Any of you knuckleheads ever replaced a clutch?

[RottenWillow]

I just pulled a transmission out of a car a few minutes ago b/c it had a busted differential gearset. The car has 88k miles on it, most of which I can't account for b/c we only just got it a year ago. Could be hard miles on the clutch, so right now I'm thinking about replacing it before we put the new transmission in.

Question is though, is it a finesse job? I've never done one before and don't want to try it if it requires some particular skill. I've heard of guys replacing their own clutch only to find the gears either won't engage at all or engage way too abruptly when they get the car back together.

So does it require some real finesse or just straightforward?

 

[puddlemonkey]

I just pulled a transmission out of a car a few minutes ago b/c it had a busted differential gearset. The car has 88k miles on it

Ford?

 

[miplank]

it's pretty straight forward.

 

[billfred]

It is straight forward but you need to go buy that little wooden tool for your car that aligns everything up.

chop chop before Autozone closes.

 

[ceo]

I did it like 20 years ago. Pretty straightforward. Everything worked fine. Put 10's of thousands of miles more on it before gettting rid of it.

 

[cindylou]

a clutch purse lool

 

[chris302001]

ive helped with a couple engine swaps, but never just the clutch. Look forward to hearing how it goes.

 

[ortiz34]

No, I have little patience when it comes to working on cars.
Any youtube instructional videos that you can see if they run through the basics? That can be helpful.
Good luck

 

[RottenWillow]

Yeah clutch sets come with that alignment tool. You guys are making the decision harder by saying it's not a difficult job. Damn.

How do people manage to set them up so that they grab so hard they tear up the tranny or so that they don't grab at all? Are they just people with very little mechanical aptitude or just hurrying through the job?

Also, anyone know how to tell if I also need to replace the plate and and turn the flywheel?

 

[PICK3]

I drive automatics ... I'm shiftless