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DIY Transmission removal and clutch swap. And Master Cylinder replacement on 09-15 CTS Vs.

34K views 35 replies 13 participants last post by  bmylez 
#1 · (Edited)
2009-15 CTS V Clutch Swap DIY: time estimate: 2-3 days for your first attempt.

Required tools:

* Assorted 3/8” and ½” metric deep well sockets, wrenches, swivels and extensions — typical fare.
* You’ll need a GM “external torx” E12 bit for the driveshaft bolts.
* You’ll need a quality 3/8” torque wrench that reads from ~20 to 75 ft-lbs, as well as a ½” drive wrench that goes up to at least 150+ ft-lb for the cradle bolts.
* Harbor Freight transmission jack or similar (if no trans jack it will be a two-man job to R&I transmission)
* 5 pound slide hammer for the pilot bearing(often available as a rental).
* MityVac hand-held vacuum pump, Dot 4 brake fluid for clutch system and lots of rags/towels.
* Lift, Quickjack or jack and jack stands to safely support the car at least 2 feet off the ground.
* Approximately 3.5 quarts of your favorite transmission fluid (GM #88861800 or Redline D4) for compete change, or at least 1 quart to top off the inevitable spill.
* Latex gloves are highly recommended due to to the inevitable fluid spills and risk of contaminating your clutch discs.
* Don’t forget paper towels, brake cleaner, red and blue Loctite, and ¼” rubber caps to plug the transmission cooler lines while you have them disconnected.

Required /recommended replacement parts:
* The clutch of your choice!
* Pilot bearing (usually included with clutch, #12557583) - $11 online
* Slave cylinder (usually included with clutch, #24281248) - $200 online
* LS Rear Main Seal (#89060436) - $18 online
* Hydraulic Clutch Main (Master) Cylinder (#24238683) - $108 online
* GM flywheel bolts (#11569956) — you’ll need eight (8) if not included with your clutch kit. Do not reuse the old bolts!



Optional replacement parts (partial disassembly of transmission required to replace seals):

* Monster billet Slave / release bearing support (replaces plastic OEM) - $80 from Monster or Tickperformance.com
* Bronze shifter bushing - $19 from www.thegearbox.org
* TR6060 input shaft / Front seal (#89059435) - $4 from www.thegearbox.org
* TR6060 output shaft / rear seal (#89059483 / TUSJ2042) - $12 from www.thegearbox.org

Relevant Torque Values:
Driveshaft (propeller) to Transmission flange bolts: 22 ft-lbs
Flywheel to crankshaft bolts: 74 ft-lbs in three passes (15, 37, 74 ft-lbs)
Pressure Plate to flywheel (may vary by clutch): 52 ft-lbs in three passes (20, 40, 52 ft-lbs)
Transmission housing to engine bolts: ~35 ft-lbs
Transmission cross member to trans & body: 44 ft-llbs
Front four engine subframe (cradle) bolts: 141 ft-lbs
Rear two subframe (cradle) bolts: 180 ft-lbs
Driveshaft to transmission flange bolts: 22 ft-lbs

Clutch assembly weights:
I previously weighed the used OEM clutch and flywheel at 65 pounds.
The new Mantic 9000 clutch and flywheel weighed in at 51 pounds.
The new Monster LT1-S and flywheel weighs 61 pounds

Day 1.

Step 1: Inspect your clutch.
Verify you have all of the required pieces, tools and fluids. Get a sharpie and mark the orientation of your clutch as you received it: best practice is to mark the orientation of the clutch pressure plate assembly, the individual spacers and any pertinent parts relative to the flywheel itself — you want to reinstall the clutch exactly as you have received it relative to the flywheel, as some clutch manufacturers balance it as an assembly. Keep mental note of the orientation of floater discs and clutch discs as they likely have a specific orientation, and may not be marked. Make sure you independently verify your own torque values versus trusting what I’ve posted here — they can vary by manufacturer and clutch type.




Step 2: Safely raise the car and support it with jack stands.

