by the battery area, and disconnect the two wiring harnesses. Now you have to remove the grey safety clasp before it will allow you to push the catch for the wiring harnesses. If you are having a difficult time pushing the catches for the wiring harnesses. Push the harnesses together first then you'll see it will push in and come right apart. Here's a photo of the grey safety clasp.

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Moving right along. Lets get to the torque tube. It's pretty straight forward. You'll see 8, 15 mm nuts. But you'll need a trick for the rear part. First, the hydraulic hose for the throw-out bearing/slave cylinder is attached to the torque tube. There's 10mm nuts all the way down it. But the one we are focused on is the last one at the rear of the torque tube because once you get the gearbox out of the way, you'll be able to gain access a bit better by pushing the tube over to remove the rest.

You'll need an "S" wrench. Then you'll see the hydraulic hose running really close to the nut on the top of the passenger side (U.S. for international guys). Here like so:

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You won't be-able to get the wrench into this location like that. So take a small pry bar and just push the hydraulic C-clamp forward to give you room like so:

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Now you still aren't done because with the lower nut still on you won't have enough room to swivel the S wrench down to loosen it. So take that nut out of the way first. Really as soon as you break the torque on these the nuts spin right off:

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Okay now after removing the top nuts knock yourself out remove all of them. Once again remove those exhaust hanger brackets:

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I didn't take photos of this but I will try and get them. There's two other things you absolutely need to take care of or that gearbox won't pull out. First, let me state I love the fact that from the 4200 cars they completely removed the E brake cable off the torque tube. Secondly, there is still however, a clamp setting on top of the gear box for the part of the E brake running to the Passenger side you need to remove. Actually in the same area is the wire clamp for the actuator hydraulic hoses you'll need to remove as well. It's attached to the underside of the car.

I usually unbolt both half shafts and push them out of the way before I go doing this. You'll need a 13mm 12 point socket. If you were smart you'll have the car in neutral with the E brake released. Because if not you won't get any E brake clamps loose and you won't be able to just spin your rear tires around where you need to in order to make taking those half shafts out easier.

After you remove both. You'll still need to watch as you pull the gear box back so the E brake cable that crosses over the top of the gearbox for the passenger side doesn't get hung up on the Actuator bolts. But after you have done so you can pull the gear box back.

I also just realized I don't have a picture of the cross member holding the gear box from the rear. It has the gearbox mount on it as well. No worries I will just type a little more and add them later. It's the very last thing I remove with a jack under the gear box. There's four 13mm bolts on either side. Then the gear box will pull back.

You'll have this:


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CraigWaterman11

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762
Total time to finish the task on the car was 5 hours (yesterday&today), with pics and being extremely sick. I don't know what I have but it's not good....

Let me go back and include some of the pics I stated I would add.

Here's the rear cross member that has the rear gear box mount, and you'll notice the four bolt holes on either side. I mentioned it above. You cannot see one because of how the pic was taken.

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Also here's the hanger for the E cable you'll want to remove or it will get hung up. Notice how the mount bolt is hidden. If you have a problem getting it. Bend it up out of the way and just reform it when it's out.

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Here's the E brake cable it's holding:

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Coming back to the removal of the torque tube:

Hydraulic line removal

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Now the rest of the torque tube:

This is your best friend, swivel sockets, and wobble extensions. You can reach around the top of the torque tube and bell housing with this. It will save you tons of time. I think I forgot to mention this above. I'm using the S wrench only on the rear part for the nuts I couldn't reach this way with everything together. If you can reach it with your wobble, have at it.

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Next this is how I lower the torque tube on my own. I have one stand holding up the rear. I pry forward the front part, shaking it up and down to slide it backwards all the way. Once it's loose I lower it walk towards the middle holding it. Push the stand backwards with my foot so I have the entire tube in my arms.....lower it to the ground. Now I have to admit you have to eat your Wheaties in the morning to man handle it. It's easier to do this if you are closer to the ground or have someone with you. Nevertheless it's possible.

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On to the bell housing:

So I'm going to remove the ground cable, and harnesses first.

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Illiciting my best friend's help again. All the bell housing bolts/nuts will be out in 5 minutes.

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Just feel around the top by reaching around the side of the bell housing to get to the top nuts. Then pry it loose, wiggle, wiggle wiggle, and you'll have this........

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Removing the Pressure Plate and Clutch. Please pay attention to this step, especially if you are resurfacing the flywheel. Look at the nine retaining hex head bolts in the Pressure Plate that holds it to the flywheel.

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What you are not going to do to remove them:

1.) Loosen them in a star pattern as if you are sitting on the side of a road with a flat tire.

2.) Take each one out one by one, as if you have better things to do, and there's not equal pressure applied from the pressure plate on the other side of those bolts.

What you WILL do. Start at whatever bolt your heart so desires. Go counter-clockwise or clockwise. However, you're feeling. One by one loosen them 1/4 turn right around the pressure plate until they are all removed.

