Is it wise to do a clutch install yourself?

[JehalinTA]

Just skimmin though if you have'nt done the job yet don't forget to change that pilot bushing/bearing! The way i do it is to take your grease gun (with fly wheel off) place it into the bearing hole and hold it tightly have your buddy pump the gun and it should come out on its oun. I also don't raise the front much except enough that the front doesnt run into the ground. Then I raise the rear as high as I can (useually so I can sit upright under the rear bumper with my head touching or just touching. Remove some of the engine mount bolts leaving one on each side in but loosened a couple of turns only. Then place your jack under the tany and remove the cross member and seperate the u joint swinging the drive shaft out of the or even removing it. Then with my buddy watching up top in the engine compartment (to make sure you stop before the crunch sound) I lower the trany till I can just see the top bell bolts. I hate messing with swivels on a ratchet but thats just me. The engine will usually tilt with the jack being lowered. Then I stop and place either jackstand or a second floor jack under the front of the engine to keep it tilted and so it don't fall. Then you should be able to walk the trany straight out the back (you guiding it and your buddy pulling on the jack handle.
Then with the trany completely out of your way you can work with out any thing in your way makeing life a little easier. Remove the clutch componets and fly wheel then the pilot bushing. Install your new hardware and reverse the process and your done here.
Some shops have a trick to bleeding the slave by over fulling the rez and attaching a long peice of vaccume hose to the bleed head then loosening it just enough to slow flow letting it bleed for a good while like 30 mins. (keeping the rez level up) Some I've heard let it bleed slowly over light to make sure all the air is perged from the lines and new unit. After you are done and have everything together take it for a spin don't worry if you smell something buring at first just take it easy and break it in. The smell will go away. This how I do it without a lift. Hope this was some help to you and others.

Very helpful guys thanks... this might be a dumb question but is the pilot bushing/ bearing the same as the throwout bearing? Are you saying by putting grease in the hole the pilot bearing will come out? How do you re-install this?

[Ryans99LS1]

Very helpful guys thanks... this might be a dumb question but is the pilot bushing/ bearing the same as the throwout bearing? Are you saying by putting grease in the hole the pilot bearing will come out? How do you re-install this?

Not a dumb question, i didnt know what it was either till i tore everything down. Its a bearing that your input shaft slides into on the backside of the motor, at the back of the crank. There are many methods for installing them some better than others. Just search pilot bearing install.

[jc99ls1ss]

Two man job on jackstands. Easy job just make sure and use loc tite and if in doubt get on here and ask a question in the middle of it.

[FuriousGeorge]

don't forget to change that pilot bushing/bearing! The way i do it is to take your grease gun (with fly wheel off) place it into the bearing hole and hold it tightly have your buddy pump the gun and it should come out on its oun.

be careful if you plan on doing it that way. i've heard horror stories about things similar. there's only a freeze plug on the other side of the pilot bearing which may get pushed inside your block if enough pressure is applied. there are a few good methods on this thread:
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/manual...ng-grease.html

[Smittro]

Very helpful guys thanks... this might be a dumb question but is the pilot bushing/ bearing the same as the throwout bearing? Are you saying by putting grease in the hole the pilot bearing will come out? How do you re-install this?

Not dumb! Better to ask then to miss something, get it back together and have something fail!
At the rear of the crankshaft is a milling made into the center. Inside this milling is the bushing/bearing. Usually made of brass.
Your throwout bearing is on the fork that goes through your bellhousing and over the input shaft (not the same).
There are sometimes "freeze plugs" behind the crank. Since you are not prying on anything I would'nt be too concerned with them going anywhere.
Second with the flywheel and clutch parts (removed FIRST), place the head of your greese gun into the center of the pilot bearing. Then pump slowly holding the greese head tightly the pressure of the gun should push the bushing out from behind it. Kind of like
hydrolic pressure. Once you've removed the bushing, clean out the hole completely (no grease left in hole). Left over grease can cause the new bushing/bearing to be slightly ejected when you replace the trany. This could cause the bushing to fail and wipeout your trany.Or damage the input shaft.
Now to replace.
There are several methods used, here are some of the "right ones"!!!
1.You can use a bearing punch (with drift lip) that fits perfecty inside the bushing to slowly drift the bushing in.
2. Buy the proper clutch alignment tool for your engine this can also sometimes be used to drift the bushing in (slowly).

