Part 2
The clutch assembly removal
• Take 10mm bolts off of clutch but put key from new kit into the shaft assembly so clutch doesn’t fall down on your face. Make sure to remove lessen pressure on bolts gradually by removing them a bit at a time in a crisscross pattern.
• Inspect the clutch components.
• Remove the flywheel (18mm bolts)
• Inspect the flywheel for damage (scoring, is there a lip between where plate touches?) and clean it up with acetone just prior to install so there’s no grease or oil on it. Of course, resurface or replace the flywheel as necessary.
• Optional depending on if there is a leak or signs of a leak: Unbolt and replace main rear engine seal. A trusted local mechanic said don’t touch it if it isn’t leaking. That’s advice I followed.
• Remove bearing from flywheel with bread or wet toilet paper technique. Stuff bread in. Add tape to outside of 3/8” socket extension so it fits fairly tightly in the pilot bearing. Whack it in there evenly and the pressure from the bread should push the bearing out. Give it some good whacks. Clean out the bearing hole from the bread.
o Of course, this didn’t work for me and neither did any other suggestion from the web (extreme heat, extreme cold, puller, chisel and hammer). There was nothing left of the pilot bearing aside from a thin outer shell that was about 22-24 gauge steel. I ended up calling in the help of a pro from a local agricultural iron works outfit who used a special chisel that got behind the bearing while folding it down (tool is used on brass fittings; such a chisel can be made from a ¼” punch by grinding it down until just a sharp, stable, rounded lip on the outside of the punch’s tip exists, the ground down part should angle back to fullness over a relatively short distance so as the chisel is hammered in between the bearing and the crankshaft hole’s side it forces the bearing inward on itself). Once repeated from the other side, the bearing came right out. It probably took him all of 5 minutes and it only cost me $20 for removal. The eternal law of working on cars was upheld: it all comes down to having the right tools.
• Install pilot bearing with the internal plastic piece with the recess facing the differential. This means that the pilot bearing is inserted into the hole with the needle bearings and grooves closest to the engine. Tap with small sledge. When it’s flush, it’s done. You can tap it in with the butt of the hammer handle once it’s properly seated.
• Put flywheel back on (clean bolts up and put on very small amount of red Loctite or a decent amount of blue) and torque ]them down to 56-64 ft/lbs as per
2.0 / 2.3 / 2.5 Specifications
• Insert clutch plate and then insert alignment tool/clutch key. Make sure that the springs on the clutch (the raised area) are facing the rear of the truck.
• Clean off pressure plate with brake cleaner or acetone and wipe down. Install pressure plate, sliding it over the pins. As you bolt it on, make sure that the alignment tool is all the way back and that it is free and not stuck. Torque bolts in x pattern gradually and bit by bit to 15-24 ft/lbs as per Haynes manual.
• Pull key out.
In the transmission:
• Remove slave cylinder (2 10mm bolts)
• Remove entire plate that sits beneath slave cylinder (take 3/8” extension and insert it through viewing window on side and push it from side – this didn’t work for me; I had to clench a set of vice grips on a metal flange that’s not part of the slave cylinder seat on the plate and pull back; it did not take much force). Do not turn the shaft while the plate is off--it will likely grind as the whole assembly is lacking the tension from the plate, which is no longer holding the shaft in place. Otherwise, synchros or gears on the inside will grind a bit.
• As soon as you get it off, take a moment to take a picture of what you’re looking at as things have to be just right.
• Clean it up and put in new seal (use socket ~30mm to knock old out and new in). Be careful any metal rings you touch go back in the way they were when you pulled it.
• Put some grease into the inside of the seal.
• Pull off bottom ring and top ring in the seal (what was beneath the plate) and clean them and grease them up. Seat them back in well as they have to go all the way in to get the plate to seat and seal properly.
• There was some RTV plugging two transmission fluid exchange holes for each ring. I cleaned the holes out carefully with a pair of mini needlenose pliars.
• Put grey RTV all over bottom of removable steel plate and follow RTV instructions. Be careful not to get any into the small transmission fluid holes you just cleaned.
• Grease up the shaft at the end closest to the transmission.
• Clean up end of shaft with steel wool.
