Replacing clutch

[Foryst]

I bought a 1984 tercel sr5 wagon 4wd and the clutch is out. This is my first time replacing a clutch and would like to know if there is anything I should check while putting my new one in

[Petros]

Welcome to the list!

the clutch is a big job and straight forward, you might check the trans seals before you drain the trans (if any are leaking make a note to replace them, if they are good you can leave them). Also, unless you know the age of the rear main seal, I would remove the flywheel and replace the rear engine main seal while the trans is out. IT does not cost much and it is way too big of a job to pull the trans just to replace the $10 seal later.

Check your rear engine mount and the condition of the u-joints and center bearing on the rear drive shaft.

If your cv joints are sloppy or have torn boots you might as well replace the cv axles, this adds a lot of cost but you are more than half way there if you get the trans out. It is not too bad a job to do by itself, so you can put this off until later if you can not afford new CV axles now. Check the cv joints by checking for rotational play, there should be none. but it is okay for the joint to slip in and out (the axle gets longer and shorter).

Good luck. There are lots of old threads on removing the trans/clutch, you might want to read them before you start.

[Foryst]

Thanks for your help. I'm gonna buy my clutch tomorrow and thats the start of my project. Another question with the clutch. Is the 4wd going to make a big difference because I heard it was harder to do

[Jarf]

I have always found it easier just to pull the engine. Makes it easy to replace the timing belt too.
As Petros said inspect everything and while you're in that deep, replace anything you can afford to.

Either way you get it out, make sure you replace the disc, cover, release and pilot bearings and the rear main seal.
Resist the temptation to save money at this point, as a little preventative repairing now, will save hours of grief down the road.
I have always used OEM parts as they will be long lived. (I hate doing things twice.)

Take a good look and make sure you have not had any issues of oil contamination inside the bell housing.
It will be dirty in there but should also be dry, if you wipe it and find a gooey layer below or a sticky residue there has been a leak at some point.
Sometimes just a bad valve cover gasket will leak enough over time to get in and cause trouble, other times it will be the input shaft seal, but now is the time to identify and correct if you want the repair to last. Have the flywheel machined, add fresh fluid and consider yourself good for another 200K.

I would also take a very close look at your oil pan while your in there, if you see any flaky rust, gently remove a couple of flakes to verify there isn't oil residue underneath them, if there is, the pan needs to be replaced.

Clean everything as you go, take pictures, keep bolts/nuts in small labeled containers. It is so much easier putting things back together when you don't have to guess which bolt goes where, I often use baggies to sort bolts, that way as you assemble you use up a bag, when you have something left over you can go and correct the problem right away instead of being all assembled and finding an extra bolt that looks like it was an important one. It also ensures that the right bolts go in the right holes, as the clutch cover bolts will look amazingly similar to the ones that hold little brackets on, but the CC bolts are hardened and wont shear when torqued to spec like the others will. Much grief can be avoided with just a little planning and organization.

Lastly.
Beer, lots of cold, quality beer.
It will greatly enhance the whole experience.

[Petros]

I have done it both by removing the engine and my removing the trans, neither is pleasent but I find dropping the trans easier.

Occasionally the gear of the engine does not drop far enough to allow you to wiggle out the trans, so remove the distributor (so it does not get damaged against the fire wall), the upper radiator hose and any linkage or hoses that might prevent the rear of the engine from dropping far enough so the bell housing clears the tunnel. Cars with A/C seem to have trouble coming down far enought to get the trans out the back.

The 4wd does make it more work, but not that much more. You have to remove the drive shaft off the rear diff (four 12mm bolts and nuts), and the center carrier bearing mount and slide the drive shaft out. Unbolt the 4wd lever linkage (a 12mm nut), and after that it is the same as a 2wd clutch job except the weight of the trans.

I personally have found the after market pilot bearing and throw out bearing not very reliable. After market clutches have been fine, but if your factory pilot bearing and throw out bearing are smooth and quite, I would reuse them. Unless you can find the same brand Toyota uses. I have over 300k miles on mine and they are still silent. about 100k miles ago I replaced the clutch and installed new pilot and t/o bearing, within a year (about 20k miles) both were whining and making racket. I ended up pulling it all and installed the old throw out and pilot bearing and they have been good ever since.

[Foryst]

I put the clutch in but there is no tension when I press my clutch pedal. A friend told me to bleed the clutch but how do I do that when its a wire? Is there any other possible problems?

[xirdneh]

tercel clutch has no hydraulics so nothing there to bleed
is clutch cable broken?
is clutch cable hooked up properly (at foot pedal and at arm sticking out of tranny)?
did you forget to install the throw-out bearing?

[Petros]

presuming the cable is connected you might check the auto adjuster for the cable is working properly. This is the white plastic gear segment with spring loaded teeth up at the top of the clutch pedal where the cable attaches.

If the clutch cable and pedal is installed properly and working the way it is supposed to, than the problem is with the clutch, lever or throw out bearing and unfortunately the trans has to come out again. It if you got all the part in properly and got the soft pedal, it is possible the new clutch assembly is defective.

[4doorVIP]

My clutch just gave up last week. Is there a walk through on this job anywhere?

[Petros]

there are several, just search the archives. Maybe some day someone can edit them all and put a cleaned up proceedure over in the repair guids section.