HGZ

Hey guys, okay quick rundown of what I'm doing. So today I took out my engine for the first time because a few months ago I spun a rod bearing and I know I've messed up the crankshaft pretty bad so I'm attempting to replace it and rebuild the bottom end.

I've replaced my head gasket before so I have *some* experience with working on my car, but this is the first time I've taken the engine/tranny out completely.

Anyhow, I was trying to follow the "how to replace your clutch" article at team-integra so I can properly separate the tranny, remove the clutch and remove the flywheel. I was trying to keep everything TDC so I could re-install everything back at TDC.

I did see the part in the article where it said I should remove the flywheel bolts in a criss-cross pattern, but I missed the part where I should have removed the pressure plate bolts in a criss-cross pattern as well. I kind of did a clockwise removal pattern for the pressure plate bolts.

So my first main question is: Is my pressure plate no longer good? The article mentioned I could possibly warp the pressure plate by not removing the bolts in a criss-cross, but didn't sound like it was extremely likely. Just wondering if anyone has maybe removed their pressure plate the same way I did, but re-installed in a criss-cross pattern and everything was just fine.


My second concern is, after I removed the flywheel bolts, I still couldn't take the flywheel off. I spent 30 minutes trying to research it online so I wouldn't yank it off incorrectly, but nothing came up so I figured maybe it just needs a gentle nudge/pry with a small pry bar. Luckily i didn't have to use much force with the pry bar, but when it came off I realized I wasn't paying attention to where to top was and now if I re-install it, it won't be in it's original position. I tried to mark the top with a sharpie but had no idea I was marking the flywheel bearing which I later realized turned freely And unfortunately there isn't any kind of dowel pin for me to know which way it should go back on. I saw a vid on YouTube of some guy changing his Accord flywheel and they apparently have some kind of dowel pin.

So I'm reaching out to my backyard mechanic buddies on H-T to ask if I should be okay just installing the flywheel back on later even if I don't know which bolt holes it was previously matched up to.

Am I looking at serious problems in the near future? Is there a good chance everything will be fine? Could there be markings stamped somewhere on the OEM flywheel so I know where the top is? Any tips, tricks or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!!

B serious

iTrader: (1)

You don't need to know where the top is. I've never heard of removing a flywheel at TDC to keep it at TDC.

There isnt a dowel pin. But there's a little dot mark or something on the flywheel and crank surface. Line those two up if you want it back in the same spot.

Your pressure plate is likely fine too. But....you may wnt to consider replacing the clutch and bearings while you're in there. Clean and regrease all the parts that need it, using Honda high temp urea grease. Resurface the flywheel if you buy a new clutch.

fcm

Ditto the above^^^, your already in there, replace everything, at the very least have the FW resurfaced. 94

HGZ

Cool, thanks for the info fellas!!

Approximately much would an honest, reputable shop charge me to get the flywheel resurfaced?

Figured I'd ask just incase I call around and get some ridiculous prices. I'm on a super budget right now

B serious

iTrader: (1)

Most shops should be at like $40-60 to resurface a flywheel

HGZ

thanks, B!!

B serious

iTrader: (1)

No problem! Good luck

tony_2018

He's probably mixing information from a prelude motor.

B serious

iTrader: (1)

That's possible.

HGZ

Okay so today I'll be calling around to get prices on flywheel resurfacing.

However as I mentioned, I'm on a super tight budget. I'm trying to save for a trip to Japan coming up in 4 weeks so I'm trying not to spend *any* money unless I absolutely need to!

I'm attaching some pics of how my flywheel and clutch disc currently look. Do they look bad? If I can run it like this then I will. The flywheel bearing also spins smoothly with no noise. If I can get at least another 6 months to a year before having to replace the clutch, that's fine with me. I hardly drive my car anyway since I work from home and the clutch engaged with no problems before I tore it all apart.

Also, about that Honda Urea grease. This stuff is ridiculously expensive I'm finding out. I'll only need a little bit of grease, not a tub that will last me a lifetime... Do I really need the Urea grease? Or would any typical hi-temp grease from Autozone work just as good?


Thanks for all your guys' help!!!

tamboo

pm your shipping info and i'll send you a bit of the grease, a little dab will do you.

chewtoy9695

The flywheel and pressure plate should be perfectly fine and there is no up on a flywheel

HGZ

Thanks for the responses! I was just afraid of putting things out of balance by not re-installing the flywheel in it's original position.

tamboo, I really appreciate your kind gesture and I'm sure I can trust you, I'm just a little weird about sharing personal info unless I truly know you. It's not you, it's me.

My main concern now is if the flywheel seriously needs a re-surfacing, or if I can run it in it's current condition pictured above for another year or so...

Are you referring to the condition of my flywheel's surface or are you only talking about the position I re-install it in?

Schister66

Flywheel looks ok - there are no massively discolored spots. I would recommend getting it resurfaced, but doesn't look like its absolutely required IMO. If you're on a tight budget and don't mind doing the work twice, I say run it and see what happens

As for the torque sequence on the PP, I wouldn't worry about that either. Try to torque it back down the correct way though.

Also, as everyone has said, there is no TDC for the flywheel - just make sure the bolts line up and are torqued down properly

HGZ

Cool, thanks for your reply!!!