4-6 jack stands and/or a quality lift are remarkably cheap relative to your life — so don’t dick around here. I can’t imagine that being crushed by your car and slowly bleeding/suffocating to death would be any fun?
Optional: I disconnected the (-)battery terminal as I was going to be working around the starter — this is not entirely necessary but is good practice. Just make sure you leave the front driver’s window down so you can easily access the vehicle during the swap and reconnect the battery when none of the automatic locks work. 

I would recommend lifting the entire car off the ground: you will appreciate the additional room while pulling the exhaust, transmission, and when disconnecting the driveshaft.



Step 3: Remove your exhaust.
Pre-soaking the bolts and Oxygen sensor bungs in WD-40 or break-free may be a good idea!

I have ARH headers, and I only removed the middle section from behind the headers up to the mufflers and had plenty of room. Depending on your brand of header, or if using factory manifolds; you may need to loosen the driver’s side header/manifold at the cylinder head enough so that it can be pushed to the side for clearance (again, I did not have to do this with ARH headers).

Step 4: Remove the shifter assembly.
From inside the car, remove the shifter boot, center console, and the shifter assembly. Now is a good time to make sure the rear parking break is NOT engaged before you disconnect the wiring harness to the e-brake, as it will make your life much easier when trying to re-align the driveshaft later.
Although not entirely inclusive, this link will give you a head start on removing the shifter in more detail:
http://www.ctsvowners.com/forum/5-t...0-hard-find-gears-having-force-into-gate.html



Step 5: Unbolt the front of the driveshaft from the rear of the transmission.
I recommend you mark the driveshaft orientation relative to the transmission before removing it. There are six bolts that use an “External Torx” E12 socket. The front half of the drive shaft will easily hang to one side — I used a bungee cord to help keep it out of the way.



Step 6: Disconnect all transmission fittings and lines.
There are ~3 sensors on each side of the transmission that you will need to disconnect and hang out of the way. Now is a good time to disconnect the slave cylinder from the master as well: remove the clip from the fittings with a small flat-head screwdriver and they will pull apart. Watch out for dripping brake fluid from this fitting. !D




You will also need to disconnect the aluminum transmission cooler lines via spring clips, one on each side, along with two 13mm bolts that secure one line to the transmission case. I capped each line with ¼” rubber caps to reduce the amount of wonderful-smelling transmission fluid seepage — then disconnect the two 8mm bolts that secure the transmission cooler lines to the edge of the oil pan: one is near the starter, the second is up front near the engine accessories. Once the lines are free, they will twist off to the side and can be secured to the subframe brace with a zip tie to reduce the risk of damaging them.




Step 7: Remove the transmission cross-member support.

There are a couple of options here, but I found it preferable to remove the two 15mm bolts that secure the rear of the transmission to the cross member (recessed in the cross member centrally), support the transmission with my transmission jack, then remove the four 15mm cross member-to-body bolts and removing the support.

The transmission jack is now mostly supporting the weight of the transmission, and I would lower the jack as much as possible, pivoting the engine down on the engine mounts.



Step 8: Remove the transmission-to-engine bell housing bolts.
Using a 13mm deep well socket and your preference of extensions, there are 8 bolts to remove: two standard bolts at the bottom by the oil pain, two extended bolts on each side of the transmission that will have various wiring harnesses clipped to them, and two standard bolts at the top of the transmission bell housing — I found it easiest to remove these first from the engine bay, then remove the rest from the bottom of the car using an 18” extension, swivel joint and ratchet.


Step 9: Lower the subframe for clearance.
I believe the easiest way to remove the transmission is to lower the subframe at the front of the car, to allow for the transmission to more easily clear the trans tunnel and firewall: I marked the larger rear most 24mm bolts with a sharpie and removed them completely — then I reinstalled them at least three full turns to establish the “maximum drop” for the subframe assembly.




I then loosened the 21mm middle subframe bolts, attempting to turn each one equally as I lowered the subframe until the aluminum braces started to rest on the rear-most bolts I previously adjusted. You will need to loosen the front two 21mm subframe bolts ½ to 1 full turn at most to allow full drop.



Step 10: Remove the transmission.
That’s it, right? Easy…. At least, that’s how the service manual puts it.

