Installing a clutch by yourself sucks ass...

[2TurboImports]

the title basically sums it up....no lift, no air tools and no help....after starting mid saturday and working on it from about Noon today....i'm finally ready to wipe all the oil and grim off of the flywheel and reassemble that bitch tomorrow.

One question though....i'm not using an aftermarket clucth, and the one i'm installing is a bit used....should i remove the flywheel and give surface a good rubbing? It doesn't look like there are any burn marks, and the surface is relatively smooth. Would this matter since it's a used clutch?

Thanks

[FlatFour]

I've always heard you should either replace it or take it to a machine shop and have them resurface it. But i would get a second opinion.

[2TurboImports]

That's what i've heard also....I wonder if i can get away with not doing it as long as I don't rag on the car TOO much...

[davcivic]

You could but it would suck if it goes again in a few months and then you have to do it all over again

[2TurboImports]

That's true...where do i get it resurfaced? It's a fidanza 8lbs flywheel. Couldn't i just get a wire brush drill bit and do it that way? Or is it some exact science?

[StiGuy]

Every time I've had my flywheel resuraced it's been at a machine shp that also turns rotors. From my understanding it's the same process just on a larger scale. :)

As to whether it's an exact science which two surfaces would you rather have mating @ 6k rpms? Ones that are smooth as possible or ones that look like typical Tampa streets :lol:

[2TurboImports]

Well....it could go both ways? If both surfaces were slightly rough within reason and the clutch pressure was applied uniformly wouldn't that add to the amount of friction/grip between them?

[DEATH ZEPPELIN]

It might at grip, but it will not last at all....always resurface your flywheel when you change clutches, regardless of miles on the clutch assembly, they need to be smooth for a reason, unless you want to spend your time doing this again...it will be worth it in the long run.

[Green]

i did my clutch whit lift, air tools and help and it was a bitch

[fadedSTi]

it doesnt hurt to resurface it and isnt too expensive. like you said it was ahuge pain in the ass to swap it out. do it right the first time so you dont get that same headache again ;-)

[2TurboImports]

yah, but noone has an answer as to WHY!!! lol I'm not talking about taking a flywheel with burns and grooves dug into it....that's a scenario that would probably require resurfacing, but if all the burn was done on the clutch side, the flywheel has a slight mirrory surface, why can't i just sand it roughly instaed of a resurface?

[blackwagon]

I wouldn't want to take anymore out of a 8lb flywheel... I'd leave it alone, but thats just me.

[2TurboImports]

yes, i just scrubbed the shit out of it with some 80 grit.

If it starts fucking up one week from now, then i'll give everyone a great big you told me so...lol

[JonLGT]

Installing a clutch by yourself sucks ass...

I could have told you that and i havent even done it before.

[WRX GOD]

Yeah, reading the shop manual on changing out a clutch on the WRX was insane. IT is almost the same on the 2.5RS. Glad to hear you got it back together Eric. Hell, spark plugs in my civic took all of 5 minutes for all 4. Spark plugs in the Subaru takes about 60 minutes if not more. I wouldn't change it for the world though. Subarus for life. BTW, do your parents still own Tropical Smoothie. I had a chicken wrap and it was the shit lol!!! -KEVIN-

[2TurboImports]

Hey guy, what's up....yah they still own the good ol tropical smoothie, lol. Glad to hear you enjoyed the chicken wrap :-D

On my initial drive of the car, this is how i always thought a lightened flywheel would feel. I think the shop who installed the flywheel and clutch the first time fucked it up hard. When i got it back the pedal would all of the sudden out of the blue suck to the floor, the clutch would all of a sudden disengage and then *SLAM* engage again. Plus it wouldn't grip worth a damn, even after I 'broke it in' for 500 miles. It was really lame.

Now it feels really nice, especially since i replaced the pads/rotors at the same time. It's like a completly different beast...even if it only works for a week b/c i didn't have a shop re surface the flywheel b/c nobody (not even ppl at the shop) could give me a good reason why. lol