Hey guys! I own a 99 Si and am going to be replacing the clutch soon and have a lot of questions. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

1. Does anyone have a how to on replacing the clutch. This is my first time replacing a clutch on a car so any links or tips would be great. I have seen a couple but none that were good.

2. I know I will need to replace the tranny fluid and am going to use GM Syncro Mesh Friction Modified or Honda MTF . Are these safe to run on a brand new clutch or do I have to break in the clutch then put this in? Also how many quarts does a s4c tranny take (99 si tranny)?

3. The shifter is a little notchy when shifting what else besides fluid can help. How are new shifter bushings? Will they help? How hard is the install? Do they squeek like crazy?

4. How do you check the level/condition of the MTF? Is there a dipstick like I have seen on some cars?

5. Also since I have a hydraulic transmission I was curious about the condition of the fluid for the clutch. It takes brake fluid correct? Also I checked what I think is the rezzy for the clutch and the fluid was a darkish yellow/brown (it was dirty) How can i go about flushing and refilling the fluid?

6. Regarding the flywheel, I have heard that instead of resurficing it, for the same price I can bring my old one to autozone and get a new one. Anyone have any experience with this? How is the quality? Is it OEM weight.

I have done numerous hours of searching and Thanks for the help!

 

A mechanic's manual is your best friend when doing work on your car.

See #1 as there are too many variables to just give you a "how to."

Some would say that both would be ok, But I have always had problem free operation with Honda MTF...can't beat oem...Live by that.

It sounds like its time for fluid refreshing. If you are interested in a more direct feel when shifting, I would suggest Shifter bushings from any number of Urethane component companies. Use some grease on the joints and you'll have no sound at all and it is very simple to install. Take caution when removing the bolt the holds the shift-stabilizer bar onto the tranny as fluid will drain from it. You'll see what I mean when your down there.

See #1 On most manual Trans cars there wont be a dipstick.

The hydraulic fluid that you'll use for the Clutch lines is in fact brake fluid. If you would like to refresh this fluid, simply bleed the line. There is a Slave cylinder on the front of the tranny the controls the clutch fork. This is where you'll bleed the line. Again, refer to your manual on proper techniques.

Since you are inside the tranny, I would replace the flywheel with a lighter-weight unit as you'll see greater performance in acceleration and deceleration. or you can have you flywheel shaved...If shaving is the route you take, only shave to 12 lbs.

Your welcome. And feel free to visit http://www.c-speedracing.com for more "how to's" and answers in the future.

 

Thank you for the reply. Yes I have the service manual but when I looked up the clutch removal it gives you the removal of the whole transmission and all parts relating to it and I was looking for the bare minimum to remove while doing a clutch lol. Also I looked in the manual about the method of checking the fluid and i see the drain bolt and the level check bolt. sorry about that one Regarding a lighter flywheel I have heard to stay with OEM weight for reliability reasons. I have heard that the lighter one is more stressful and will decrease engine life. Im not sure if this is truw or not. Also thanks for the link looks like a great site!

 

You'll have to remove everything the manual tells you to do...Don't cut any corners here. You just waste time and have to go back and do it anyway...Year of experience were spent on these manuals and they include things for a reason...