Using a large screwdriver or pry bar, start working the transmission loose via the recess by the oil pan. It will pop loose and slide back relatively easily until the upper bell housing hits the trans tunnel / fire wall — and the transmission input shaft will be about a ½” from clearing the clutch pressure plate! So close, yet so far. You can get an idea of where you’re at by feeling around in there with your fingers… giggity!



Now you’ll want to raise the REAR of the transmission as high as you can — this is where a trans jack is worth the money — and by pulling down slightly on the engine block with one hand and stabilizing the trans by the input shaft with the other, you will be able to get it clear and push it rearward enough to clear the clutch assembly.



Lower the transmission carefully, taking care to not damage the cooler lines you have zip-tied off to the side and to ensure you did not miss any harness connectors or forget to disconnect the hydraulic slave line like I did! Also remember that the shifter box and driveshaft may catch on each other so take your time. At this point, I was able to pivot the transmission around to clear the exhaust manifolds easily and the transmission was free and clear - but your mileage may vary.


Step 11: Remove the slave cylinder.
This is pretty straight forward — remove the two bolts holding the slave cylinder to the transmission and discard the old unit after ensuring your new slave looks exactly the same.


Step 12: Remove the bastard clutch that failed you.
Loosen the bolts securing the pressure plate to the flywheel — I would break a bolt free at the top but save it for last, to help support the weight of the clutch assembly why you remove the others. The OEM clutch weighs upwards of 50 pounds not including the flywheel, so be prepared to man-handle that bitch when you pull the final bolt.


Step 13: remove the old flywheel.
Use an appropriate short-well socket and long-handle breaker bar (or similar) to break these bolts free. If you’re laying under the car like I was, you’ll want to position the wrench where you can use your body weight to help pull down with one arm, using the other to keep the socket square on the bolt. You don’t want to round one of those flywheel bolts off by being hasty. If it won’t budge and doesn’t “feel” right — stop, get the propane torch and heat it up. Blasting with penetrating oil and heating in cycles will help tame even the most stubborn of bolts slathered with 5 year old Loctite — and that’s a lot better than dealing with a rounded or sheared bolt head. So if you get a stubborn bolt and that feeling that “one more try” will do it… stop, and get the torch.



Step 14: Remove the old pilot bearing.
Note that there is a freeze plug behind the pilot bearing so don’t try to use the grease / bread trick to pop it free. Rent a slide hammer from the local parts store, grind the tip of the puller as needed to fit inside the pilot bearing (I used the new one as a test piece), and then go to town. It should pop out pretty easily.



Step 15: Insert the new pilot bearing.
No grease is needed, just ensure the mounting surface of the snout is clean of debri, and using a similarly sized socket, etc… gently tap the new bearing into place. Take care to keep it square and seat it flush with the end of the crank.



Step 16: Optionally, replace the rear main seal.
I found this to be the most stressful part of my journey — you have to use a flathead screwdriver to slightly crush in the old seal at each of the three beveled reliefs of the rear of the block. If you fuck it up, you’ve made life significantly more complicated… but it took much more force than I was initially expecting: the rear main seal is a pretty stout metal ring with a rubber coating and you have to dent it in away from the aluminum rear cover to get it to slide out easier.



I would NOT recommend screwing something into the seal to pull it out as I’ve seen elsewhere — the risk of scoring the crank snout is too great. Just keep working it out with the screwdriver and perhaps some needle-point pliers.

Insert the replacement seal by ensuring it is orientated correctly (“this side out” is marked). And although there is a very expensive tool to use here, I didn’t have one so I just tapped it back in gently with a socket, working my way around several times by working it in bit by bit to keep it square and finally flush with the block.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Day 2.

Step 1: Install the new slave cylinder.
Install any spacer that may be required for your clutch onto the input shaft of the transmission, then install the slave cylinder and ensure correct orientation. Apply blue Loctite to the slave bolts and snug them down (specs are 115 inch-pounds).

If you bought a Monster Triple like me, you’ll need to take a break and fetch longer bolts to account for the included spacer from the local hardware store.



