My kids car is a toyota camry, they learned to drive in it and have really given the clutch a hard time, the pedal is right up and cant be adjusted any more and will soon need a new clutch plate. I've done a few rear wheel drive car clutches in my time in the good old days, but nothing on a front wheel drive. Has anyone every given it a go at home?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
is it to hard to change a clutch on a front wheel drive car at home?
- Thread starter Icey101
- Start date
Its easy if you know how to do it. Without a hoist and air tools expect it to take about 8hours or more.
Done it plenty. It's not too awful bad. Get a balljoint separator to take the suspension parts out of the way on the front wheels. After doing that and pulling the axles, the process is the same, it's just facing the side instead of the rear. Smaller car, more tight spots to fit the hands. Jack the thing up and down during the process to make more room and lessen bloody knuckles. Side benefit is the tranny's are usually smaller/lighter, so easier to manhandle and don't hurt as bad if you drop it on yourself. 
.
.Yup. Give yourself all Saturday...and then a couple hours on Sunday to go back over your work, adjust, testdrive, etc.
When you say "right up" do you mean that the pedal goes to the floor and the clutch is not releasing? Or do you mean the pedal is at the top and not engaging?
On my FWD Saab, when the cable stretches, the engagement point gets further and further to the floor until you can't disengage it any longer. A new cable fixes that.
Of course, I am not sure if you have a cable or a hydraulic system to operate the clutch with a master and slave cylinder on that model. Clarification would help. On the saab 900 you basically have to drop the engine out to do the clutch plates or throw out bearing. The 9000 was hydraulic, so if you blew the slave cylinder, you had to do the same, but if it was blown it usually would not operate at all and you would not maintain fluid in the clutch system.
On my FWD Saab, when the cable stretches, the engagement point gets further and further to the floor until you can't disengage it any longer. A new cable fixes that.
Of course, I am not sure if you have a cable or a hydraulic system to operate the clutch with a master and slave cylinder on that model. Clarification would help. On the saab 900 you basically have to drop the engine out to do the clutch plates or throw out bearing. The 9000 was hydraulic, so if you blew the slave cylinder, you had to do the same, but if it was blown it usually would not operate at all and you would not maintain fluid in the clutch system.
Done it plenty. It's not too awful bad. Get a balljoint separator to take the suspension parts out of the way on the front wheels. After doing that and pulling the axles, the process is the same, it's just facing the side instead of the rear. Smaller car, more tight spots to fit the hands. Jack the thing up and down during the process to make more room and lessen bloody knuckles. Side benefit is the tranny's are usually smaller/lighter, so easier to manhandle and don't hurt as bad if you drop it on yourself.
+1
Also check that your transmission doesnt need a "shaft dummy tool" i cant remember the specific name but it will have a tool/part# that is associated with your vehicle make/model.
This is the sort of job that I *could* do in my driveway on the gravel in the rain, but would hate to.
Most clutch kits will come with the clutch alignment tool if it's necessary. Having worked almost exclusively on front drive cars, the main thing that makes it "harder" is that things are packed much more tightly together than in a rear drive car. They're all just put together with bolts.
Handy piece of auxiliary hardware to have is an engine support that straddles the fenders or strut towers and supports the weight of the engine from above. Saves you from trying to balance the weight of the engine from a floor jack after you've removed the transmission - most of the time the "engine mounts" are actually bolted to the tranny in a fwd car.
Handy piece of auxiliary hardware to have is an engine support that straddles the fenders or strut towers and supports the weight of the engine from above. Saves you from trying to balance the weight of the engine from a floor jack after you've removed the transmission - most of the time the "engine mounts" are actually bolted to the tranny in a fwd car.
The issue isn't doing the clutch - and you may need to take the flywheel in to have it machined if it's heat-cracked, which isn't going to happen on a Saturday afternoon, it's going to take a day or two for them to turn it around - it's whether you can get the transmission out to get at the clutch with the equipment you have available.
Depending on the vehicle design, this may or may not be practical in your driveway. It depends on the car.
Depending on the vehicle design, this may or may not be practical in your driveway. It depends on the car.
- GET A SHOP MANUAL and review it thoroughly before starting this.
- Also, go to a forum which is specific to your car, search that forum for info on clutch replacement, and if needed, ask the guys on the forum for more info AFTER you have searched thoroughly.
- Don't be the noob who barges into a forum and asks the question without searching.
I haven't done a clutch it years but my understanding is a lot of parts houses offer reman flywheels nowadays. A flywheel that's already machined and ready to go. With front wheel drive cars sometimes you have to figure out a way to support the engine when taking the trans off of it as you may have to remove several engine/trans mounts. Take a look at the engines rear main seal when you have the flywheel off. Now would be the time to replace it if you can. It's been years and but I used to do tons of clutch work. Thankfully I've moved on...
Make sure the kit you buy has an alignment tool in it. Some folks will buy the kit, take the alignment tool out, then return the kit, minus the alignment tool, with the goofball at the store being none the wiser. Make sure that alignment thing is in the kit....it's worth it's frustration in gold.
It's possible to do this job without too much trouble if you plan it well beforehand. You can make a redneck engine support with a 2x4 cut to fit across the engine bay, and a ratchet strap.
When you remove the driveshafts, oil will escape, either drain the box beforehand if it has a plug or have rags and a container handy, it's no fun working under a dripping box.
Undo the driveshaft nuts before lifting the car as sometimes they are so tight they will only yield to a breaker bar and scaffold pipe extension.
When you remove the driveshafts, oil will escape, either drain the box beforehand if it has a plug or have rags and a container handy, it's no fun working under a dripping box.
Undo the driveshaft nuts before lifting the car as sometimes they are so tight they will only yield to a breaker bar and scaffold pipe extension.
Getting the flywheel turned if needed can be a day or two turnaround at a machine shop if they're really busy. I pull the tranny friday night and be waiting at the shop when they open saturday morning with breakfast and coffee for them. They'll probably spin it for you first thing before they start the days projects then.
+1
I do not even have to do it outdoors but I will not do a job like this at home.
My free time is worth more to me than my auto mechanic charges.
Or I can go into work on my free time and make more than he charges for his labor and not put up with the frustration of working on a car.
If you don't want to outright buy the balljoint separators and 32mm axle nut socket, you can put a deposit on those at an Autozone store and get your money back when you return them. Ends up being free in the end.
There are 2 balljoint seperators, a smaller one for the tierod end and upper joint and a larger one for the lower joint. If you're careful, you might not have to replace the rubber boots.
Get a rear main crankshaft seal and replace that while you're in there.
Having fun yet?
There are 2 balljoint seperators, a smaller one for the tierod end and upper joint and a larger one for the lower joint. If you're careful, you might not have to replace the rubber boots.
Get a rear main crankshaft seal and replace that while you're in there.
Having fun yet?
Also, if you're a white guy, you'll be black by the time you're done so get some good handcleaner. Wash your hair with dishsoap afterwards and wear clothes you can throw away. Your old lady will kill you if you put them in the wash machine. That old grease smell will stay in there and make all her clothes smell like that.
