OMG.. brand new clutch... dont know how to replace it!

[festivaelyria]

I have a 93 Ford Festiva (stick shift, the only way to go) and I SO need help... My name is not Yoda, so I cant exactly lift the vehicle, detach the old clutch, and replace it with a new one...:cry_smile:

Does 'ANYBODY OUT THERE'(c) Pink FLoyd have a schematic sheet, some kind of a video, something, anything to help me do this myself? Everywhere I turn I hear 400, 350, 200 bucks, and the car is so small (like a Hot Wheels LOL) that there is NO WAY it should cost that much... I swear I can remove the engine with one hand!:nono:

Anytakers? Please?

Sincerely, FestivaElyria (ohio)

[Bert]

Cost of parts is not entirely related to weight of goods. Complexity of these parts etc is no different from a monster truck. However the good news for you is a Festy transmission is amongst the lightest in the world. Few people attempt clutch jobs without some sort of manual, instructions or supervision. If you can get the car up in the air (enough for you to comfortably get underneath) that will help as most of what you're doing is down below. The search feature on this site ought to help in finding least expensive, or best quality, parts and providing tips on how to do things.

[Damkid]

Changing a clutch is pretty easy on a festiva, lucky for you I bet there's several members near by who could help you out

[zoom zoom]

What part of Ohio are you from? Add your location to your profile, someone might be close enough to help.

[georgeb]

You can make an engine support with a 2 by 4 cut to lay on both fender flanges and a 3/8 threaded hook to grab the driver's side lift loop.

[link5186]

You've got a couple options really:

Remove the trans.
Pros:
No hoist needed
Trans is 40 lbs
Easy to line up splines
Cons:
Must remove axles
Must remove crossmember

Remove the engine.
Pros:
Easier to remove clutch, pressure plate and flywheel
Easy to inspect for leaks
Preps you for an engine swap
Cons:
Requires a hoist (or a hulking giant who can deadlift a few hundred pounds)
Must drain coolant.

Either way you go with it, plan to spend the better part of a weekend to do this, especially if it's your first time. Plan on some time at the machine shop, too. You'll need to have your flywheel resurfaced.

$400 is the going rate just to remove and replace a transmission (nothing else) at the shops here and if you've done it, you'll understand why.

Get a Haynes repair manual at least and read through the procedure a few times before you do anything. It's $20 you'll never regret spending.

Add your location to your profile. There are several members who can help out, but we all need to know how close or far away before committing to anything. Ohio is a big state! By the way, welcome to the forum!

Sent from the bathroom via crapatalk.

[Nerd Racing]

I'd gladly pay $200 to have someone change a clutch for me, especially if there are stuck axles. that is usually the hardest part.

[rickbz28]

With a name like festivaelyria I would say he's in Elyria OH.Just a guess.

[Damkid]

With a name like festivaelyria I would say he's in Elyria OH.Just a guess.

My thoughts exactly

[Bert]

$200 (let's not even be frugal here-$400) to change a clutch? Includes re-surfacing of the flywheel plus all of the bargain-basement-sourced parts. Where do I sign. Cold beer at the beach tastes so much better when I think of all the time that would have been wasted trying to do a job like that myself.
Folks do need a reality check once in awhile. And I need to spend more time dreaming about beaches.

[Movin]

Go to the beach, then do your dreaming, and maybe you need help!!?

Shops all work off of percentages, so do back yarders, and the dollars
mentioned might work for some backyarders, but at that rate the light
bill wouldn't get paid!!

[valelotax]

now, hasn't someone on here post up a how-to on removing the transmission? not sure if that's what you want, but I'm sure i saw it on here.

[TominMO]

Welcome to the forum! You'd probably get a lot more notice for this subject if you actually put it in the Repair Help thread.

[Larry Hampton]

I went to change the clutch on my car, did the whole "remove the engine" deal instead of removing the trans. Turned out the clutch was good, just the TO bearing was bad. It was a HUGE PITA!!! Getting the engine back over the input shaft, hitting the passenger strut tower, next time I'll remove the tranny.

[Pu241]

With a name like festivaelyria I would say he's in Elyria OH.Just a guess.

Pure Genius!
We are changing your name to Wile E. Coyote!