Couple quick questions, after all the mounts are disconnected what is the best place to support the engine?? I see c-speedracing used a piece of wood underneath the header and oil pan, but I'm not super comfortable with that.


Also, if I purchase a brand new flywheel, does it need to be machined?, I figure it doesn't, but don't want to get underneath the car and be stuck.

Thanks

 

that is the best place to do it because you will have to let the jack down alittle and angle the trans and motor alittle to get it out and not hit the frame rail......the motor isnt heavy enough to cause damage to the pan or header dont worry

 

you don't need to resurface a brand new flywheel. I just clean it off with brake cleaner.

 

Hey thanks for the quick replies


Another quick question and I should be good to go. This will be my first clutch install, I'm following the helms and the team-integra/cspeed walkthroughs. My question is how the hell do you get the ball joints out and then back in when you're reinstalling everything??

I'm looking at the walkthroughs and the helms and I can't seem to grasp it????

 

there was video somewhere but i take a jack, and compress the suspension under the control arm with the ball joint nut off and take a 1/2 craftsman wrench and stick it between the control and hub next to the ball joint..... then let down the jack and kinda stomp on the rotor and bam the ball joint is apart and the boot is fine.....

or you can buy a tool where it doesnt damage the boot like a traditional ball joint spreader


edit: found the video for you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISY8bGof3bQ

 

crescent wrench in between the hub and control arm FTW. jack the suspension up as high as it will go without lifting the car off the jack stands, place a big crescent wrench in there so its snug, lower the jack quickly and the joint should pop right out. I wish I knew this YEARS ago when I was a n00b. putting it back together is just as simple as sitting the joint back in the hole and tightening the nut. if the nut spins the ball joint while tightening, just jack up the arm some to put pressure on the joint and it shouldnt spin. install pin.

use a clutch alignment tool if you have one, itll make getting the trans back on easier. be sure to torque the flywheel and clutch bolts to spec. stick a screw driver through a hole in the flywheel to hold it in place (careful not to damage the threads in the hole), and for the clutch just lodge a screwdriver in the teeth of the flywheel to hold it while torquing the clutch bolts (again careful not to damage the teeth).

<<<always takes off both axles and half shaft to drop the trans or else getting the half shaft outta the trans can be a bish.

 

I usually use the jack method or just put a ratchet in there and hit it with a hammer... I dont support the engine with anything.....

 

Jack method works best! Haha Make sure you clean off the surfance areas like others mentioned!

 

Hey thanks for all the replies guys you've been very informative, I've got a good understanding now of how to remove the lower balljoint


Last question (I hope), removing the driveshafts from both the driver and passenger side is neccesary, I have a decent understanding of how to go about doing this, but I've tracked down this great walkthrough and the pics are gone!? Any idea on where I can find this with pics? https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=382416&page=1

Also some of you are stating I must remove the drive and half shaft from both the driver and passenger side. Although on some of the walkthroughs I see, especially the most detailed on on team-integra.net, I see part of the drive shaft hanging, am I viewing the pictures wrong or do you NOT have to remove both sides.

This is the only part of this process that slightly confuses me, everything else is beyond straightforward. If anyone can provide those pics or give a 10 second, "removing axles from driver and passenger side for dummies" tutorial I'll probably save $1,000 doing it myself

Thanks for all the help thus far

 

i would remove both axles if i were you i always do it this way and especially if your by your self. You can get away with leaving both axles in or just the driver's side but then lining it up when lining up the trans to slide it back in is a pita.

Just take off the axle nut at the hub before you remove the lower ball joint, and then once the ball joint is popped out pull the hub out while tapping the axle in the little center hole with a punch...DO NOT smack the end with a hammer, after you have removed the axle from the hub go underneath and take a pretty large screw driver and gently pry between the casing and the axle, try not to stick in too far or you may damage the axle seal. drivers side is the same but you just gotta pop it off the half shaft then remove the 3 bolts for the half shaft and pull it out of the trans.

If you dont have a big impact gun like i said before leave the ball joint alone so you can use a prey bar or something with leverage to break the axle nut loose because most of the time they are on there good. Ill see if i can find any pics for you too,

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ITR.#1446 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i would remove both axles if i were you i always do it this way and especially if your by your self. You can get away with leaving both axles in or just the driver's side but then lining it up when lining up the trans to slide it back in is a pita.

Just take off the axle nut at the hub before you remove the lower ball joint, and then once the ball joint is popped out pull the hub out while tapping the axle in the little center hole with a punch...DO NOT smack the end with a hammer, after you have removed the axle from the hub go underneath and take a pretty large screw driver and gently pry between the casing and the axle, try not to stick in too far or you may damage the axle seal. drivers side is the same but you just gotta pop it off the half shaft then remove the 3 bolts for the half shaft and pull it out of the trans.

