I recently replaced the clutch on my 1994 Camry (194,000 mi with original clutch!!) and thought that I would share the procedure that I used. I'm not suggesting that this is an easy job, but for those who want to attempt it, see the write-up below. It goes without saying that you must have a good set of tools to pull this off. And even though I tried to describe every step in detail, I do assume a certain amount of basic knowledge/mechanical aptitude.
I did this job (first time) by myself and it took me 16 hours. With a helper, the time could have been reduced considerably.
Safety: Don't put yourself at risk - use properly rated jacks and jackstands and wear safety glasses when working under the vehicle or doing any prying or hammering. Don't breath the clutch pad dust it might contain asbestos.
Special thanks to bronzemaxell of these forums for some of the tips that make this procedure possible
Disclaimer: If you choose to use this procedure, you do so completely at your own risk.
Below is a listing of the key parts (make sure when buying, that these numbers are appropriate for your VIN number):
Clutch disc: 31250-17040
Pressure Plate: 31210-32130
Bearing: 31230-32060
Fork: 31204-20100
Driver's side axle snap ring: 90081-52005
Don't be cheap - the above parts should all be replaced when going to this much trouble.
Before starting: Set parking brake.
Part I Removing Items attached to, and obstructing, the transmission body.
1. Remove battery, battery bracket and tray.
2. Remove air intake assembly including air filter and complete air filter housing
3. Remove both wire connectors from starter (one plug and one nut) and then the starter (two bolts).
4. Remove slave cylinder (two bolts) and slave cylinder tube hold-down screw (do not undo piping).
5. Disconnect the back-up light connector
6. Disconnect the ground bolt and the bolt holding the wire clamp.
7. Disconnect the shifter control cables: pull out the clips (one on the end of each cable) and remove the washers (one under each clip). Further back a bit there are large clips holding the cables to the trans case. I found these very difficult to pry up due to corrosion. Solution: using a long thin flat headed screw driver gently tap the screw driver between the clip and mounting point in several places to break the adhesion. Use a small pry bar to lift the clips up. Once removed push the cables back and up to remove them from the bracket.
8. Remove the speed sensor connector toward the back.
9. [Note if you have cruise control this needs to be disconnected and unbolted.]
Part II Lifting the vehicle and Removing the axle.
1. Chock the rear wheels.
2. Remove front wheel hub caps.
3. Remove the axle cotter pin and hub nut cover from the driver side wheel.
4. Remove driver’s side hub nut with 30 mm deep socket. This is very tight: use impact wrench or breaker bar with steel pipe extender (4-5 ft long).
5. Loosen, but do not remove the lug nuts from both front wheels.
6. Raise vehicle and place jack stands at front/side support points (13-14 inches of jack stand height works very well).
7. Remove lug nuts and both front wheels.
8. Remove splash guards on both sides (two 10 mm bolts each)
9. On the driver’s side only: Remove two 17mm bolts and one nut where the suspension arm attaches to the lower ball joint/hub assembly.
10. Using a pry bar, force the suspension arm down to free it from the hub assembly.
11. Use a wire to support the axle shaft to the shock spring so it doesn’t fall
12. Wrestle the hub assembly forward and toward the rear of the car to free the axle. Don’t tear the boots.
13. Drain the transaxle fluid (stinky!)
14. Using a heavy pry bar (the pry end of the stock lug wrench works great!) pop the axle out by putting the pry bar in the notch on the inside end of the axle and giving the bar a whack with a hammer – it should pop out. Note that the transaxle end has a grove with a snap ring in it – this is supposed to be replaced before reinstallation.
The passenger side axle is difficult to remove due to the center bearing freezing in the rear engine mount. Don’t bother. As you separate the transaxle from the engine it will slip out fine.
Part III Separating the Transaxle from the engine.
1. Install an engine support beam with two independent/movable support points. Since you will only be removing the support under the transaxle you only need to support the engine on the transaxle side. Chain one of the engine support beam hooks to the engine hook nearest the transaxle. This leaves the other engine support beam hook to support the transaxle.
2. I purchased (2) 6 ft. lengths of chain and two link connectors from Home Depot. These are used to create a cradle with one chain supporting the engine side of the transaxle and the other the wheel well side. Both chains are attached to the remaining engine support beam hook. This allows the transaxle to be moved around a bit once separated. The chain supporting the engine came with the support beam.
3. Place a jack under the transaxle where it meets the engine and raise it a little - less than an inch. Remove the 3 bolts holding the transaxle to the mount. Remove the plastic caps on the sub frame and remove the two nuts holding the mount to the frame (deep socket required here). Remove the mount and jack.
