Can Some one please explain (briefly or in detail) how to change the clutch plate myself. Im trying to save money so i want to change it myself but my main concern is if i have to pull out the transmission, and if i do, can i do it myself without damaging anything on my car and on myself. Also are there any special tools i might need to do the job. i just joined this forum and I hope to hear some good results. thank you.

 

Forst of all the answer your questions, yes you need to take the tranny off to get to the pressure plate. Second if you have the proper tools, like a jack, compressor, impact tools and a chain block or hoist to be able the pull the tranny out of the way. It's really not that hard once you do it the first time you will see how eveything goes and then if ever you have to do it again it's nothing. Your pressure plate is screwed onto the flywheel with 12 point bolts i don't remember how many. Your remove these to get the pressure plate off. Watch out for the clutch disc though as it just sits inside of this and will fall out after you take off the pressure plate. Then you change your parts for new ones. Probably have to change the clutch disc as well, since your this far it's worth the extra couple of bucks. (80$ for an exedy clutch kit with the shipping included.) Use the alignment tool to set the new clutch centered with the pressure plate and hold it also holds everything in place while you retighten the 12 point bolts. Take out the alignment tool and reinstall your tranny and the all the hoses and sensors etc. Then you will want to bleed the clutch if it's hydraulic. (just like the brakes). Get all the air out and then your all set. Hope this helps

 

http://www.c-speedracing.com/h...h.php
Hate to reference another site, but this should help

 

that's a decent explaination. The only special tool needed in this case is the spline alignment tool, with should come with the clutch kit.

 

also the 12 point sockets for the clutch pressure plate and flywheel... standard 6point sockets will not work.
swaping the clutch out isnt really difficult just takes time to pull the axles mostly IMO.
also ensure you put the tranny back together straight with the motor first otherwise youll mess up those guide sleeves and the tranny will not bolt up straight and will be NO GOOD!
they bent very easily! i learned that the hard way.

 

There's a very detailed explaination of how to install a clutch on both a D and B series engine in the most recent Project Car Magazine. Quite useful, but its pretty simple thing to do by yourself. No specialty tools needed.

 

i can see that you do not have experience on clutches.. so i will just recommend you to let a mechanic.. dude what's 80 to 100 bucks for that.. you can even get it replace cheaper..

 

really? its that cheap to have a mechanic do it? ive asked around shops and they all gave me prices ranging in the hundreds. if i could find a place to do it for less than a bill ill do that for sure. know of any in the san francisco bay area? lolz

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sorullo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i can see that you do not have experience on clutches.. so i will just recommend you to let a mechanic.. dude what's 80 to 100 bucks for that.. you can even get it replace cheaper.. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Where are you getting your clutches changed? clutches themselves are quite cheap, labour is not, its usually a lot more than the cost of parts. Changing a clutch isn't hard anyway. Only other thing i'd like to add is get the flywheel resurfaced at a machine shop.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Timberland237 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Then you will want to bleed the clutch if it's hydraulic. (just like the brakes). Get all the air out and then your all set. Hope this helps</TD></TR></TABLE>

Or, just unbolt the slave cylinder from the tranny and leave the lines sealed.

 

would the clutch be hard to change if i dont have a transmision jack? and if i do need one, does ne1 rent them out? how heavy are transmissions neways? i read the OEM service manual but it says to use some kind of a hoist attached to the cylinder head and then lift the engine or sumthing. i definitely dont have the equipment to do all that. Any suggestion?

 

man go to a mechanic, you dont want to mess your car up. you dont have friends that work on hondas

 

Reality check. This is not an easy job. I have done it a few times and have all the tools needed. No way I'd do it for somebody for $100.00, I charged that, back in the late 70's and that was on a V8.

If you mechanically inclined and want to invest $4-500.00 in the tools and have lots of time, yea DIY. If not pay the tranny shop the $600 + to do the job.

This is not an easy job for the first timer.

http://hondatech.info/downloads/Auto/Manuals/

Down load the manual and read...

 

putting a clutch in a civic really isn't that hard, but then again i'm pretty mechanically minded and i have a garage full of good tools. Essentially remove the axles, unbolt the transmission from the engine. unbolt slave cylinder from transmission and tie it up out of the way, do not disconnect the hydraulic line. Drop the tranny down below the vehicle, D-series trannys don't weigh much, i can grab them where the starter goes through the bell housing and lift them, not overly high, but i can lift one with one hand and i'm not a strong guy. unbolt old pressure plate from flywheel, your old clutch disc will basically just fall right out at this point. Change your pilot bearing, throwout bearing, put on new clutch disc and pressure plate, use the centering tool that came with the new clutch. Reinstall transmission, bolt slave cylinder back to transmission, reinstall axles. I probably missed something in there but none of it is particularly hard, its mostly just time consuming. Don't consider this a how-to on how to change a clutch, get a haynes manual, this is just kind of you give you an idea as to whats involved.

 

Would a Haynes or Chiltons be better than the OEM service manual? I have the OEM service manual but i am wondering if maybe the HAynes or Chiltons has more detailed information.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Nemesis415 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Would a Haynes or Chiltons be better than the OEM service manual? I have the OEM service manual but i am wondering if maybe the HAynes or Chiltons has more detailed information.</TD></TR></TABLE>

OEM is the best the reason i suggested haynes or chilton is because they're so cheap theres not really any excuse not to have one, OEM manuals are expensive, unless you download them off the internet. The OEM manual has a ton of stuff not in the haynes/chilton manuals.

 

Do a search here, http://www.turbod16.com and http://www.d-series.org

There are threads about doing this with hints to make it easier.

For a first timer with out help from some one whoes done it. It can be a PITA.