Thread: clutch replacement tutorial?

Originally Posted by russotouristo

It seems, my clutch is dying - although the car starts easily, without any issues from stationary, when I'm driving on the fifth gear on the level road the engine revs could be as low as 1700 or as high as 3300 with the same speed of 90km/h. It's not the tacho fault, I can hear the engine roaring and gaining revs. So the questions are:

1. The clutch is slipping: is it a clutch disk or a diaphragm spring? Or should I suspect any other parts?

Slipping clutch, unless the pedal disengages right at the top of the pedal (when it could be hydraulics or linkage), is almost certainly either wear on the driven plate or oil contamination from either the engine or gearbox. Check the wading plug in the clutch housing for oil.
2. As far as I got, the whole procedure involves getting off the propshafts, draining and removing the gear and transfer boxes - is it possible to do all that on a flat surface, or should I better find a garage pit?
Not familiar with the RRC, but you may be able to move the gearbox and transfer case back far enough on a flat surface that you don't have to remove them entirely. If you do have to, without a pit or hoist, you need to have the vehicle high enough (on blocks or stands) to get the gearbox/transfer case out the side.
3. Which supplier of clutches should I choose? There are some from britpart or bearmach and from some other companies. I wouldn't like to overpay, but as I guess it is a time-consuming operation, I don't want to install crappy parts either.
Most clutch parts will be OK in my experience regardless of the supplier (likely to be the same bits with different packaging!), but someone with experience on your car type may have better info. And it is a time consuming job, particularly if you haven't done it before.
4. What are the gaskets (between the bell and the engine?) involved in this operation? Shall I have to separate the boxes or deal with them as a whole? Are there any other parts that would be nice to replace (seals, bearings?)
There is no gasket between the engine and the bell housing. In view of the work involved in the job, it is normal practice to replace the driven plate, pressure plate, release bearing and pilot bush. Expect that the flywheel may need resurfacing (may not be needed if the problem is oil).
5. should I wash the bell and the engine first?
If you don't want dirt falling in your eyes!
6. what are the mounting points for the gear and transfer boxes? are they heavy? Does anyone knows the weight (it's a lt230 unit)
The mounts between the transfer case and chassis also partly support the engine, so this will need support when you remove the gearbox. The gearbox/transfer case is heavy. You do not want to add to the list of those seriously hurt in this job. You need a fllor jack and transmission adapter as a minimum, and if on a hoist or over a pit, a special transmission hoist.
7. anything else I should pay attention to?
If the problem is oil leaks, you need to determine where the oil came from, and fix it. Probably seals. If it is the crankshaft seal, this gets a bit involved. Check the slave cylinder while you are at it, and the condition of the fork, but I don't think the RRC one has the same shortcomings as the Discos and Defenders.
All in all, if anyone has documented this process somehow - the links would be highly appreciated!
Thank you!
argh. the car is RRC'87, V8 3.5L, with 5sp. manual gear box

You will need a tool to align the driven plate - these can be made easily even from wood if you have access to a lathe, but often socket spanners can be used instead.

It seems from your post that the first thing you need to do is to get a workshop manual - see "Shop" at the top of this page.

John

John, thank you for the thorough answer and the hints!

I guess, it is the same clutch, which is used in Discos and Defs, so I need to pay attention to the fork as well.

What is the wading plug in the clutch housing you are talking about? Is it inside the bell? Is there a way to determine exact reason without dismounting all these gear? I have a cheap chinese snake camera, so if the plug is in the bell, it could be possible to try evaluating everything without heavy works.
The thing is, as far as I got it takes nearly a month to get parts delivered to my place, so it's better order everything that might be needed at once. If the problem is in crank seal - I have a new sump gasket, what else is needed? If it is a seal from the gearbox side - shall I still have to take off the gearbox?

It is still not clear from your answer, if I need to move back the gearbox and transfer case altogether, or one by one?

Thank you for sharing your expertise!

PS I don't like the idea of having higher fuel consumption because of clutch problems, but there is still one more thing which bothers me: how long will it last before the car stops on the red light or in the middle of nowhere, and never starts :-)

Clutches: Read through this first:

Using a V8 R380 in a Tdi

Whilst it is more to do with the next gearbox from yours (Which is the LT77), there are a couple of tips in it that should help you. First, the drain hole is at the bottom of the engine adaptor ( The portion between the engine and bellhousing), with or without it's plug which screws in when crossing rivers. If there isn't oil coming out of it, then generally your clutch has worn out and requires replacement. And, there is only one way to do that- remove gearbox or remove engine.

Since the clutch still sort of works, start planning for a two or three days work. Either from the web or here, get yourself a parts catalog. Even us here in Australia use mail order from the UK ( ie Paddocks spares) with great success. Besides, the diagrams will help to know what goes where.

As to the actual work, I've done clutch changes both ways: gearbox/transfer together, and (like the link above) one-by-one apart. When together, the handbrake drum, transfer and gearbox are really unwieldy. I used a custom built trolley to drop it onto so I could slide it back. But it's a hard way to do it whilst on the street.

If you have the use of a hoist or a pit, you are going to need something big to support the drivetrain. (The workshop manual has details on making an adaptor ).

It's easier if you detach all three pieces, two people can handle the job ok in a pit/on a hoist.

And, if you've got some muscle, it's possible to do it yourself on the street.

Extra tips - when you remove the gearbox crossmember and let the drivetrain droop down- put a lump of wood under the front of the engine to support it when the gearbox comes off. It will hold the engine in the right position for reassembly.

- Get a long extension bar for your socket set. To undo the top bolts of the bellhousing, it needs extensions about 900mm total.

- Also get a six point socket ( impact socket?)for the nuts on the bellhousing- ordinary 12 point/ multi point/metrinch seem to damage the nuts. ( The R380 has 15mm nuts- I think the LT77 is the same- best check beforehand)

Think about replacing both the gearbox output seal, transfer intermediate shaft o-rings, transfer input seal and both transfer output seals whilst you have the gearbox out. It's far easier to do it now than later.

Overall it's not that complicated-just fiddly.

Okay, thank you very much for the tips and your advice!

As the garage with a pit is too small, and there is no electricity over there, I'm thinking of doing this job outdoors at my country house. I think there is enough wood for improvised engine support and I can get on bricks and concrete blocks with the wheels to elevate the vehicle.

So right now - into the catalogs for part numbers of those clutch parts and seals. Thinking about buying a crank seal from Victor Reinz, not sure about the right sizes for gearbox input shaft seal and transfer box seals though...
As far as I understand, I need number 10?

As for the gear box, the seal is UKC1060L, its inside the cover?