Would you DIY Clutch ?

[vRSAnt]

Seems like a massive ball ache to me but there are videos for DIY it and I'm not new to spannering but is it taking on too much ? My gut is yes but......

I guess its just rationalising the very little value in the car now to be worth spending silly monies, probably a tops £1500 car and always thought worth more to me having been a 1 owner " I know where its been " car.

However I did recently spend probably min £600 if not more just keeping it on the road when its spilt its turbo guts - with the new Mellett pd150 turbo, new FMIC and hard pipes and had new front disks + pads too

 

Clutch hasn't gone but I'm thinking I'm pushing my luck having now owned up to 141K and may want to exploit what is effectively a PD150 turbo with a remap to take advantage up to 190hp odd or whatever ? Or just drive it til it bangs then worry about it
 

[sepulchrave]

I wouldn't without access to a lift.

[duck]

I have done vrs clutches a few times and they are pretty much the same as any other FWD car, the bits that make it a bit harder is the weight of the gearbox and lowering the front subframe for clearance, I use an engine hoist to support the gearbox as its to heavy to lift in and out by hand.

 

I would just wait until if slips, loads of people seem to run the standard clutch without issues, I have not been so lucky and on clutch number 4 and also had the slave cylinder fail three times.

 

 

[Breezy_Pete]

I did, but on a petrol not a vRS, which makes it a tad easier I think. Long thread about it on here somewhere. Took a looong time, but then I'm deathly slow.

[Tech1e]

It’s a heavy awkward gearbox.  

 

Just make sure you have all the right sockets (triple square, 36mm socket for hub nuts and pressure bleeder).

[vRSAnt]

Oooh well I have spline and torx bits, pretty sure I have 36mm socket and I have a vaccuum bleed kit, not amazing but I do have something I've used in the past.

Not slipping yet but did have thoughts of making the most of the Mellet 150 based which I'm sure is a bit more potent than original KKK

[SuperbTWM]

On 18/02/2019 at 21:16, sepulchrave said:

I wouldn't without access to a lift.

 

or a pit.

 

Certainly wouldn't attempt to do one on my back with the car on ramps although i'm sure it can be done

Edited 19 February, 2019 by SuperbTWM

[xman]

On 18/02/2019 at 20:04, vRSAnt said:

 Or just drive it til it bangs then worry about it

 

This, and it may never go bang.

[bigjohn]

15 minutes ago, vRSAnt said:

Not slipping yet but did have thoughts of making the most of the Mellet 150 based which I'm sure is a bit more potent than original KKK

 

If it ain't (yet) broke don't fix it.

 

[vRSAnt]

8 minutes ago, SuperbTWM said:

 

or a pit.

 

Certainly wouldn't attempt to do one on my back with the car on ramps although i'm sure it can be done

 

Strangely enough, I DO have quite a large garage and it does have a covered PIT The size that would actually make single garage owners quite jealous and I don't even have a single Vehicle in it despite owning 4

However its been filled in with earth and I need to do a job of sorting the frontage as it obviously rotted in the past and was replaced with lapshed/single door entrace. Would be cool to fix this though. And the roof is probably asbestos but I really don't give a ****

Edited 19 February, 2019 by vRSAnt

[vRSAnt]

I guess I could just see how it goes....just conscious of maybe wanting to do a few tracks or RWYB with it and thinking fail to prepare rather than prepare to fail

At least I know the turbo has been sorted now though....I'm not the least mechanically sympathetically so done well with clutch at 141K ( did I mention that )
So imagine its a bit beyond its original lifespan.....

[bigjohn]

45 minutes ago, vRSAnt said:

I guess I could just see how it goes....just conscious of maybe wanting to do a few tracks or RWYB with it and thinking fail to prepare rather than prepare to fail
 

 

It could fail with that power even on a new clutch!

[sepulchrave]

1 hour ago, vRSAnt said:

 

Strangely enough, I DO have quite a large garage and it does have a covered PIT The size that would actually make single garage owners quite jealous and I don't even have a single Vehicle in it despite owning 4

However its been filled in with earth and I need to do a job of sorting the frontage as it obviously rotted in the past and was replaced with lapshed/single door entrace. Would be cool to fix this though. And the roof is probably asbestos but I really don't give a ****

 

Don't eat the roofing or crush it up and inhale it and you'll be fine.

The best thing to do with cementitious asbestos sheet is LEAVE IT ALONE!

[vRSAnt]

42 minutes ago, bigjohn said:

 

It could fail with that power even on a new clutch!

That was part of the original idea, to consider uprating at the same time, Sachs etc.

[Tech1e]

12 hours ago, SuperbTWM said:

 

or a pit.

 

Certainly wouldn't attempt to do one on my back with the car on ramps although i'm sure it can be done

 

Done plenty on axle stands. 

