DIY Clutch Replacement (4 cylinder)

Thanks so much for this - super helpful and well detailed.

I'm putting the clutch back in today and the pictures are gone all of a sudden. Something about third party hosting. Please help!

Thanks in advance.

 

The pics were hosted by Photobucket, who is damanding 400 a year from people to get their pics back up or just back in some cases (used to be free hosting). It's not just this forum or website, but others as well, leaving BIG holes in peoples build threads, and causing other problems for people who are using cell phones to load pics with, or transfer them from site to site. Don't be surprised IF you see more threads all messed up because of this.

 

The images have been re-uploaded now in case anyone ever needs this again.

 

Thank You. Such nice clear photos on a very clean engine/trans combo.

 

Thanks for taking the time to post this! The only extra bit of info I would share after doing my clutch is removing one of the transmission mount studs for much easier removal and replacement. One of the 3 studs that connect the trans to the mount is removable and has a hex head on it for 7 or 8 mm socket. This gives you just a little bit more wiggle room going in and out but makes all the difference. I also had to replace my rear main beam (subframe) due to the rust issue so the 2 projects merged into one big surgery.

 

it's the front stud, but what if you can't remove it due to rust etc.?

 

A huge 'Thank you!!' for posting this. My son (college student) has a '98 Honda Accord he purchased 2- years ago for $1,300. It's now probably worth ~$600-800. The engine and trans are strong, but the body is a mess. Anyway, the clutch recently went - completely shot. Local garages wanted between $950 - $1,150 to do the job. Mostly labor.. it's a big job. I get it. The kid doesn't have $1,000 and I'm not paying for it. So.. we took it on - father/son project. It was NOT easy and it took about 20 hrs start to finish. However, these instructions are dead on. What an awesome write up. I printed it out and we followed it step by step. Each step that removed parts were methodically put into a zip lock baggies and sharpie labeled with the step number. This made putting it all back together a snap. After the flywheel was attached, the bell housing cleaned up and the clutch kit installed the trans was reattached. We then reversed the instructions and had it all back together in about 6 hrs. All in, spent ~$200. And that includes a few tools needed. The pickle fork was instrumental. Used it to separate the ball joints from the lower control arms and to edge out the axles. If you are working without a lift, like us, you definitely need two jacks to maneuver the trans back into position to marry back up to the motor. Since I only have one hydraulic jack, we used the scissor jack from the trunk to assist. The hydraulic jack under the bell housing and the scissor jack under the other side. Slow easy positioning allowed us to get the trans back on. The car is at 195,000 miles and ready for another 100,000!!

 

I’m glad to see this is still useful. Putting bolts in bags may seem time consuming but it saves a ton of time in the long run. It is challenging to do without a lift but definitely doable.

 

This is the clearest, best illustrated how-to I've come across thus far. I'm swapping my munged-up transmission next week, so this thread DEFINITELY comes in handy! Thanks much for the work!