• Unbolt back case of transmission, clean it up, let it dry, and put it back on. There are pry locations that were included for your convenience so the Right Stuff shouldn’t mean they’re stuck together forever. A guess is that these bolts were torqued to ~50 ft/lbs as they took some real effort to get off. The transmission had to be turned so the bell housing sat on the floor with the axle output housing up in the air. Make sure to put the removable bracket back on in the right spot. Mark it with a sharpie before removing it.
• If leaking, replace back seal on transmission that is male piece to female. You can put Vaseline on outside metal rim of the rear seal if you so choose. Mine was a tight fit that required light taps all around from a 3 pound hammer to seat properly.
• Unbolt hat (shifter rail case) off of transmission.
• Remove three plugs (closest to the shifter hole) from its back side gently with pliers, put high temp RTV around the seal area and shove them back in. Read up on this to make sure you’re okay with sealing your transmission in this fashion. They took so little RTV and most of it didn’t even make it into the hole. At any rate, Napa should sell updated plugs that won’t leak.
• Clean and use shifter rail case’s original rubber gasket or replace with new but make sure it’s tucked up neatly into the recess that runs around the outside and bottom of the shifter case. There’s only one way to install it correctly to get the two center bolt recesses from either side to fit. A guess is that the case was torqued to 20-25 ft/lbs as it was quite easy to get off. Put the Grey RTV on it just on the rubber gasket as it’s seated in the shift case).
• Install the slave cylinder – there’s only one way to seat it properly so the hoses protrude through the side of the transmission.
• Put spline lubricant on spline and end of shaft and spread it around. Seat the clutch disc onto the spline a few times in different positions to spread the grease around.
• Get 2 3” grade 2 bolts (from your hardware store) that are similar in thread to your transmission bolts but that are slightly longer (SAE bolts are likely 1/10th the cost of metric and for this purpose will work fine as long as you don't over tighten them). Grind the heads off and slot the stump that remains for a flathead screwdriver. Then thread them into the top two bolt mounts on the engine. These are of great help when trying to line the transmission holes up with the motor transmission mount holes. They can be finger tightened so that the screwdriver is not necessary; the slots are still worth putting in as they give great grip for the fingers in tight places. Once lined up, install all bolts and then get the last two at the top. The bolt at 11:30 is accessible from below but it’s a very tight fit. I was able to access the 12:30 bolt from the top of the engine by laying across the engine and reaching in. It sucked but it got the job done. If you put these slotted bolts in it pretty much means you can't install the top two bolts with long extensions from over the top of the transmission. Pick your poison.
• Reinstall the transmission on the jack. Get the spline in, get a bolt in on the side, then go up and down with the jack stand, and ease it in. It may be necessary to bench press it into place. Also, if the splines won’t line up, then stick the shaft on temporarily and rotate it slightly and try again (repeat as necessary)—the transmission has to be in gear for this to work. Put all bolts on, getting bell housing bolts to 41 lb/ft.
• Reinstall the starter.
• Reinstall the exhaust mount, the crossmember, and the drive shaft. A 19mm box wrench is invaluable in holding the bolts in place so they can be inserted from the inside of the frame and through the crossmember. If it’s a ratcheting wrench, ensure it’s set to tighten when you start bolting on the bolts from the outside.
• Pull transmission jack away.
• Remove fill bolt from transmission. Pour transmission fluid into opening in cab where shifter was. Watch for fluid dripping out of transmission from fill bolt. When it stops dripping, put plug back in.
• Grease up the end of the shaft that goes in the tranny with some bearing grease. Bolt the rear axle shaft back together. Put a small amount of thread locker on the four bolts.
• Replace the seal at the base of the check valve of the master cylinder with the new one that came with slave cylinder kit. Insert end of master cylinder hose into female piece on transmission until it clicks. Verify it’s in by pulling it in and out. Insert the clip.
• Replace the plastic retaining/release ring around the check valve of the master cylinder with the updated plastic ring that came with the slave cylinder kit.
• Crack the bleeder nipple on the slave cylinder (8mm). Bleed the slave until air stops coming out. Let run for a moment. Tighten up and put cap back on. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a firm clutch pedal. If not, proceed with bleeding according to instructions below.