- Joined
- 7 November 2012
- Messages
- 98
Because I have used Prime for so much research I'd like to contribute some additional time saving details and tips for anyone doing a clutch master/slave diy. There are two main threads for the procedure but here are some valuable details that will make it go smoother and help with preparation. It's not heavy wrenching but it's awkward tight positions, so I'd say try it if you don't mind contorting and getting in/out and under/above. It's light duty wrenching - all 8, 10, 12 mm. I did it by myself with jack stands in a 92 degree (parking) garage with head lamps.
Master:
- You must take the seat out, it's 5 bolts and one harness and not heavy or hard to get out. Once out you can now lay completely on your back or side with no obstructions. - Under the hood simply undo the orange brake level connector and the two bolts holding the clutch reservoir. Swing those out of the way and bam, clear access to the master.
- Turkey baster out the old fluid and you will have minimal fluid leak when you undo the pipe.
- Flare nut wrench only for undoing and final tightening of fittings. You can use open ended once it's loose but if you round off the only side you can access then you = fail. I got a swivel head 10/12 combo that gets you more turning space.
- Don't even touch the fitting at the master, go straight for the manifold it's a clear shot. Stuff a rag underneath and you won't get one drop of fluid in the bay.
- Moving to the footwell. Get a new clutch lock pin. The lock pin isn't a normal cotter but is spring-like and requires prying open to get out. However there is no room to do this so just grab it with some needle nose and yank hard!
- I hold the key to the stud bolts, do exactly this and nothing else and it's a breeze. ALL 1/4 inch drive: 12" wobble extension on 1/4 inch drive ratchet gets you clear access to both bolts. 3/8 drive is too big here, you need skinny.
- Remove the assy and try not to jiggle around studs when removing so the holes don't get misaligned.
- Clean your reservoir and flush with a little fluid and swap over to new master. Clean and swap rubber firewall gasket. Leave clutch pipe at master slightly loose so pipe can turn.
- Upon reinsertion try not to bang around the firewall so the holes on the back side don't get misaligned.
- In the footwell first insert the greased clevis pin and the master won't fall out.
- Wrap stud nuts with electrical tape and they won't fall out of your 10 foot extension thing.
- Popping in new lock cotter pin is difficult because the weird angle of insertion/pedal spring in the way. One finger steadying the clevis and other hand with the slim needle nose and a precise motion and it should pop in. Grease your final pin assembly when done so it doesn't jiggle around. Now you are done in that footwell designed for anorexic midgets only.
- Back under the hood be careful not to crossthread fluid fitting. This usually happens because it's loaded by the metal line and hard to turn. The pipe is short and rigid enough that it can only be in one position. To aid in finger tightening it helps to wipe the threads down since they get rough over the years.
- Bolt your reservoir back up and clip your connector and you are done with master side.
Slave:
- Early years can be done from above but 2000+ have crazy air pump mess blocking everything, therefore I needed to hit it from underneath and removing shift cable covers gets you more access.
- A lot of people had a hard time removing cotters from the shift cables. I had absolutely no problem with this, took 30 seconds and you can do it all by hand by doing this: Using a pivoting mirror from the 1.00 bin at autozone you can see which way the cotters need to come out. They are soft and pliable, just straighten them by hand in one swoop and jiggle out with your fingers. If you push up on the assembly it will loosen even more to get them out.
- Because you'll be replacing the clutch rubber hose too you'll have to pop the hose retainer clip off. This is hard because lack of space, but I was able to pry it with needle nose. Undo fitting using flare nut wrench.
- Unbolting slave is easy, getting it back in is not.
- With your new slave take off the bleeder and replace with speedbleeder. Connect new rubber hose after you've bolted slave back up because it will just get in the way.
- Remove the tranny boot, it's a split boot that can be reinstalled at any time. Wipe the fork release cup clean and dab new grease.
- The hardest part that took me almost two hours was bolting the slave back up. The process is simple, insert the piston rod into the cup and get a bolt started. But in reality since I was on my back with barely any room for two hands and no sight it was very difficult to do. When it slips it will shoot the piston rod under the car because it's spring loaded. From above you lose all leverage and control as the car is lifted up and you have to reach way down. Finally the planets aligned and I found the magic touch and got a bolt started. I suggest lifting the car higher if you can to get more room to work with your arms and hands. TIP from neonshaun: compress the piston rod, then insert the plastic port-plug that comes with the slave while you bolt it up :wink:
- Once it's bolted in slip that tranny boot back over.
- Fluid hose has to be in correct orientation so it fits in the d-shaped retainer above.
- Reinserting the retainer clip was very hard. Usually I bang these things with a hammer but there is no room. I ended up popping it in with both hands and a rag to pad them because it's sharp. During one of my attempts the clip flew off into the depths of the engine bay. I don't recommend doing that part.
- Rethread the fitting into your new line
- Review that all bolts are torqued
- Inserting your new cotters you got for the shift cables is even easier than taking them out. Lay it flat, push up to give you more room, and slide through hole. Bend the cotters nicely and uniformly so they aren't protruding past the surface. Bolt the cover back on and you are done.
