Knucklehead97 Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Now, I know I've been starting new threads a lot lately. Apologies for that. But theres just always questions I want answers for that the already made threads don't answer for me. I was going to pay a shop to change the clutch for me, but I decided against it when I saw the price. That 3-600$ can be put towards better things if I just man up and tackle it myself one day. Now my questions are... Can I do it? I'm going to try and find a place with concrete to do it but I might be stuck in a gravel or dirt driveway. How hard will it be to do it like that? What all do I need to buy? So that this will be a weekend swap hopefully without having to go to the parts store. Now, I don't have a tranny jack. I know that its recommended you have one... but I don't. I was going to seperate the tcase and tranny from each other to save weight, but is there a seal between the two? How do I take out the shift linkage? And I know the flywheel cannot be resurfaced, so what do I do about it? Buy a new one? And I think the last question is, whats a good write up for this proccess? I appreciate all replies in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87MJTIM Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I swapped a trans in a CJ7 last fall. I had never done anything like it before. I read up a lot on what to do and searched Youtube for other videos. (There is one on YT where a guy changes the clutch on a YJ. It runs approx. 1.5 hrs. A good watch.) I first rented a trans jack for $20 a day. I kept if for 2 days - $40. Others have used regular floor jacks with cradles to hold the trans/tcase. Harbor freight sells one for under $100. I have since bought this. (I had to drop the CJ trans again and plan on changing out the BA10 on the MJ soon.) Since you have not done something like this before, plan on multiple days to complete. Find level ground. Preferably on a hard surface Raise the truck both front and rear on jack stands. This will give you more room to work under. Disconnect the negative battery cable. Remove the starter motor. 2 bolts and one wire. Disconnect both front and rear drive shafts from tcase. Disconnect the hydraulic line from the slave cylinder at the bell housing. Have a container to collect the fluid. Disconnect the backup light wire from trans. Disconnect the vent hose, speedo vacuum lines from the tcase. From inside the cab, remove the trans shifter. It may require removing the center console and other parts. The tcase shift linkage will just pop off with a screw drive or pry bar. Now the serious fun begins: Place a jack stand or jack under the oil pan. Use a block of wood so as not to damage the pan. It will help to have a second support under the bell housing of the trans. When you remove the trans support bracket, all the weight of the eng/trans/tcase is on the oil pan. Remove the trans support bracket. Place the trans jack under the trans/tcase. Most of the weight is toward the tcase, so place it toward the rear to center the weight. There are four bolts that hold the bell housing to the motor. The top two are reverse torx head, so have the proper sockets. You can search on here for the size. (When you have those out, take them to a hardware store and find hex head in the same size. Throw the old ones away!) You will need a long extension for your ratchet, or long, skinny arms to get the top bolts out. The lower two bolts are easy to get at from under the truck. There other bolts that connect the bell housing to the dust shield. These are easy to remove. DON'T FORGET TO DISCONNECT THE CPS. It is probably easier to unplug the wire in the engine bay and leave it attached to the bell housing. A tip I found was to let the trans jack down some while letting the motor tilt. This will give you more room to reach the top bolts. Don't let it tilt too far or the fan blades will hit the radiator. (If I missed a step please correct/fill in.) Now slide the trans/tcase back. The pressure plate is staring you in the face. When you reinstall, be sure to use the clutch alignment toll. If the clutch disk is not properly aligned, the trans will not go in properly. You will need to loosen the pressure again....and again...and again. Ask me how I know. Don't let it intimidate you. It is just a bunch of bolts and wires. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadinator Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Easy to do but time consuming. I recommend a buddy to help. I resurfaced my flywheel and have had 0 issues. Look at my build thread. I converted from auto to manual. You can do it but it is time consuming. Something will always be stuck or break. Remember these trucks are old. Prepare to make up words(think yosemite sam) to call your truck while in process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 If the crossmember has never been dropped, plan to snap some, if not all, of the bolts that go into the uniframe. Have drill, bits, tap, bolts and anti-seize on hand if the truck is your only transportation. Don't forget the E12 socket for the two upper bell housing bolts. If you cannot secure a driveway or garage, buy a 4x8 sheet of plywood to put under the truck. Not only will it prevent the loss of parts in the gravel pit of doom, but will provide a smooth surface for the trans jack to roll on. Use a ratchet strap (tie down) to secure the transmission/tcase to the trans jack instead of the chain. It will provide more control and is easier to remove when done. Leave the tcase attached. The linkage can easily be disconnected once you crawl under the truck to see how it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siopposition Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Will be doing this soon. Lemme grab some popcorn and a chair. Will be following. I've pulled Tran/t-case before. But never replaced a clutch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjrev10 Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Pretty straight forward. I always remove the t case first. Then the e12 torx bolts on the very top. Replace those with real bolt when you put it back together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I remember back changing out the clutch in one of my old MJs using a floor jack with a homemade cradle on it. If you get the truck high enough on jack stands, align the jack in such a way that you can just work in a straight line with it. Pull the trans back, lower it, and then pull it back towards the rear axle to give enough room to take care of the clutch. I don't really see the need to separate the transfer case from the trans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87MJTIM Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 The 6 nuts that hold the tcase to the trans are a PITA to get to. I have dropped the two together. Since the OP is just changing the clutch, he can just slide the two back out of the way. No need to remove them from under the truck. That way he can just slide them back together. However, separating the two makes them lighter to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87MJTIM Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 You tube link Correction: It is a 2000 TJ. It is almost 2 hrs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjrev10 Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I remove the t case because I have found it easier to bench press the trans back into the jeep then to deal with a jack. Also, jacking up the rear higher then the front makes transmission install easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88whitemanche Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 If you don't have the funds to rent or buy a transmission jack...and all you have is a floor jack....I used a ratchet strap and a 2x4 to bring the trans up... I was struggling just to lay the transmission on the floor jack and this helped tremendously...just do it a few inches at a time This pic is with the transmission up and mounted but it's pretty straight forward Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knucklehead97 Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 If you don't have the funds to rent or buy a transmission jack...and all you have is a floor jack....I used a ratchet strap and a 2x4 to bring the trans up... I was struggling just to lay the transmission on the floor jack and this helped tremendously...just do it a few inches at a time This pic is with the transmission up and mounted but it's pretty straight forward the photo's didn't appear? But I appreciate all the replies! I'm going to search and see if a buddy has a transmission jack. How much is a resurfacing and how can I tell if I need one? I watched a 30 minute YJ clutch change video and he didn't have to take his out at all. And the most important question... whats the best clutch to get? I've been looking at the Luk pro Gold performance clutch. It"s supposedly heavy duty but I keep hearing that I shouldn't get a heavy duty clutch for a daily driver. Opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knucklehead97 Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 If you don't have the funds to rent or buy a transmission jack...and all you have is a floor jack....I used a ratchet strap and a 2x4 to bring the trans up... I was struggling just to lay the transmission on the floor jack and this helped tremendously...just do it a few inches at a time This pic is with the transmission up and mounted but it's pretty straight forward the photo's didn't appear? But I appreciate all the replies! I'm going to search and see if a buddy has a transmission jack. How much is a resurfacing and how can I tell if I need one? I watched a 30 minute YJ clutch change video and he didn't have to take his out at all. And the most important question... whats the best clutch to get? I've been looking at the Luk pro Gold performance clutch. It"s supposedly heavy duty but I keep hearing that I shouldn't get a heavy duty clutch for a daily driver. Opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knucklehead97 Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 Forget I said the pictures didnt appear, they appeared in my quote and thats good enough! Very creative though :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knucklehead97 Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share Posted June 16, 2015 the top one for like 98$ is the one I'm thinking of getting. Because its the only Luk one for the BA10/5 and I read up on the progold one and its not the best for daily driving. Everyone said they're great for towing Jeeps but otherwise no better than the normal Luk. What do ya'll think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87MJTIM Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I've not heard of anyone having bad luck with Luk. :laughin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knucklehead97 Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share Posted June 16, 2015 Thats what I heard! It just seems TO cheap to me, though lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megadan Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 LUK is a decent quality clutch. I used a sachs in mine.As for the 2x4 and strap idea, if you have an engine crane and straps you can also do something similar. I Used my hoist through the interior to lift the straps on the trans up into place. It will be a lot easier to balance the trans without the T-case bolted to it, but I installed my trans, T-case, and Crossmember as one unit with help from a buddy on the hoist and a floor jack and wood under my pan to change the angle of the engine. This was in the middle of winter when it was hovering in the single digits, and it took us about 4 hours total. Those two top bolts were honestly the worst part. The trans crossmember bolts in the frame are the biggest unknown, but the stud and nut and two inboard of the frame you can hit with some PB or liquid wrench and soak them a few times before you try to remove them. Mine all came out without a problem after doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knucklehead97 Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share Posted June 16, 2015 Thinking about going ahead and buying a Luk flywheel just in case mine is shot and going ahead and swapping it in. How hard is it to change the flywheel? Any tips behind it? I've researched and heard that Sachs and Luk are the two best brands to replace our clutches with. I've decided Luk because I have a Luk clutch MC and I like having matching brands lol. Found the clutch and flywheel on Partsgeek for 170$ shipped to my door. Hoping that the flywheel isn't rough to swap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megadan Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Flywheel isn't difficult aside from the fact that it weighs a bunch and the holes line up in a specific way (for correct CPS reading). Keeping the crank from turning while you try to break loose and tighten the bolts, but there are a few tips and tricks out there for that if you search. I would recommend getting new flywheel bolts if you have it in the budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knucklehead97 Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share Posted June 16, 2015 Where do I get flywheel bolts and how much do they cost? I'm thinking about buying a new CPS and doing the CPS advancement since I'll have the transmission out and it will be easy to remove. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megadan Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 You can always go for ARP, part number 146-2801. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knucklehead97 Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share Posted June 16, 2015 Son of a gun freaking $30 for bolts? Wow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megadan Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Yea, ARP's aren't cheap, but well worth the money. You can always search for other sources, just be aware that flywheel and flexplate bolts are different lengths on these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knucklehead97 Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share Posted June 16, 2015 http://m.advanceautoparts.com/mt/shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/dorman-help-flywheel-bolts-7-16-20-x-.900-in.-22.86mm-14052/22142711-P?searchTerm=flywheel+bolt I read somewhere that these worked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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