1997 V6 clutch replacement - how hard?

[kenratboy]

Hey guys.

I have a 1997 with a V6 and 5-speed (otherwise...I would not be asking about a clutch ) with 120,000 miles.

Appears the clutch is starting to go, say I am in 3rd at 1/3 throttle, then put my foot down, sometimes there is a little slip before it grabs. However, I have had a few false alarms (did it when I was 200 miles from home and scared the *@^# out of me, but that was 2 years ago!)

I seriously doubt this is a job I can do myself, I assume it is very difficult (I am at school and will look at my Hayes book when I get home).

A clutch kit seems to be about $200ish.

How much labor should a shop charge me? IIRC, a year ago, a shop quoted me around $550 for parts and labor (what is that, 3 hours?)

Thanks!

Oh, and the kitty is awesome

[J_Phu]

Its not as hard as you think. I have a 92 v6 5spd............ All you have to do is slide out the passenger side axle a lillte bit you don't have to take it out of the engine bay, but u need to completely remove the driver axle. then just unbolt the tranny and slide it off to the side and you should have enough room to change out the clutch.

[kenratboy]

Originally Posted by J_Phu

Its not as hard as you think. I have a 92 v6 5spd............ All you have to do is slide out the passenger side axle a lillte bit you don't have to take it out of the engine bay, but u need to completely remove the driver axle. then just unbolt the tranny and slide it off to the side and you should have enough room to change out the clutch.

Maybe I am a sissy...but that does sound kinda hard (or maybe I am scared because its my daily driver).

Does the tranny need to be supported, or can you just scoot it?

[cruisn76]

Originally Posted by kenratboy

Hey guys.

I have a 1997 with a V6 and 5-speed (otherwise...I would not be asking about a clutch ) with 120,000 miles.

Appears the clutch is starting to go, say I am in 3rd at 1/3 throttle, then put my foot down, sometimes there is a little slip before it grabs. However, I have had a few false alarms (did it when I was 200 miles from home and scared the *@^# out of me, but that was 2 years ago!)

I seriously doubt this is a job I can do myself, I assume it is very difficult (I am at school and will look at my Hayes book when I get home).

A clutch kit seems to be about $200ish.

How much labor should a shop charge me? IIRC, a year ago, a shop quoted me around $550 for parts and labor (what is that, 3 hours?)

Thanks!

Oh, and the kitty is awesome

I got the same thing with 3rd, 4th, and sometimes 5th. The thing would slip if I stepped on it. Honestly it was that bad, I drove like that for a whole year till today of course. My car just went in for a brand new clutch. Its costing me $500 parts and labour. The guy got me an EXEDY disc (non-racing), pressure plate, and bearings. I know there is one guy in here that did his own clutch and it took 16 hours so be prepared.

[kenratboy]

16 hours

I will call my home boy at the shop and see how much it would cost.

Funny you say that about the slipping.

It happened to me on a freeway in the Bay Area, and it just went away. That was 2 years ago.

Then it happened again a year ago, and then went away.

Not to toot my own horn, but I do a very good job with the clutch in that I put as little stress and wear as possible on it, and someone said that if you don't romp on it from time to time, it can start to slip for various reasons.

Last time it happened, I drove it abusively for maybe 10 cycles (like shifting and letting the clutch stay 1/2 engaged for 5 seconds), and it seemed to fix things.

I will try the same when I am a little closer to home.

Can someone tell me where Bruce came from? I have been away for a bit.

[cruisn76]

Originally Posted by kenratboy

16 hours

I will call my home boy at the shop and see how much it would cost.

Funny you say that about the slipping.

It happened to me on a freeway in the Bay Area, and it just went away. That was 2 years ago.

Then it happened again a year ago, and then went away.

Not to toot my own horn, but I do a very good job with the clutch in that I put as little stress and wear as possible on it, and someone said that if you don't romp on it from time to time, it can start to slip for various reasons.

Last time it happened, I drove it abusively for maybe 10 cycles (like shifting and letting the clutch stay 1/2 engaged for 5 seconds), and it seemed to fix things.

I will try the same when I am a little closer to home.

Can someone tell me where Bruce came from? I have been away for a bit.

Read this thread. Clutch Replacement Write-Up

The fouth line down. 16hrs

The one thing I found was during the winters my clutch was alot better, once spring came around my clutch slipped more and more, mainly because it the temperature is getting hotter. But I hear you about going easy on the clutch, I never ride or burn the clutch so that is why mine lasted at least an extra year. I could continue, but I am losing way to much power on 3rd gear so I had it done today.

Gonna pick her up in about an hour

Can't wait.

[J_Phu]

Originally Posted by kenratboy

Maybe I am a sissy...but that does sound kinda hard (or maybe I am scared because its my daily driver).

Does the tranny need to be supported, or can you just scoot it?

Its not that your a sissy....or maybe you are jk jk.

But yeah I can do the job in 5 hours maybe I'm just used to it. Also, you will need soething to support the tranny. A used a 3 ton jack and a block of wood to support mine

[Eye8Pussies]

^ I still don't see how you can do that?? but props to you...


I'd rather just pull my engine than deal with the frustrations of working in such a small space...lol. it's gotten to the point where I'd almost rather pull the engine to do a v6 timing belt than do it in that limited space

[EEngineer]

i rather let my timing belt break and get myself stranded than sticking my fingers where it gets pinched lol

let alone a clutch!...oh wait....i dont have one!! ohhh automatics ftl!!! =[

[kenratboy]

Thanks guys, I will just have the shop do it.

I hate spending money on car repairs :-(

Anyway, I just need to beat on it and see if the issue goes away.

[EEngineer]

well, think of it this way.
when u paid for it, u paid less because it was a manual.
now ur paying for the fact that it's a manual and it costs more to maintain.
also, it has saved you gas over the years, so you shouldn't really need to complain.

[cruisn76]

I got my car back couple of hours ago and the new clutch is really nice. No more slips. The EXEDY clutch kit was worth every penny for OE replacement. I actually suggest it now for a factory replacement. Its Japanese made, and from what i was told it can be had for around $300-350 USD. This includes EXEDY disc clutch, EXEDY pressure plate, and NRK (i think) bearings. Ask around for pricing. What the guy told me is probably guesstamiate figure.

Good luck

[kenratboy]

Originally Posted by EEngineer

well, think of it this way.
when u paid for it, u paid less because it was a manual.
now ur paying for the fact that it's a manual and it costs more to maintain.
also, it has saved you gas over the years, so you shouldn't really need to complain.

More importantly, its actually fun to drive and has more power at the wheels