Bleeding:
I found that if you crack open the bleeder and fill the reservoir, it will gravity bleed and initially fill the line nicely if you just give it some time. From there, let the speedbleeder do its magic and get to pumping the pedal and filling the reservoir until you have an air free line. Check all fittings for leaks and enjoy that beer!
Master:
- You must take the seat out, it's 5 bolts and one harness and not heavy or hard to get out. Once out you can now lay completely on your back or side with no obstructions. - Under the hood simply undo the orange brake level connector and the two bolts holding the clutch reservoir. Swing those out of the way and bam, clear access to the master.
- Turkey baster out the old fluid and you will have minimal fluid leak when you undo the pipe.
- Flare nut wrench only for undoing and final tightening of fittings. You can use open ended once it's loose but if you round off the only side you can access then you = fail. I got a swivel head 10/12 combo that gets you more turning space.
- Don't even touch the fitting at the master, go straight for the manifold it's a clear shot. Stuff a rag underneath and you won't get one drop of fluid in the bay.
- Moving to the footwell. Get a new clutch lock pin. The lock pin isn't a normal cotter but is spring-like and requires prying open to get out. However there is no room to do this so just grab it with some needle nose and yank hard!
- I hold the key to the stud bolts, do exactly this and nothing else and it's a breeze. ALL 1/4 inch drive: 12" wobble extension on 1/4 inch drive ratchet gets you clear access to both bolts. 3/8 drive is too big here, you need skinny.
- Remove the assy and try not to jiggle around studs when removing so the holes don't get misaligned.
- Clean your reservoir and flush with a little fluid and swap over to new master. Clean and swap rubber firewall gasket. Leave clutch pipe at master slightly loose so pipe can turn.
- Upon reinsertion try not to bang around the firewall so the holes on the back side don't get misaligned.
- In the footwell first insert the greased clevis pin and the master won't fall out.
- Wrap stud nuts with electrical tape and they won't fall out of your 10 foot extension thing.
- Popping in new lock cotter pin is difficult because the weird angle of insertion/pedal spring in the way. One finger steadying the clevis and other hand with the slim needle nose and a precise motion and it should pop in. Grease your final pin assembly when done so it doesn't jiggle around. Now you are done in that footwell designed for anorexic midgets only.
- Back under the hood be careful not to crossthread fluid fitting. This usually happens because it's loaded by the metal line and hard to turn. The pipe is short and rigid enough that it can only be in one position. To aid in finger tightening it helps to wipe the threads down since they get rough over the years.
- Bolt your reservoir back up and clip your connector and you are done with master side.
Slave:
- Early years can be done from above but 2000+ have crazy air pump mess blocking everything, therefore I needed to hit it from underneath and removing shift cable covers gets you more access.
- A lot of people had a hard time removing cotters from the shift cables. I had absolutely no problem with this, took 30 seconds and you can do it all by hand by doing this: Using a pivoting mirror from the 1.00 bin at autozone you can see which way the cotters need to come out. They are soft and pliable, just straighten them by hand in one swoop and jiggle out with your fingers. If you push up on the assembly it will loosen even more to get them out.
- Because you'll be replacing the clutch rubber hose too you'll have to pop the hose retainer clip off. This is hard because lack of space, but I was able to pry it with needle nose. Undo fitting using flare nut wrench.
- Unbolting slave is easy, getting it back in is not.
- With your new slave take off the bleeder and replace with speedbleeder. Connect new rubber hose after you've bolted slave back up because it will just get in the way.
- Remove the tranny boot, it's a split boot that can be reinstalled at any time. Wipe the fork release cup clean and dab new grease.
- The hardest part that took me almost two hours was bolting the slave back up. The process is simple, insert the piston rod into the cup and get a bolt started. But in reality since I was on my back with barely any room for two hands and no sight it was very difficult to do. When it slips it will shoot the piston rod under the car because it's spring loaded. From above you lose all leverage and control as the car is lifted up and you have to reach way down. Finally the planets aligned and I found the magic touch and got a bolt started. I suggest lifting the car higher if you can to get more room to work with your arms and hands. TIP from neonshaun: compress the piston rod, then insert the plastic port-plug that comes with the slave while you bolt it up :wink:
- Once it's bolted in slip that tranny boot back over.
- Fluid hose has to be in correct orientation so it fits in the d-shaped retainer above.
- Reinserting the retainer clip was very hard. Usually I bang these things with a hammer but there is no room. I ended up popping it in with both hands and a rag to pad them because it's sharp. During one of my attempts the clip flew off into the depths of the engine bay. I don't recommend doing that part.
- Rethread the fitting into your new line
- Review that all bolts are torqued
- Inserting your new cotters you got for the shift cables is even easier than taking them out. Lay it flat, push up to give you more room, and slide through hole. Bend the cotters nicely and uniformly so they aren't protruding past the surface. Bolt the cover back on and you are done.
Bleeding:
I found that if you crack open the bleeder and fill the reservoir, it will gravity bleed and initially fill the line nicely if you just give it some time. From there, let the speedbleeder do its magic and get to pumping the pedal and filling the reservoir until you have an air free line. Check all fittings for leaks and enjoy that beer!
Last edited:
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