How easy is it to replace a clutch?

NickK

NickK

NickK

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The mrs has a Matiz 1.0 or 1.2 petrol and the clutch is slipping (to the point it's making a noise when in neutral, but depressing the clutch pedal results in the noise disappearing. The car is still a good drive (and she likes it still) plus we're in the middle of other costs so replacing the car isn't really an option right now.. add to that we need both cars in about a fortnight.

Online it's possible to take off some of the components (basically a wheel, the supports, drive shaft, drain the gearbox to make it lighter and then slip the gearbox to one side allowing access to the clutch. The clutch cost itself is about £50-100 but as always you run the risk of not being able to get a bolt off (I could get an impact wrench if required). I've got a socket set, torque wrench etc, axle stands, large jack, etc and a garage with power.

I've changed a radiator, an alternator on the old focus MkII (requires the wheel arch to be removed and is a pig to remove - and it's still going as a friend of the wife bought that), and I've replaced the fuel filter, plugs in the matiz at the weekend.

I suppose I'm just trying to convince myself I have enough engineering skills todo this for the first time.

Any tips for doing this?
 
It isn't hard but it is fiddly as hell. Find a clutch specialist and you won't be paying a lot anyway; I ended up paying £90 labour for my 1.4 TDCi.
 
The thrust bearing has gone, not the clutch.
On that car it's as about easy as it gets, but that's easy for me to say.
Watch some Youtube vids then decide if you're comfortable doing it solo.
If you've got a mate to help you, it'll be much much easier.
Trying to lift the box back in by yourself will be tricky even with using a trolley jack.
 
How many miles has the car done? If the thrust bearing has gone (and I agree with the above poster that it has) it’s worth getting a new clutch fitted at the same time.
 
Well yeah, if you're getting access to it then you'd do the clutch and release bearing. I'd also see if it's worth changing the slave cylinder too. I'd not bother draining the box, unless pulling the shaft out is going to let all your oil out (in the past I've just split CVs rather than pulling the cup out of the diff.. but then some inner CVs are lubricated by the box oil anyway).
 
I think I'll ring around the local places. If it's £150-200 then it's probably worth saving my sanity. I still have got more garden stuff I need to sort in my free time.
 
How easy it is depends on what/who you have at your disposal, how technical you are and how arsed you are. Clean, well lit garage with loads of tools and some extra muscle? No problem.

Sunday afternoon on the drive with axle stands solo? Not in a billion years.
 
On something fairly simple like a Matiz, getting everything out isn't too bad. Getting the box back in can be a real challenge of you're on your own and without access to a ramp etc. I remember doing my first box replacement on a MK1 Fiesta on axle stands and I'd not really appreciated how awkward it can be trying to maneuver even a fairly small gearbox like that into place when you're on your own, on your back, laying on gravel.

EDIT

What @JonRGV250 said, basically. Especially if you've not been eating your spinach.
 
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@NickK

Based on the description of the car, the cost of getting it done at a garage, and your own mechanical skills, I say go ahead and do it.

Your scenario is very similar to mine. I had a mk1 focus for many years and on this car I took on more complex jobs as time went by.

The Mrs has an Astra H which she loves (I know). 2007 model, 110k, clutch began slipping 2 years ago.

I weighed up the cost and instead of the £600 the garage would charge, I paid about £200 for a replacement clutch kit, including slave cylinder, alignment tool, gearbox oil and differential gasket.

I picked a dry weekend and started fairly early at about 9am, outside on the driveway with axle stands, and took my time.

By 4pm I had the old clutch out an new clutch in, but called it a day before refitting the driveshafts and refilling the hydraulic system because I'd started dropping bolts and picking up the wrong spanners. My body was telling me I was knackered.

The next morning I finished the job, but try as I might I could not get a squirt of clear fluid from the clutch bleed nipple using the pedal pumping method, even though I had good pedal pressure. After a quick trip to Halfords to buy a brake pressure bleeding kit for £18, a pressure bleed did the job straight away.

When test driving the car, I was dismayed to discover that first gear was very hard to engage, and reverse actually made a grinding sound when being engaged :( However, after a 5 minute test drive involving swinging her around a few minu roundabouts and doing a few 3 point turns, the engine settled back into the mounts (my theory) and the gears engaged perfectly :)

2 years and 20k miles later and she's still going strong, and I'm really pleased that I took on this job and overcame the challenges. I'm also glad that I did it myself because I had the luxury of time, which a mechanic in the clock doesn't. I did a few other jobs while I was there: Replaced a stripped battery tray thread with a nut and bolt. Ground off some bits if rust around the inner arches and painted with zinc primer, replaced some broken cable ties etc.

I appreciate that this sort of work is not for everyone. Measuring family time against the cost, you may decide to pay someone to to it and have that time to do other things.

I say do it!
 
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bobuk said:
Sounds like the first motion shaft bearing has gone in the gearbox. thrust bearing makes a noise when the pedal is pressed,.
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I concur, usually the release bearing will not be turning without depressing the clutch pedal. When a transmission noise STOPS when the clutch is depressed it would normally indicate a noise from parts of the gearbox that are then no longer rotating. Usually, as you say, from a worn bearing. One assumes there's some oil in the gearbox ... ;)
 
I presume the clutch is cable operated on the matiz? If so it will be mega easy to do.

Some hydraulic clutches have really weird positioned slave cylinders making them a right pig to bleed. When I did my Saab 9-5 the slave cylinder is built into the release bearing so you have to do a special technique to bleed it and only really know if it has worked once you have everything rebuilt. Any mistake and you have to take the box off again....

I would never do a clutch change without an engine hoist and a vast arrangement of hydraulic jacks though. I bench pressed an MX5 gearbox once and it nearly gave me a hernia.
 
Chris Wilson said:
I concur, usually the release bearing will not be turning without depressing the clutch pedal. When a transmission noise STOPS when the clutch is depressed it would normally indicate a noise from parts of the gearbox that are then no longer rotating. Usually, as you say, from a worn bearing. One assumes there's some oil in the gearbox ... ;)
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The clutch needs doing too - it is slipping and the ride hight of the clutch is right at the top. She has a very bad habit of riding/slipping the clutch. Not a problem for the larger car as it’s an auto.

It is a cable clutch but you need to disassemble one side of the car (including arms, shocks etc to get to it).

Arranged it during the week - got more DIY doing unfortunately at the weekends/evening.
 
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NickK said:
The clutch needs doing too - it is slipping and the ride hight of the clutch is right at the top. She has a very bad habit of riding/slipping the clutch. Not a problem for the larger car as it’s an auto.

It is a cable clutch but you need to disassemble one side of the car (including arms, shocks etc to get to it).

Arranged it during the week - got more DIY doing unfortunately at the weekends/evening.
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You can normally get a bit more out of a clutch by adjusting it if it hasn't already been done. Cable clutches need adjusting manually whereas hydraulic will do itself automatically.
 
The biggest issue you'll have with this job at home is access assuming you don't have a lift or a service pit. Even a light transmission can be quite difficult to handle when you're on your back with restricted space under a car on stands.
 
Slam62 said:
I wouldn’t bother life’s too short, just assume you could easily do it if you wanted and pay someone else.
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Absolutely this for sub £500.

You could damage the car, box or you if you're trying to do it without the tools, knowledge or right kit.
 
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