If you dont have a big impact gun like i said before leave the ball joint alone so you can use a prey bar or something with leverage to break the axle nut loose because most of the time they are on there good. Ill see if i can find any pics for you too,</TD></TR></TABLE>


Thx for the quick reply

So tapping the axle in the center hole w/ a punch will give you the force needed to pop it out of the hub?? I always thought that took a ton of force?

Also, since you sound like you def. know what you're doing, my stock flywheel has 130k on it, you think it's time for a new one, or just a resurface?

 

yeah i have done lots of transmissions before......yeah tap the center of the axle with a punch and hammer it will be enough force most of the time and always resurface a flywheel when putting new clutch in so it has a nice fresh flat surface....if you have the cash i would opt for a lightweight flywheel to go with the clutch it will make a nice combination

 

Do you suggest a lightweight flywheel w/ the stock clutch?

 

I just leave the axles in the wheel hubs and hang them out of the way after I remove them from the tranny. Saves time that way.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RGoose18 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Do you suggest a lightweight flywheel w/ the stock clutch? </TD></TR></TABLE>

If you want to rock a lightened flywheel with a stock clutch, I don't see a problem with that at all.

 

loc tite the flywheel bolts please. i have seen them backed out even torqued to spec

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Eva01 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I just leave the axles in the wheel hubs and hang them out of the way after I remove them from the tranny. Saves time that way.

If you want to rock a lightened flywheel with a stock clutch, I don't see a problem with that at all. </TD></TR></TABLE>

leaving them in the hubs is far easier than removing the axles all together. Once you get the drivers side axle out of the trans, a long screwdriver and a hammer can be used to pop the pass side off through the diff.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SYTFU Tommy. &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">loc tite the flywheel bolts please. i have seen them backed out even torqued to spec</TD></TR></TABLE>

I would rather see you get the ARP clutch and FW bolts and some ARP moly lube and torque them to ARP spec...not use loc tite....

Lightweight flywheel is fine with stock clutch.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RGoose18 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Couple quick questions, after all the mounts are disconnected what is the best place to support the engine?? I see c-speedracing used a piece of wood underneath the header and oil pan, but I'm not super comfortable with that.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

that is definitely the best place and method (wood + jack), imo. done this probably 6-7 times on a few cars and we never had any issues, and there just isn't really anywhere else to support the engine.

 

I used an engine support bar this last time. It only cost me about $100 or so. I used it so that the jack wouldn't be competing for floor space with me or the floor jack.

 

Small roadblock.......................


Is a ring gear holder really neccessary?

I've heard of the screwdriver trick, but not sure where to place the screwdriver.

I figure just in one of the eight small holes towards the center of the flywheel......is that safe??

 

i use a crank pulley tool from snap on when i do it, my first time around i did wedge a screw driver in there and also had a 19mm on the crank pulley bolt to hold it

this is the tool i couldnt find it on snap on
http://www.denlorstools.com/ho....html

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ITR.#1446 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i use a crank pulley tool from snap on when i do it, my first time around i did wedge a screw driver in there and also had a 19mm on the crank pulley bolt to hold it

this is the tool i couldnt find it on snap on
http://www.denlorstools.com/ho....html</TD></TR></TABLE>

Nice!, I'll have to order that, and that site is pretty cheap

I'm about halfway through right now, but wanted to post my fear of a possible f%ck up. When removing the spindle nut in the center of the hub, I didn't hammer up enough of the part that's bent down. When I turned the 32mm nut w/ a breaker bar, that actual axle spun about a 1/2 turn and then started to a make a weird "creaking" noise. Any input is appreciated

 

ALSO

The idiot who last owned the car, hammered down the divot in the spindle nut so far that I actually had to cut the nut and chisel it away piece by piece. I may have screwed up the threading a bit on the end of the axle, can I use this http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/KAS-2599.html to rethread the end of the axle???

I really hope so because acura charges $300 for a new axle and I'm already about broke w/ all the parts I've purchased

Thanks to everyone contributing to this thread. Hopefully it'll help someone else too in the future

 

i have had messed up ones that i thought i couldnt get the nut back on but i did yeah re thread it with try to clean up the threads with a file

 

Update:

Ran into my first major problem

When undoing the top bolt on the damper fork (the park that holds the lower portion of the shock) the bolt head just snapped right off in my wrench!!!

Now I have a bolt w/ no head lodged in the upper fork. It's the 14mm bolt up top


How do I go forward w/ the clutch install from here, can I do it w/ this bolt still in, or do I have to cut the bolt and probably replace the damper fork. ANY suggestions are appreciated