Step 2: Install the new flywheel.
Ensure the crank snout is clean of debris; I carefully used a razor blade to remove any old sealant off the surface to make for a clean mating surface. Using red Loctite on all bolts (new GM bolts come pre-coated), mount your flywheel and note the hole for an alignment dowel in both your flywheel and snout for orientation. Torque down the bolts in a star pattern (ie 1-5-7-3-8-4-6-2), and torque them sequentially using 15, 37 and 74 ft-lbs on each pass. Take your time here, as GM flywheel bolts have a shallow head and may round more easily than you’d think for their size.

When finished, take great care to degrease the flywheel surface and all other friction surfaces with brake cleaner or similar – then do it again. You want a perfectly clean surface to ensure you do not contaminate the friction material. Whether it’s a huge deal or not is tangent to this DIY article – don’t start half-assing the install now.





Step 3: Install the new clutch assembly.
Inspect your clutch again, making sure the friction surfaces haven't been contaminated by greasy gloves, etc during handling. Using latex gloves here will help you from ruining your work... when in doubt, clean those surfaces again.

Thankfully, it seems that no aftermarket clutch manufacturer bothers to include instructions with their products. For a twin disc this will be relatively straight forward as it mostly mimics an OEM install
For a triple disc, such as the Monster LT1-S (a hybrid design of the factory GM C7 twin), it’s a little more complicated. You’ll want to install it as you received it – all those sharpie marks will come in handy right about now: taking care to check alignment pins and using a bolt at the top of the clutch to help hold it while you align all three plates.



Except you have 50 pounds of clutch hanging over you, with 4-5 moving plates and three aluminum spacers, with three little black pucks that go in between while you try to line up a pressure plate bolt with your fourth hand! Only once you have the clutch assembly supported by the loosely threaded pressure plate bolts will you then insert the bullshit plastic alignment tool and try to keep it all straight while tightening it down. Don’t attempt to torque each bolt to 20ft lbs on the pass with a triple disc; instead snug them all by hand then tighten in sequence a few turn each before getting to the first torque spec, so that you can keep things centered and the alignment tool will be easier to remove.

Use red Loctite on the pressure plate bolts, and torque them to spec. In my case, that was three passes at 20, 40, and 52 ft-lbs.

NOTE: you MUST make sure the third clutch plate that is captured inside the pressure plate assembly, is also keyed with the central hub BEFORE you torque it down. It is very easy to overlook this when you’re focused on so many other things… but I got to pull the transmission twice because I missed it. You’ll need a good light to look in between the clutch fingers and verify it is indexed properly.



Do your best to align it so that the plastic tool can slide out relatively easily. After I aligned my clutch four times, I started to think that either a billet or universal steel tool would have come in handy.


Step 4: Verify clutch-slave clearance (optional).
I decided to verify clutch clearance myself and it was correct. Monster suggests a range of 0.0625 – 0.200” clearance. Every clutch manufacturer will probably specify slightly different clearances, but the short of it is that the GM slave we all use only has an effective throw of around 1”. When you account for clutch wear, and clutch finger movement it’s really not a lot. I used a 4ft straight edge, a 12” caliper and the old slave to get measurements:
* Pop the retaining ring off the front of the slave cylinder with a screwdriver, and remove the spring (the green accordion part) – but reinsert the bearing and fully compress the slave. It’s easy with the spring out. Reinstall the dummy slave back onto the transmission WITH any spacer provided in your clutch kit, then snug down the bolts.
* You need to measure the distance from the compressed slave bearing surface to the plane of the transmission bell housing. I took several measurements and averaged them, getting around 4.30”.
Next, again using a straight edge and calipers, measure from the block mating surface to the plane of the clutch fingers. You might have to measure a few different ways as the fingers are often recessed into the pressure plate. I measured 4.20” and subtracting the two gives me a clearance of around 0.10” – right smack dab in the middle of tolerance even when we account for human error.



Here's how to disassemble the slave:



Step 5: Reinstall the @#$%ing transmission!
We’re getting there. Again, a transmission jack is worth the $150 or so – it will make aligning the transmission so much easier because you have to raise the REAR of the transmission to shoe-horn the top of the bell housing past the trans tunnel, then lower the rear of the transmission to line up the input shaft with the clutch spline.



