Clutch Change-How-To.

[mjb]

HELP!!!

Where can I get a 35/36mm socket from? Neither of the 2 Halfords branches I tried have any 36mm in stock (they don't seem to have 35mm in the stores). Motor Mania don't have, uh, anything and Machine Mart only sell sets - and the set with the 35 and 36mm ones - the only set that goes that big - is £35 and it's 3/4" and the cheapest 3/4" tool I can see in the catalogue is a £63 ratchet

Can't even find an adjustable spanner big enough

Any ideas?

[steve_earwig]

Gah! I have a 36... (it'd take 2 weeks to get to you tho )

[mjb]

Unfortunately I need to do the job this weekend else I'm in serious trouble

[Doggy]

We use these at work - they have a branch in Stoke, worth a phone call?

[mjb]

so much for Halfords "reserve & collect"... more like "reserve & wait in the store for half hour while some PFY phones round other branches, tells you there's one of what you want 30 miles away then says they can't get it for you"

ARGH

[mjb]

shocking update:

Went up to Crewe Halfords to get their 36mm socket, got home, discovered the nut really is 35mm but at that size, 1mm difference is pretty minor so I got away with it... so I got the wheel off, slapped it in 1st... and the wheel nut cam off just by putting my weight on the end of a 2' breaker bar and jiggling about a bit Went over the other side and it was exactly the same In fact putting the clip back over the cover afterwards was a lot more difficult

I'd call this a major win, but it's only a small victory because I KNOW I'm not going to be able to get the hub carrier thing off the other thing tomorrow. Hell i don't actually know what needs to come off what exactly since all these suspension terms are gobbledegook to me

Oh, and I'm going to forget to take the oil out of the gearbox. I know it. I've even gone as far as to forget to buy an oil collector tray bottle thing

[Welly]

Oh, and I'm going to forget to take the oil out of the gearbox. I know it. I've even gone as far as to forget to buy an oil collector tray bottle thing

I think you'll find the gearbox will empty itself when you remove the drive shaft

[mjb]

Aye, that's what I'm expecting will happen

[steve_earwig]

Reminds me of my Craptina gearbox with no drain plug - undo all the bolts and cables, lie underneath it, pull it back wards and angle it down - oil gloops out over your neck and chest...

[mjb]

day 1.

Crack wheel studs, car up, wheels off, hub caps off, wheels on, car down, hub nuts loosened, car up, wheels off, fag time
Got the under-bonnet stuff (battery box, air stuff) stripped out
Got the wheelarch liners off (thank god I did this a couple of days ago!)
Got the undertray off... eventually
Left it draining the gearbox oil overnight
Had 4x440ml cans of Stella and more nicotine

I have very little idea how to disassemble the suspension and detach the driveshafts tomorrow!
The worst thing is i don't even know which row of bolts I need to unto to remove the gearbox from the engine Is this either side of the bell housing? Is the bell housing (if that's what it is) supposed to stay with the engine or some off with the gearbox? PANIC!

[Doggy]

I don't know on the suspension either, Matt, but the bellhousing & 'box will have to come out together. (On most cars they're one piece, gearbox input shaft sticks out the end, passes thro clutch & the end is supported by a bearing in the flywheel normally, so you couldn't separate 'box & housing till they're out of the car).
Have you got Servicebox access and/or HBOL?

[djheath]

There are two allen headed bolts which hold the starter on. These go from the gear box into to the engine. Remove these and also the two small bolts which hold some earthing wires near the starter too. Just fold the starter and wires out the way.
Then there are three 17mm or 19mm bolts I think holding the gear box on. One below the starter at about 9:45, one at 11:55, and one at 1:05 (work that out on an analogue clock!). These bolts go into the engine from the gear box side. There is also a allen headed bolt under the rear of the engine going into the gear box side at about 4.20 on the clock face!. Get under the car and look at the rear of the engine going into the gear box. Removing all thse bolts will allow the gear box to come away from the engine. Then box will hold itself in place with all the bolts removed so dont worry about it falling when the bolts are removed.

To remove the drive shafts - I did it as follows.
With the wheels off and the big hub nut off, remove the bottom drop link bolt. The drop link is the bit that is a metal bar with two ball joints on each end. One end is bolted to the suspension shock. The other end is mounted to the bottom of the stub axle - the big lump of cast metal that the wheel mounts too. Then remove the steering ball joint. This is the small ball joint which is on the rear of the stub axle. You will need a ball joint splitter to remove it once you have undone the bolt. Lift the steering arm out the way once removed.
Next remove the lower ball joint. This is the bit which is at the bottom of the stub axle where these is a large ball joint. Remove the nut and then crack the ball joint with the ball joint splitter. Then spend a while leaning on the wishbone - the banana shaped springy bit of metal which is one end joined to the chassis, the other to the big ball joint - so that you can remove the stub axle out of its mounting hole. The stub axle should now be free and you can pull it outwards to remove the drive shaft out of the stub axle hub. Then repeat the other side!

Gee just writing this I am glad I am not doing it all again!! The pain! The horror!

:d

[mjb]

dj thank you very much!

With the wheels off and the big hub nut off, remove the bottom drop link bolt. The drop link is the bit that is a metal bar with two ball joints on each end. One end is bolted to the suspension shock. The other end is mounted to the bottom of the stub axle - the big lump of cast metal that the wheel mounts too.

I can't see anything like that in my photos or servicedesk All I can see is:
1. A bar bolted vertically to the suspension shock (if memory serves (not in the photo) with a ball joint) with the other ball joint on what I think is called the anti-roll bar (large U-shaped bar running horizontally behind all this, connects to both sides of the car)

2. A bar bolted to the rear of the hub(?) goes to the steering rack

3. A large L-shaped arm attached via ball joint to the bottom of the hub(?) and attached to the body by a couple of rubber bushes

Then remove the steering ball joint. This is the small ball joint which is on the rear of the stub axle. You will need a ball joint splitter to remove it once you have undone the bolt. Lift the steering arm out the way once removed.

I get this, it's number 2 above

Next remove the lower ball joint. This is the bit which is at the bottom of the stub axle where these is a large ball joint. Remove the nut and then crack the ball joint with the ball joint splitter.

This is the big one at the bottom, which needs new nuts on refitting isn't it?

Then spend a while leaning on the wishbone - the banana shaped springy bit of metal which is one end joined to the chassis, the other to the big ball joint - so that you can remove the stub axle out of its mounting hole.

So this is number 3 above. Am I to deduce here that you made a mistake on the description of the drop link, and meant it bolts onto the anti-roll bar, not the stub axle?

Gee just writing this I am glad I am not doing it all again!! The pain! The horror!

Bitch

Still it can't be worse than getting those screws out of the wheelarch liner, surely

[mjb]

A thought... If I need this big ball joint separator fork to undo these ball joints, how the hell am I going to get them back together?

I knew I should have bought that 4lb hammer. It told me I wanted to buy it. I agreed, but couldn't afford it...

[mjb]

ok this drop link thing ain't coming out. i see that you need to put an allen key in the bolts and use an open ended spanner on the nuts, but the allen hole's just rounded off

and the ball joint at the bottom is refusing to come out either. i'm hitting the splitter fork as hard as I can with the 2lb hammer and it just ain't going anywhere. I've even got pissed off and stuck a breaker bar between the wishbone and the hub to try to pry it apart. I lifted the car off the axle stands and f*cked my back, but the joint ain't splitting

what a mess