i'm needing to buy a new clutch real soon but i'm not sure what year my tranny is.. is taking off the tranny and counting the splines the only way i can tell? i know its an SI tranny but i'm not sure what year..

 

Counting the splines on the input shaft (where it engages the clutch disk) is the one sure way to tell if it's an '88 transmission or not. '88s have a 21-spline shaft, while '89-'91s got a 20-spline input shaft.

A good way to determine the year that's never failed me is to look at the END of the input shaft, where it goes into the pilot bearing in the flywheel. '88s have a smooth end, '89s have a single groove around the circumference of the shaft about 1/4" in from the end, and '90 & '91s have TWO grooves around the end.

I've been told that this is not a 100% foolproof way, and that there IS no absolute, guaranteed method of determining the exact year (late-production '88s might have gotten a few '89-spec transmissions, etc.), but it has worked well for me. I haven't gotten bitten yet using this method.

As a safeguard, though, once I put eyeballs on the end of the input shaft, I *will* go ahead and count the splines as well, just to make damn sure that I'm not trying to force an '88 input shaft into a '91 clutch disk!

Mike

 

thanks, but i need to know if theres anyway to tell what year it is with out taking the tranny out.. the car is my DD so i need to order the clutch now so i can have it dont on the weekend. thanks guys