Now, here are some (wrong) ways.
1. Striking the bare bushing with hammer (wrong). This can destroy the bushing and even sometimes cause crank damage aswell as possibly causeing out of tollerance end play in the crank.
2. Useing just a wooden block, (wrong) it's possible to bind the bushing into the hole and could cause it to fail during operation.

Always "drift" the bushing in with short sharp blows. As the bushing reaches the bottom you will hear it. The tone of your strikes will change and sound more solid.

PS. Sometimes the punch or alignment tool has a lip that keeps the bushing from slideing the whole way onto the punch this (the right punch) with (drifting lip). Its the part of the punch that does the work. The tech name for this punch is called a (bearing punch) If you want to purchase the right punch for the job buy the bushing the same day you purchase the punch to make sure it fits. Also if no one at the parts store knows what you need try asking for a (universal punch)for pressing the (rear) bearing into alternators. I've used this type of punch before and found that it sometimes fits the pilot bushing very well. I would not use a punch that does'nt have this "lip". Again hope this was helpful. Sorry so long winded, just covering the bases. Take your time do it right once, less headaches that way and cheaper too. Good luck!!

[jc99ls1ss]

Didn't read all post but wanted to add this. DRAIN THE TRANS FLUID FIRST. Saves from having a big mess where you will be working.

[Smittro]

Didn't read all post but wanted to add this. DRAIN THE TRANS FLUID FIRST. Saves from having a big mess where you will be working.

Or if you don't want to drain it, cut a platic water or pop bottle in half and press it over the tail of the trany. 20oz. and sometimes even a (short, stout) empty power steering bottle work as long as it it's something that fits tightly over the tail. Just some tricks I've used is all. Just be sure to put it on BFORE you lower the tany!

Ps. I was a plumber so sometimes I'll run up to Lowes or the hardware, and in the plumbing section, ask the person working the pumbing department if they have any two inch, and two and one half inch thread protectors for threaded steel gas pipe just laying around on the stock room floor. The older guys will know exactly what your talking about, they are sometimes master plumbersand have seen thousands of these. Just tell them what you need it for. They may even let you have a couple them off the pipe on the shelves. Again just a few of the tricks I know. I changed some rear wheel drive tranys in 25 minutes without a lift. Helps having All the parts and, ALL the right tools too.

[WS6ICK2K]

Not to thread jack or anything but I am having a terrible time removing the top bell housing bolt from the tranny. I have tried about everything extensions, flex heads everything I could think of. If anyone has any help please respond, while I still have knuckles in tact...

[Smittro]

Not to thread jack or anything but I am having a terrible time removing the top bell housing bolt from the tranny. I have tried about everything extensions, flex heads everything I could think of. If anyone has any help please respond, while I still have knuckles in tact...

Try heating it with a propane torch. Just be careful not to catch it on fire.
You could also try using an extention on an impact gun. Also if it's dry you can try PB Blaster on it and let it sit overnight. Also if the bolt goes through the whole way check to see if there is a nut on the other side.
Worst case break the bolt by tightening it till it snaps off then drill it out and clean the threads with a tap. Or drill it and try an "easy out" (after you snap it).But my trick has always been heat. Usually if you get something hot enough it will come lose.Good luck.

[WS6ICK2K]

Try heating it with a propane torch. Just be careful not to catch it on fire.
You could also try using an extention on an impact gun. Also if it's dry you can try PB Blaster on it and let it sit overnight. Also if the bolt goes through the whole way check to see if there is a nut on the other side.
Worst case break the bolt by tightening it till it snaps off then drill it out and clean the threads with a tap. Or drill it and try an "easy out" (after you snap it).But my trick has always been heat. Usually if you get something hot enough it will come lose.Good luck.

Thanks for the advice, it wasnt that I couldn't break it. It was just that I couldn't reach it lol. It took about 3 foot of extension, and a ball type universal to get to it. You can barely reach it with your hand, and you def. couldn't see it. That peanut butter is some good stuff btw

[Smittro]

Thanks for the advice, it wasnt that I couldn't break it. It was just that I couldn't reach it lol. It took about 3 foot of extension, and a ball type universal to get to it. You can barely reach it with your hand, and you def. couldn't see it. That peanut butter is some good stuff btw

Oh my bad. Well sounds like you got it out. Now wait till you gotta put it back in.LOL

[WS6ICK2K]

Oh my bad. Well sounds like you got it out. Now wait till you gotta put it back in.LOL

lol it went pretty good actually kinda surprised. Since I had the right tool for the job.

[Smittro]

lol it went pretty good actually kinda surprised. Since I had the right tool for the job.

Yep no substitute for havin the right tools to do the job...