clutch replacement question

[flyingpenguin]

Hi,

I replaced my starter motor about a month ago and had the transmission out to replace the DMF with a SMF this weekend after the old DMF was resurfaced during a clutch kit replacement (clutch disc, pressure plate and throw out bearing) last week by my mechanic and came back out of balance.

Unless you drop the engine, you cannot get to the starter motor with the tranny out. You'll need to remove the serpentine belt, alternator, throttle body and intake plenum (the T-shaped tube) to get to the starter motor. There is a good write up on that here on renntech.

Your DMF looks pretty scorched. Mine looked better and the shop recommended a resurface, which was a mistake (although they warned me before hand). If you have to replace your flywheel, I highly recommend replacing it with the AASCO light weight fly wheel (SMF). This unit runs about USD 950 delivered in the US from horsepowerfreaks.com. I put everything together yesterday and the engine revs much more freely, acceleration is brisker etc. You have to put up with a bit more transmission chatter, and rev-matching (even in the upshifts) is something you need to (quickly learn to) master.

BTW: I used the standard SACHS clutch kit with the AASCO SMF and it works fine.

Good luck.

Joost

[C2951]

You don't need to remove the serpentine belt or the alternator to remove the starter, that's just bogus information. Only the throttle body and the plenum piece that the throttle body is mounted on need to be removed. The fit is tight but the starter will slide out, just as the factory manual says.

[996]

Hi,

I replaced my starter motor about a month ago and had the transmission out to replace the DMF with a SMF this weekend after the old DMF was resurfaced during a clutch kit replacement (clutch disc, pressure plate and throw out bearing) last week by my mechanic and came back out of balance.

Unless you drop the engine, you cannot get to the starter motor with the tranny out. You'll need to remove the serpentine belt, alternator, throttle body and intake plenum (the T-shaped tube) to get to the starter motor. There is a good write up on that here on renntech.

Your DMF looks pretty scorched. Mine looked better and the shop recommended a resurface, which was a mistake (although they warned me before hand). If you have to replace your flywheel, I highly recommend replacing it with the AASCO light weight fly wheel (SMF). This unit runs about USD 950 delivered in the US from horsepowerfreaks.com. I put everything together yesterday and the engine revs much more freely, acceleration is brisker etc. You have to put up with a bit more transmission chatter, and rev-matching (even in the upshifts) is something you need to (quickly learn to) master.

BTW: I used the standard SACHS clutch kit with the AASCO SMF and it works fine.

Good luck.

Joost

I didn't really want to change the DMF for the lighter SMF version as I'm happy with the cars performance as it is. I'm looking to sell it on very soon so would rather leave the running gear as manufacturer standard.

[996]

You don't need to remove the serpentine belt or the alternator to remove the starter, that's just bogus information. Only the throttle body and the plenum piece that the throttle body is mounted on need to be removed. The fit is tight but the starter will slide out, just as the factory manual says.

I'll attempt the starter once I've built everything back together. I'm waiting on the modified release lever and clutch slave cylinder and I'm still looking for a clutch alignment tool.

[flyingpenguin]

You don't need to remove the serpentine belt or the alternator to remove the starter, that's just bogus information. Only the throttle body and the plenum piece that the throttle body is mounted on need to be removed. The fit is tight but the starter will slide out, just as the factory manual says.

You're right. It is very tight in there and removing the serpentine / alternator creates an extra "hole" to access the bolt on the left that attaches the starter motor to the engine.

I guess you can alway start out just removing the TB and if it does not work, remove the serpentine / alternator. It worked weel for me.

Joost