As you’re pushing the transmission forward take your time, and use the rear trans yoke to help line up the splines and it should slide forward pretty easily up to the flywheel. When the bell housing gets to the flywheel that’s when the input shaft will start to engage the pilot bearing.



With a little man-handling of the transmission you should be able to get the bell housing almost flush with the block, or within about an 1/8th of an inch. In my case, this happened the first time. The second time, my clutch was not centered perfectly and it made pushing the trans in that last ½” a real bear. As long as the bell housing is at or past the flywheel, the input shaft should be past the pilot bearing face and you are clear to pull the trans up with the bell housing bolts with minimal risk.

If the transmission JUST. WONT. GO (!) it is a good idea to stop. Reconnect the clutch hydraulic lines and test for pedal pressure. Don’t go crazy here to avoid damaging the slave – just work the clutch pedal maybe ½ way to help release and center the clutch splines IF you’re having a hard time getting the trans seated fully. You can also rotate the flywheel 180 degrees and see if that helps your alignment.

If you’re still stuck, pull the transmission back and recheck clutch alignment. You’ll have to use judgment here as to how much is too much force when getting that bitch in there.

Once the transmission is in place, torque the bell housing bolts to ~35 ft-lbs.


Step 6: Reconnect all lines, harnesses and hydraulics.
Reconnect the wiring harness and three connectors on the driver’s side, as well as the harness and two connectors on the passenger side. Reconnect the transmission cooler line, the retaining clips, mounting bolts and secure the cooler line brackets to the oil pan.


Step 7: Replace the master cylinder (optional).
Due to the complexity of this operation, I will expand in detail in a separate post below. The cliff notes are:
* Remove the brake master cylinder from the brake booster , then remove the surge tank and move it out of the way.
* Disconnect the master cylinder pushrod from the clutch pedal in the cabin.
* Disconnect the intermediate line from the bottom of the master cylinder – use a small flat-head screw driver to pull out the retaining clip and it will pop off easily. Good luck finding the retaining clip.
* Using your Hulk Strength, twist the master cylinder clockwise about a ¼ turn or until it hits the brake booster, and then pull it out. A little silicone spray on the firewall bushing helps this.
* Disconnect the intermediate line from the NEW master cylinder, insert it into the firewall in the same manner you removed the old one, then carefully reinstall the intermediate line and retaining clip.
* Connect the intermediate line to the slave cylinder, ensuring the retaining clip is properly installed.
* Push the master cylinder rod onto the clutch pedal in the cabin, locking it in place.
* Using a MityVac or equivalent, apply 20-25mmHg vacuum to the Master Cylinder reservoir and bleed the system. Work the pedal by hand while under vacuum to help work any residual air out of the system. Top off the reservoir.
* Replace the surge tank and brake booster.



Step 8: Start putting it all back together.
* Reinstall the transmission cross brace, torque the brace-to-transmission bolts and the brace-to-body bolts to 44 ft-lbs.
* Pull the engine cradle back into position in the same manner you lowered it: The front four bolts are torqued to 141 ft-lbs. The rear two bolts are torqued to 180 ft-lbs. I didn’t have a 180lb torque wrench so I defaulted back to “really fuckintight” spec.
* I strongly recommend you replace the shifter rod clamp bolt, as referenced in the shifter-alignment thread, BEFORE you reinstall the driveshaft. Again, review this thread as several posts discuss the weakness of the factory shifter-rod clamp:
http://www.ctsvowners.com/forum/5-t...0-hard-find-gears-having-force-into-gate.html




* Reinstall the driveshaft. Use blue Loctite on the bolts, and torque them to 22 ft-lbs (yes, the rear driveshaft specs 44 ft-lbs for some reason).
* Reinstall the exhaust and oxygen sensors. I recommend anti-seize on the threads.
* Reinstall the shifter assembly and center console. Don’t forget to align your shifter:
http://www.ctsvowners.com/forum/5-t...0-hard-find-gears-having-force-into-gate.html


Step 9: Double check everything.
* recheck the wiring harness, hoses and lines for any leaks, crimps or clearance issues. Zip tie everything up and out of the way if necessary.
* Pay attention to clearance near exhaust pipes.
* Make sure your brake booster is installed properly, and your surge tank was hooked back up if you replaced the master cylinder.