I usually just think to myself 9 to 6 o clock turn. I walk it right around in a counter-clock wise pattern.

If you decide to go with the other two options listed above in the "Don't Do This Section". When you bring back your flywheel from resurfacing you will get to wear your dunce cap, because most, if not all, of those bolt holes in the flywheel will have stretched threads.

While your wearing your dunce cap take a Selfie with your tap and die set and have at it, it's possible you might be able to fix it. O' and don't forget them duck lips when your snapping the photo. Chances are I'd trash it and go spend the extra $300 for another flywheel then trying to re-tap them. Especially if I had to take a Selfie like that!

If you follow my suggestion, you'll spend a whole $75 to have your flywheel resurfaced, instead of the $300 for a new flywheel. A new fly wheel isn't necessary. But who am I to tell you how to spend your money.

Here's the flywheel after the pressure plate/clutch is removed:

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Flywheel removed, and I might add it's pretty clean back there:

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Flywheel up close, few hot spots here and there but nothing I can see that would keep it from being resurfaced. Things that will make the flywheel an unlikely candidate for resurfacing.

1.) If it look like Donald Trump (I really dislike this guy)
2.) stress cracks that go through the flywheel
3.)deep gouging from things like the rivets that hold the friction disc material on.

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safrane

Member
Messages
16,748
Well done pal. Man Flu is fatal for women so doing a clutch at the same time is a heroic achievement.
 

ANY

Junior Member
Messages
49
Super! This should maybe be a "sticky thread" when completed? Will be very useful sooner or later.

So you were able to bring out the gearbox with the drive shafts still on the car? Just undoing the inner flanges. A learning that saves a lot of time / trouble.
 

CraigWaterman11

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Messages
762
Yes I leave the torque tube attached to the flywheel and use a jack stand to hold the rear part of the tube in the air. Jason a Master Tech on the ML forum was telling me how they drop the whole rear sub-frame with the torque tube as a unit. Now if you want to do this and you have the man power you can. I like smaller items I can handle so I'm not breaking anything. Newton said he was dropping his later this year. My suggestion would be especially if you have only one other person, take it out in pieces like this. I didn't think 5 hours was too bad. Could you save more time by dropping it as a unit? Maybe but I'm one of those guys that doesn't like to drop things in big masses. Additionally, maybe this will help you to stream line the process, and get you to feel comfortable with doing it. Then with a group of guys you could cut the time down by removing it more as a unit.
 

CraigWaterman11

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Messages
762
Wow guys I re-read the thread. Some of those sentences were terribly written. I will edit it later on so it reads a bit better. Also please ask for clarification if I hopped over something or it wasn't clear what I wrote.
 

CraigWaterman11

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Messages
762
Wish I had the time space and skills

The first one I did was a 4200 Spyder. I put the entire car on wooden cradling off the ground so I could slide under the car with a creeper. I did it with normal tools and a regular 2 1/2 ton Automotive jack. This thread the car is on a lift in a garage but with knowledge and ingenuity you could do this anywhere.
 

Wack61

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Messages
8,764
Thanks for taking the time to post this , I'm hoping my clutch has plenty of life left in it but if not this will be handy when I point and give instruction to my mechanic prior to losing teeth
 

CraigWaterman11

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Messages
762
Forgot to post the pics yesterday of the flywheel when it was done, most of the time you can get it same day from the guy I use but I took it in late. Either case:

Before:

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After:
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Dyer3200

Member
Messages
569
Fantastic write up Craig thanks for taking the time, my GS clutch is 86% worn so definitely needs doing shortly, I think I will go for a new flywheel to get the job done in a day Could always sell the old one on flea bay

Get well soon pal
 

CraigWaterman11

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Messages
762
Guys I'm sorry, Eurospares took forever getting the clutch to me. So I got it yesterday and basically just installed everything so I could get it down off the lift. It was quite the hassle waiting for the parts. Anyway let me see what photos I should just show you guys.

Okay I think I stopped, with removing the spigot/pilot bearing.

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Above is the correct procedure for removing the pilot bearing with bread, when you get tired of looking all over the place for the spigot bearing puller. This is in the appendix section of the service manual.

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Above is the new spigot/pilot bearing, flywheel, clutch installed. There is a very specific procedure to installing the clutch similar to removing it so it's not bound up on installation.

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Old slave cylinder/thrust bearing. BTW the thrust bearing was shot as well.

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New thrust bearing, and F1 position sensor above.



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Shot of the gearbox after cleaning all the dirt and grim on it before I put it back in.

Just like that everything is back in (below).



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I didn't take a photo with the exhaust and sway bar all installed. Tomorrow I'm going to bleed the system and set the computer so it knows a new clutch has been installed. Also I always set my clutch very aggressive when I set up the PIS. So that's pretty much it guys.
 
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