4. Separating the transaxle from the engine: 12 bolts need to be removed: 5 bolts that hold the transaxle to the engine block, 3 for the stiffener plate and 4 that attach the sheet metal cover to the engine side of the transaxle.
The following bolts (blue) are the ones that hold the transaxle to the engine. The one circled in red is on the passenger side, the others face the drivers side. The uncolored A bolt is a cover bolt.
5. First remove the three bolts of the siffener plate (front of the engine, next to the exhaust pipe):
6. For safety sake, remove the bottom bolts first: the B bolt circled in red above (Step 4) is the bolt shown below under the passenger side axle. In the shadow of the axle is one of the 3 lower cover bolts. Remove all 4 of these bolts.
7. Place the jack loosely under the transmission for additional support during separation.
8. Remove the one remaining cover bolt (shown as A bolt in Step 4 but not colored blue) and the remaining 4 upper bolts.
9. Using a small pry bar or large screw driver gently pry the transmission away from the block. Once the input shaft has come out of the clutch disc and the passenger side axle is out, the transaxle can be manipulated out of the way. By lowering the trans a bit the back end can be moved into the opening in the wheel well a little. It might be necessary to bend the wheel well cover bracket. Be careful not to damage the shifter bellcrank while moving the transaxle around.
This should give an opening of 7-8 inches to work with.
Part IV Replacing Clutch Components
1. Remove the pressure plate by first just loosening the bolts that attach it to the flywheel. (Given the limited space, access to the far side bolts can be achieved by turning the flywheel with a large screw driver or small pry bar on the gear teeth.) Once the pressure plate tension has been released remove the bolts. Remove the pressure plate and clutch disc.
2. Remove the flywheel; these 8 bolts are a little tricky to remove – the heads are shallow (use a six point socket) and they have thread lock on them. Wedge a pry bar between the gear teeth and the ground to help break them loose. Take the flywheel to a competent machine shop to have it resurfaced.
Flywheel, clutch disc and pressure plate removed:
[The rear seal (90080-31021) is now exposed. If it is leaking, it should be changed. My understanding is that, because of its size, this seal is tricky to replace by just pulling it out and trying to pop in a new one. If yours is leaking it should be changed. I ordered the seal just in case.]
3. Remove the clutch fork and bearing: To remove the fork and bearing from the transaxle; put your finger behind the fork and pull the retaining clip away from the support post and remove the fork by pulling it inward.
4. Note the assembly of the old fork and bearing. Assemble a new fork and bearing the same way. Apply high temp grease to where the fork fingers touch the bearing and in the round depression on the fork where the support pin sits. Apply a small amount of grease to the input shaft where the bearing rides. Install the fork until the clip snaps onto the support pin.
5. Reinstall the flywheel; apply locktite to the first few thread of each bolt. Tighten in several passes in a criss-cross pattern to 66 ft-lbs. Again use the flywheel teeth to keep it from moving while tightening.
Re-surfaced Flywheel Installed:
6. Clean the flywheel surface with acetone to make sure no grease or oil is present. Do the same thing on the pressure plate face. Place the disc in the pressure plate with the raised portion facing the transaxle. Attach the pressure plate loosely with one bolt. Insert a clutch alignment tool (clutchtools.com) and make certain the clutch disc is centered. Tighten the started bolt until snug and then put in the rest snugly. Tighten in a crisscross pattern to 14 ft-lbs. Remove the clutch alignment tool.
New clutch components installed.
V Reinstallation of the Transaxle
If you are working alone as I was, this is going to require quite a bit of patience. If you can enlist the help of a friend, do it. This is not rocket science. The goal is to line up the transaxle and engine block so that the output shaft of the transaxle can be inserted into clutch plate while inserting the axle shaft underneath into the differential all while aligning the two pins and various bolt holes.
Bring the transaxle up as close to level and aligned to the mating position as possible. With the axle partially in the differential and the output shaft in the disc, attempt to start the topmost A bolt. With this bolt in just enough to secure it, it should be possible to get the axle aligned and the bolt shown in the picture in Part III Step 6 started. Having someone under the vehicle would help enormously with this alignment exercise. If the axle is not entering straight resistance will be felt as you attempt to tighten the mounting bolts. Indeed, the lower bolt mentioned above will not even engage the threads. Torque the A bolts to 47 ft-lbs and the B bolts to 34 ft-lbs. Reinstall the stiffener plate and remaining bolts.
VI Reassembly
After reinstalling the transaxle support, you can remove the engine support bar. Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly from this point. Remember to replace the snap ring on the driver’s side axle (ring opening should be face down to facilitate insertion). Also place a dab of high temp grease on the fork end where the slave cylinder makes contact. Oh yeah, and don't forget to refill the transaxle!
Clutch Replacement Write-Up
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