NOTE: when dropping the cradle, many of the lines in the FRONT of the engine bay will shift. Specifically the A/C hard lines that run under the crank pulley and in front of the alternator! Verify there are no clearance issues by the serpentine belts.


Step 10: Fire that bitch up and see if it works!
With the car still in the air, I would recommend starting the car IN NEUTRAL – just in case. Check for pedal feel, make sure you can shift into all forward gears and reverse, and check for smooth clutch engagement. Enjoy the smoke-show as all the brake fluid you spilled burns off the exhaust. Let the car get warm, then turn it off.
* If you can’t get reverse – align your shifter again, and this time tighten the clamping bolt down more firmly.
* Using a 3/8” ratchet, remove the fill plug from the transmission and top off with the appropriate fluid.
* Recheck the clutch reservoir.
* Retighten your exhaust fittings, Oxygen sensors, and anything else you can get to.


Step 11: Send Random some beer money, and enjoy that new clutch.



Random’s thoughts:
I removed and installed the master cylinder no less than four times. I removed and installed the transmission completely twice, and pulled it off the clutch to realign the clutch assembly three additional times (that means disassembling the clutch three times as well). I had to align the shifter assembly five times. I spent three days trying to bleed the clutch pedal before another forum member suggested I had one of the clutch plates misaligned (thank you!).

The point of this is that you are going to make mistakes. You’ll not align the clutch properly like I did. Or you’ll get a defective reservoir line on a brand new master cylinder like I did. Or you’ll get a defective slave cylinder like Mini_Me did. Or you’ll just get a shitty clutch like so many other forum members have. Or you’ll just forget Loctite or whatever. So take your time. Expect that, in the best of circumstances, this will take an honest two days of work – if you’re thorough.

If you’re not thorough… it could take much longer! For reference, by the time it’s all said and done I spent the better part of two weeks troubleshooting things and doing things two or three times. So I hope this detailed review will save some of you the same kind of “IMGONNASETTHISFUCKERONFIRE” frustration that I experienced. :D But, I’m glad I did It as I learned so much about the car and the clutch system that – next time – I’ll probably be able to knock a clutch swap out in two days easy.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Replacing the Clutch Master Cylinder (expanded version):
The factory service manual tells you to remove the brake booster, which would make removing the clutch master cylinder pretty easy! Except it's an absolute bear to remove the brake booster... and you'd need to either fabricate or buy a $160 tool to do it. Fuck that noise. So...

Remove the brake master cylinder from the brake booster and pull it back, allowing you to then move the surge tank out of the way.




Disconnect the master cylinder pushrod from the clutch pedal in the cabin. The rod is held on by two plastic lock tabs - you can pry it off with a large screwdriver and easily shear them off if discarding the master. If you plan on reusing the master, I suggest using two small shims or mini-drivers to wedge the tabs open before removing it.



* Disconnect the intermediate line from the bottom of the master cylinder – use a small flat-head screw driver to pull out the retaining clip and it will pop off easily. Good luck finding the retaining clip.



* Using your Hulk Strength, twist the master cylinder clockwise about a ¼ turn or until it hits the brake booster, and then pull it out. A little silicone spray on the firewall bushing helps this.




* Disconnect the intermediate line from the NEW master cylinder, insert it into the firewall in the same manner you removed the old one , then carefully reinstall the intermediate line and retaining clip. Inevitably, when you lose this retaining clip there are at least three more of the same size on the OLD master you've removed. Ask me how I know. :)



* Connect the intermediate line to the slave cylinder, ensuring the retaining clip is properly installed.



* Push the master cylinder rod onto the clutch pedal in the cabin, locking it in place.


