On the weekend I helped Dan (or he helped me) change the clutch in his car... here are ten things I learned

1) position the car so that you have room on the transmission side

2) Remove the axles completely form the car they will get in the way

3) If the bolts on the down pipe won't come off remove the header nuts they are easier

4) becareful to disconnect the secondary O2 before trying to lower the exhuast

5) get the car up as highas possible

6) to avoid removing the pin from the shift linkage ... remove the shift linkage from the shifter

7) after 48 hours and tons of grease remover if the marks are still on your hands they ain't coming off

8) when a ball joint spins while turning the castle nut get an impact gun it'll make it go faster

9) remove all transmission bolts before trying to wiggle the transmission off... forgetting a bolt will mean it doesn't budge

10) air chisel + transmission Dowel pin + Jason = broken housing for the pin on the engine side.... a bad combination (Dan might post pics later)

anyways all in all this is the third and final tranny swap I plan on doing ... lifting transmissions ain't fun Dan was great to work with.

 

Clutch aint something thats very fun to do lol

To add to your list

Use loctite Red on the flywheel bolts and clutch housing when you reinstall them

place a jack under the tranny and jack it up when trying to put the tranny back on the engine

 

You dont have to remove the exhaust at all. there are tonnes of shortcuts to that job, and taking the shift linkages off doesnt have to happen, unless you are removing it. I just leave it on the tranny, also the starter doesnt have to come off. Just a few shortcuts.

 

we started off using some short cuts (didn't think of the starter one but I like that) we planned to leave the exhuast there but then we couldn't get the driver side axle out of the way (we didn't want to try and crack those nuts....


as for the jack thing we had 2 jacks to get it up in place then it was a short lift to put it all together...of course it was easy ....once we got the driver side axle out of the way

 

you forgot one thing...

you learned how to change a clutch so that you can change mine next year!

 

no I already knew how from doing 2 transmission swaps earlier in the year.... when you swap transmissionjs it's a good time to change the clutch

 

 

record for me is 4hrs, re-and-re,

I have done way to many of them... but this is EF, EG takes a little more work, but there is more room upfront ..

 

SilverSiG, why would you need a new clutch... you should be able to get a good 200,000 kms out of yours?

I did an axle swap Friday night... only took about an hour start to finish. Hardest thing about it was to get the axle back into the tranny.

 

i got 250 000 off mine before the release bearing snapped and i was in clutch on mode all the time... drove around for like 2 week almost like that commuting to toronto no less

 

I had fun helping a buddy change his clutch on his mk2 golf. I will never touch a VW again in my life...nuff said.

 

Record for me re and re and replace flywheel, brg and all clutch components is 56 min. I ve done lots and lots!!!

 

air tools for that record?

we used hand tools for the most part

 

daim i know guys.. i removed my tranny a couple weeks ago.. and its coming back out again on wednesday.. but this time i give up and gonna get sum1 else to do it for me.. its too much work... daim.. i already took that tranny off the block twice a third will suck

 

Why do you have to remove it again?

 

it took us 3 days to do the golf...beat that

 

he got the syncro's done and 4th gear grinds i think

 

Clutch change is the only thing i won;t do at my place, way to much of a pain in the *** to do that from under the car...

 

we just changed the clutch in my buddies ED hatch after he blew it..... 3 days after finishing his motor swap.... so out came the tranny AGAIN!! no problem though.. i enjoy that stuff

 

thats interesting most of my time was spent above the car...