 

Using the correct equipment it’s awkward but not dangerous. 

Edited 20 February, 2019 by Tech1e

[Shim]

Drive up onto the ramps. Crack off wheel nuts & Jack up each side & put axle stands under. Use wheels & some lumps of wood as a safety feature further back. Crack off the drive shaft bolts on the g-box flange end. Remove air filter, battery & gear linkage. Remove slave cylinder complete.

Now I have a 1" x 1" bar that sits on wooden wedges (wrapped in gaffer tape) in the gutter formed by the wings plus a wriggly roofing hook & a short piece of chain to support the engine. Easy to make from bits & pieces but important. This supports the engine when you have removed the NS support bracket. Crack off all the g-box bolts & lower the engine as far as you can & the g-box will come out. I support it on a trolley jack. Remove old clutch & hoover all the dust out from the flywheel. Fit new release bearing, new clutch & allign with a SP tool or similar.

Now comes the hard bit, poking the g-box back. I cheat & now have a chain-fall attached to a scaffold frame but I have done it with said trolley jack in the past on my MPI. Just takes more time fiddlin'.

Re-fit g-box linkage (when you have re assembled it & you'll have a slick shift & wonder why you didn't do this years ago!) Re-assemble the remaining bitz, paying attention to the tightening sequence of the drive shaft bolts & you've got your car going again for not a lot of £'s.

Can't remember if I took the first exhaust section off or not.....Sorry!

Shim

Edited 21 February, 2019 by Shim
Omission of info

[duck]

Shim, that does not sound like a VRS clutch change, although similar its not so easy as you make it sound, for example the gearbox does not 'just come out' as it hits the subframe, its also extremely heavy, the slave cylinder is in the bell housing (Concentric) and so you cannot take it off at the start.

 

[Shim]

No it isn't a VRS, just either a 1.4 MPi or 1.4 16V. Never had a problem with the subframe mind, if you can lower the NS of your engine on the aforementioned, the g-box drops out.....Supported by your trolley jack. Really, undoing the subframe isn't the end of the world though, just a few more undo's & it just hangs there. Care to re-align on the clean spots is important.

As to the slave, if it needs more spannering then so be it.....As long as you are confident to undertake the work then go-for-it......'tis only time.

 

Worst jobs so far on a Fabia are; Removing the whole dash as when a 'Climate-controlled-heater-fan' packs up as that's what you've got to do. There's no little green resistor to be replaced, pleasantly situated unter the passenger side air bag, NOT.

Replacing the EGR thingumybob. Fiddly & V time consuming.....G-box is only weight! So with care please.

 

Shim

 

[JWvrs25]

Me and a friend struggled like mad to get the box off mine with the subframe still in place. It came off in the end but wouldn't go back on without damaging something.

I found it very easy to remove the front subframe which enabled my gearbox to go back on, but I found you need a good beam to support the engine from the top, and a ratchet strap around it to lift the gearbox into position as its very heavy to do from underneath. (as has been said above)

If you can get help from someone it makes things much easier and is certainly do-able but will take most of the day going at a steady pace. 

also a pressure bleeder is needed to bleed the clutch at the end, which was very straightforward and mine bled up fine first time.

Some of the bolts should be replaced when you do the clutch change, the ones i did were the engine mount bolts for the dog bone and the gearbox side mount, the 12 driveshaft bolts, and I also changed the diff seals and gearbox input shaft seal which turned out to be what caused my clutch slip after it leaked oil all over the clutch. Some will say dont bother replacing bolts but I did not want to risk it after all the work.

 

[Tech1e]

2 hours ago, Shim said:

Worst jobs so far on a Fabia are; Removing the whole dash as when a 'Climate-controlled-heater-fan' packs up as that's what you've got to do. There's no little green resistor to be replaced, pleasantly situated under the passenger side air bag, NOT.

 

Shim

 

 

Assuming you are talking MK2 Fabia?

[Shim]

Yup, Mk2. Just soooo much work for such a little repair! I suppose I now know how a dash is fitted..........

 

Next thought process is a Mk1 TDi & do I repair or scrap, but that's another story....

 

Shim

[Shim]

I have a 40 year old 'fly-wheel tool' that is almost a necessity when doing anything on a clutch pressure plate/fly-wheel. Easily made, simple & very effective. Here's a couple of pictures of it.

 

Shim

 

 

[vRSAnt]

The clutch removal pic and descriptions are scary. I'm suitably warned off this, seeing as I was moaning and groaning just getting down to look at the gearbox shims. I'm going to just run with it and if I hit any more problems then I will consider a quality garage I know.

Age comes with its penalties.

[Shim]

Don't let age put you off, ever! Yes to a good garage if you're unsure, as a good garage will look after its clients.

 

Shim.

[TMB]

I've done dozens of clutches and never used a bent valve  What's it for?