* Using your MityVac or equivalent, apply 20-25mmHg vacuum to the Master Cylinder reservoir and bleed the system. You can easily attach the vacuum hose to the preformed "nipple" in the bottom of the reservoir without having to fabricate any custom lids. Work the pedal by hand while under vacuum to help work any residual air out of the system. Top off the reservoir.




* Replace the surge tank and brake booster.


* Check your pedal, but the system IS largely self-bleeding. You just need to give it a healthy head-start with the vacuum gauge as described.

NOTE: take care with routing the intermediate line when connecting it to the slave cylinder fitting. There are some large diameter wiring harnesses and the hood release that are conveniently placed right next to the master and directly underneath the brake booster - I recommend routing the hydraulic line over top of these and the steering shaft to prevent any air-trapping "s curves" in the lines; but think about it before hooking everything up.
 
#4 ·
Torque values from the 2013 service manual:



 
#5 ·
That is one thorough write-up. I’ll be sure to tell the guys doing my trans / clutch replacement to refer to this is they run into any snags. Great write-up bro!


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#6 ·
Woohoo!
 
#7 ·
Great write up.! I will tell everyone that your trans shifter alignment is a good thing to check. My shift was always loose feeling, even in gear I could wiggle the stock shifter an inch or better.. went to the Creative Steel shifter which works waay better but still had some play?? Had everything apart an thanks to @Random and his link to checking/adjusting the shifter. I go to put the alignment pin in the receiver hole an the whole aft support was loose! I was wth? Got under the car an both screws are gone.. an for how long I have no clue.. I found 2 new screws (not the exact ones but they will work) and installed them. Holy shit.. I've had the car for 2yrs with. Sloppy shifter and now it feels 110% better/stiffer with almost zero play.!! Can't wait to drive.! Thanks Random!! There's the screws everyone with sloppy M6 shifters should make sure they are both installed and tight. (End of screw driver) this is the very aft end of the shifter.


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#8 ·
The end of your shaft looks nasty. I don't know where you've been sticking it, but I'm not sure they make antibiotics for that...

Naaaasty.

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#9 ·
I'm pretty twisted on what i've done with my shaft to the girls in my past.. Notice hex head bolts for my shaft? early design for 09' was kind of pissed i didnt see it before I had the shaft bolted up, but I didn't plan on being in the car right after installing the trans having been on the floor. Yup owe you a beer/drink/or lap dance at strip joint... lol
 
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#11 ·
Gathering all my parts for the install. Do you remember the what size and length of the longer bolts for the slave/spacer?
Again thanks for the write up!

If you bought a Monster Triple like me, you’ll need to take a break and fetch longer bolts to account for the included spacer from the local hardware store.
 
#12 · (Edited)
They should be included. :D


I honestly don't recall - I just took one of the bolts and matched the threads while adding a 1/4" for the thickness of the spacer.

My best guess is M8x1.25 and 1" long

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#13 ·
I didn’t know they made metric bolts with standard lengths... where do you find those at?! ;)
 
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#14 · (Edited)
u cunt - yur not gonna stert makn fun uf my gramir next. R u? fukers makn tooo many jokez.
 
#16 ·
Yes mine did.
 
#20 ·
First huge shout out to Random for providing this write up. Immensely valuable in helping me get the tranny out!

I did want to provide a couple thoughts from my experiance for others so it's in one place. I will note first that my Blower and Heads were removed so I had an easier time for sure.

1. Support the transmission towards the rear of the transmission body. I used the same transmission jack adapter pictured that Random used. I had the jack centered on the transmission body. I was unaware of the weight distribution of the transmission but it is way way towards the back of the body. Once I manually picked up on the rear of the transmission my buddy was able to slip the transmission right out. We were prying on the engine/block and the tranny wouldn't budge because the weight wasn't properly supported. Another thing I would recommend is to support the oil pan of the engine with a jack stand. My motor mounts (80K) were pretty loose so it def. made things more difficult with multiple items moving.

2. I did not have to lower the cradle to get the transmission out, I did remove the headers as well since my heads were already off so that likely had something to do with it. I had virtually no room but it came out.

Random couple questions for you.

