What is the easiest way to change a clutch? Me and my buds are attempting it next weekend…any tips would be greatly appreciated
- drive to a dealer or reputable repair facility.
- hand keys to service desk
- watch tv in the customer waiting area.
- Whip out amex and pay for it.
^^^^^^^^
That would be the easiet way to do it 
Dont forget the little things like :
flywheel cover plate and engine braces
VSS(no need to disconnect it from the powersteering, just move it to the side)
make sure you have a set of 12 point sockets for the clutch and flywheel bolts
other wise I would recomend doing it by the book. take your time and have a little patience. getting the imput shaft to seat in the clutch which lets the transmission sit flush with the engine can be a little trying, but it will go(being you have the right parts and all)
GL
Just follow the repair manual word for word. I replaced mine with my car parked halfway in the garage and the other half in our gravel driveway. I had hardly any hand tools, no power tools, and only one jack and set of jackstands. I also had no help. <–Looking back I’m amazed I ever pulled this off.
All that to say, you can do it, just follow the instructions and be patient.
If it’s your first time, make sure you have an extra car incase you don’t get the job done as quickly as you anticipated.
It took me the whole weekend for a clutch replacement, the hardest part was lining up the splines on the input shaft and clutch when mating the transmission back onto the engine. Good luck.
^^ I second that. I think I counted it took me like 30 hours total. Granted I didn’t know what I was doing and had no one to help me. Fortunately I had access to other cars so quick trips for parts/tools were possible.
dang thirty hours seems like alot, im in no way making fun of or critizing you it just seems high…
i did my auto to five speed conversion in about 16 hours total, it was also my first time. actually now that i think about it, it being my double D and my wife needing her car come monday i was pretty motivated to get it knocked out
agreed, get a manual… also keep the bolts organized… tupperware or ziplock bags and a sharpie is your best friend especially when reassembly time comes… i would highly recommend buying or borrowing a torque wrench… when it comes to engine/tranny work the more precise you are the longer it lasts… other than that, good luck
[QUOTE=lksdG2;2009752]dang thirty hours seems like alot, im in no way making fun of or critizing you it just seems high…
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No worries man, you are right, there is no way it should take that long. I think probably 15 of those hours were spent trying to get the axles out of the transmission. Like I said I had no idea what I was doing. A few years later I changed out the axles with a buddy in like an hour.
To the OP, don’t let my 30 hour comment freak you out. Like lksdG2 said, that is really high. My car had like 275k on it at the time and I swear every single fastener on it was stuck. It does go to show you though that where there is a will, there is a way 
everyone who drives a manual has to change their clutch sometimes right. ay, get yourself a 6 pack of corona before you start. it’ll help when you get stuck:rockon:
AAhhh!!! so many horror stories lol… i have just started my b18a rebuild and im eventually gonna run into replacing my clutch/flywheel…i have never done any of this before… im using the haynes manual and some b-series rebuild books so hopefully ill be ok. i have a couple questions for you guys tho. considering all the fastners, nuts,bolts, etc are super old and nasty (considering theres over 300km on it) should i replace them or simply clean them and reuse them? cuz i no im gonna have issues removing the input shaft, and shift linkage…
Thanks guys!
it depends really… if the bolts have only been removed a time or two and then retorqued you should be fine but the more times its been removed the more likely it is to fail.
most bolts though should be fine, except the obvious like head bolts/studs and such
the best decider is good common sense and a critical eye. if you look at it and have to recheck and ponder over reusing it or not i would say its worth the $0.45 to replace it. even if it means a trip to the store.
peace of mind in a job well done is priceless
did it ALONE in january while it was 9* outside. i had a garage and a few tools… pneumatic tools that is.
still wonder how the eff i pulled it off
make sure you use a torque wrench when putting it all together
You will be fine. If you search you will find numerous posts involving clutch replacements and tips. I would just suggest removing everything connected to the transmission. Removing passenger side suspension assembly and the drivers. Pull the axles. Shift linkage.
Here’s where it gets tricky.
In my opinion the easiest way to get the transmission out was to unbolt all the other motor mounts and raise and tilt the engine. But if you don’t have a cherry picker handy or extra jacks, that’s probably not an option.