Clutch Install.

[LThurman]

Well A buddy of mine has ordered a new clutch and we are going to do it ourselves. Pulled auto trannies out of trucks before but never a manual. I assume the clutch manufacture is sending instructions as I guess hayes and chilton don't have manuals for our trucks yet. Also called a dealer about a service manual and they told me they can't be sold to customers. It was only 1 dealer I haven't had time to call others yet. Any advise from you experts who have done this b4. Maybe some pic of the tear down and resinstall. If anyone has a diagram from a service manual that shows me the parts and how they go together that would be appreciated, pm me is you do. I think if i see it all in a diagram we should be able to figure it out.



Thanx in advance for the help.

 

[Casey Balvert]

Your dealer won't sell it to you but you can certainly order one. Look in the back of your owner's manual and there should be a page for ordering a Service Manual. If I can recall correctly the biggest pain was lining up the splines in the clutch plate so they are centered with the pilot bearing. Others can probably give you more info than I can.



Casey

 

[rbattelle]

I have only ever installed 1 manual transmission - in a 1974 Fiat 124. Your new clutch will come with a clutch alignment tool that you stick into the clutch disc before tightening it down. This ensures proper alignment of the disc with the pilot bearing hole.



If this is an NV5600 install, beware that transmission is HEAVY (around 400 lb). But pulling it should be quite straightforward. Just remove everything that's in the way: exhaust, transfer case, driveshaft(s), slave cylinder, all wiring (there's not much), transmission crossmember.



A service manual can be had at www.techauthority.com .



Take some pics, if you can!

 

[Winston Wolf]

Unless the flywheel looks extremely pristine -- no signs at all of discoloration, grooves, hot spots, etc. -- take it off and have it machined (resurfaced). I failed to do this once in a clutch R&R and the new cluch had a shudder at takeoff. And don't toouch the newly machined surface -- same precautions as handling a freshly turned brake rotor.



You may want to replace the pilot bearing/bushing at the same time. There's an old trick to remove them (they're friction fit in the end of the crankshaft). Pack the hole with grease. Get a dowel or metal pin with an O. D. just under the I. D. of the bearing. The pressure from tapping on the dowel will push the bearing back out towards you. I was skeptical of this technique, but the one time I tried it it worked like a charm.

 

[jelag]

Several thoughts... .



1 - inspect the flywheel and have it GROUND not machined... . a machine tool will bounce over the hard spots the grinding process will remove them... the object is to make the flywheel flat... .



2 - some slave cylinders have a small set screw on them... that's NOT for bleeding but holding internal parts together... Don't remove it... to bleed the slave..... slowly push the plunger back into slave and watch for bubbles in the master... .



3 - we often suggest that the customer have a real pilot bearing installed in place of the needle bearing supplied... We turn the flywheel in a lathe and install a sealed pilot bearing that's filled with synthetic grease to last the life of the clutch... Never reuse the existing bearing. . to do so can and will cause failure and it will damage the disc and the front bearing in the transmission... .



4 - Before you bolt the assembly up to the flywheel check to make sure the disc fits the input shaft correctly and the alignment tool fits into the pilot bearing correctly... . we supply customers with a pilot tool to align the disc, to the cover and pilot at the time their bolted together... .



5 - the transmisson needs to slide into the clutch assembly..... if it won't take the time to check your alignment and correct that... ...



Hope this has helped...



Jim

 

[Winston Wolf]

Jim would know much better than I. I'd follow his advice on grinding vs. machining.



And those needle bearings can be delicate. I saw one once that had been smashed a bit in the trial and error of re-assembly. Apparently the alignment was a bit off and somebody tried to force it. The bearing got smashed a little out of round and at that point there was no choice but to remove it and try again. Ended up having to drill it out. Not pretty!



I like the sealed bearing idea.

 

[LThurman]

It is a NV5600. The cluth is SBC will it come with an alignment tool or do we pick that up. Also when can you get a sealed pilot bearing. Do most auto parts stores carries these. Also what does it take to remove it. I sort of understand Winston Wolf's idea but don't fully grasp it. Sorry my brain works visually. Also will it take specializes machine shop to grind it or will most part stores have that ability I will try to take many picture and post them here to help the next guy so to speak. Thanx for all the useful info.

 

[JHardwick]

Several thoughts... .



1 - inspect the flywheel and have it GROUND not machined... . a machine tool will bounce over the hard spots the grinding process will remove them... the object is to make the flywheel flat... .





Jim

I tried this once ... ... ... once. I was young and muddin hard, runnin pipelines, power lines or just plain blazin ... ... ... . burned a clutch. No biggy, I'm a machinist ... ... ..... right :-laf



Anyway, to make a long story short, I did get a flat flywheel on a lathe ... ..... but it took 1/8" to do it



By the time I got through the hard spots and had a flat flywheel, the center springs in the disc rubbed the bolt heads on the crank. :{



Well, it wasn't too long before the rubbing noise stopped and the 460 did rev harder, so I was down with it, lol. It lasted a long time that way to be honest, and I save $20 :-laf Oo.



Man, what I wouldn't give to go back to those carefree days makin $10/hr and nothing but a truck to worry about

 

[rlittle]

Be careful about having the flywheel ground... Dodge did a nasty starting with the 03. They put a 2 degree slope on the flywheel rather than just grind it flat as in other years. Suspose to cut complaints about chatter.

I had a new clutch installed due to to a broken spring and the dealer had a problem finding anyone that would regrind the flywheel so he had to put a new one in. The cost of a new flywheel at the dealer is $1000. I was lucky the dealer ate the cost of the job because his mechanics had missed the problem when I complained before the warrentee on the clutch was up at 15K miles.

Rollie

 

[ttreibel]

The 5600 is heavy get a good jack and tranni stand have some help. Byron did his said that you could get an air tool on all the bolts he was very happy about that.



Get a manual off ebay they come on CD real cheap I've also seen them given away at BOMB parties they are all PDF files and you can jump around real fast with a newer computer. If you want a paper version it will cost you some serious dough but after looking at the manual it is more of a rough guide at best... ... .

thats my 2¢