1. Why did you replace the master? Did you have issues or just maintenance since it was all apart? Still recommend it?
2. On your optional parts list

* Monster billet Slave / release bearing support - I assume this is only applicable to the factory slave?
* Bronze shifter bushing - $19 from www.thegearbox.org
* TR6060 input shaft / Front seal (#89059435) - $4 from www.thegearbox.org
* TR6060 output shaft / rear seal (#89059483 / TUSJ2042) - $12 from www.thegearbox.org
I emailed the guys at the above website. They noted I couldn't replace any parts on the 6060 without cracking it open and didn't see any steps on how you replaced the above seals. Would really appreciate any guidance here? I would like to replace anything I can while it's apart.
 
#22 ·
I replaced the master because it had 65k on it and was cheap insurance.

I think the bronze bushing was an error and only for V1 cars.

I wound up not replacing anything on the transmission as I also realized it had to be opened up. I figure if I need to open it up it will get rebuilt by someone else who actually knows what they're doing.

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#21 ·
Not sure what the bronze shifter bushing is referring to.

I put bronze fork pads in mine. Def requires opening it and bought them from the gearbox.

The output seal can be replaced by removing the tail shaft. 30 mm impact to get the nut and then rig a puller to push the splined connection apart.

I don't fully recall or have a pic, but I don't think the input seal can be done with it together...I wouldn't mess with it at least. No way to get the shaft out so you are working in a tight spot.

 
#25 ·
It would have been 2 days had I gotten the third clutch plate lined up properly. [emoji16]

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#27 ·
Thank you Random, I know this is an older post, but still relevant. I took notes for my first install a year ago, and again this week prior to a clutch/trans inspection, everything checked out. With a lift it still took me two 12 hour days solid! My car is heavily modified, so there are a few extra tear down steps for me. But as you wrote, removing the entire rear trans support and raising the rear trans while pushing downward on the engine to clear the last 1/4" of input shaft is the life saver. The upper LH RH bell housing corners are a BITCH to clear the tunnel, I ended up smashing the slave line bell housing support between the tunnel and trans, had to struggle to remove that for clearance after the fact. It is not a job I particularly enjoy, but you made it possible. Thanks...
 
#29 ·
Tick Performance for the TR6060 extreme package rebuild. Also, McLeod run bronze pilot bushings rather than pilot bearings in their vehicles, they manufacture the (large) compatible with V2 and sell direct. As you have stated in the past there are pros and cons between using bushing or bearing.
 
#30 ·
Just to add to this post from Random... Fuck changing the clutch master..!!! That 1/4 turn bullshit is a dumbass design.. Kick in the balls to any fucking design engineer that forgets people have to WORK on these Things!!!! Anyway, hope this fixes what seemed to be a lack of disengagement when shifting which should not be happening since I just spent a butt load of $$$ with TICK for their badass rebuild with many extras added..
 
#33 ·
IIRC the movement can vary based on the clutch (fingers) design - but it doesn't take much. Maybe 3/4 to 1" total throw.

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#34 ·
Thanks Jess, that makes me feel better with what I saw. I just spent 5k with Tick on a full rebuilt and just recently my 2-3 shift under throttle is not wanting to go cleanly and I'm like WTF..? Hope to get test drives in this weekend.. fingers crossed.
 
#35 ·
If it's not wanting to go in the gate, but all others are good, then I wouldn't expect the slave to be an issue.

While in gear under light load (almost like coasting), slowly press the clutch pedal in. If the clutch releases in the top half of travel then you are GTG IMHO.

Specific gear change issues make me think it's most likely a shifter alignment issue or the Trans/ syncros.



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#36 ·
Finally got my car running after being down since November 2020 (don't ask) and decided to go with this same clutch. Just wanted to thank @random84 for this write-up, as it was invaluable to getting this job done smoothly. Almost died getting the trans back in (probably should have used a chain to hold it :rolleyes:), but got everything buttoned up and bled (the Mityvac is a MUST). Just took the car for a quick 1 min drive down the street and the clutch is MONEY. 30% lighter than stock, grabs linearly. Worth every penny (y).
 
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