87 5K TQ wagon clutch swap

[Livolsi, Stephane]

Sean, thanks for giving me an opportunity to share my experience.  Hope it
helps you.

I just did my clutch in my 86 5ktq sedan last fall, yours should be
identical. I would say you have all the bases covered except:

1.  In order to remove the tranny from under the car, you have to remove the
clutch cylinder from the tranny itself.  This has to do with the fact that
the clutch hose going from the hard line at the frame to the clutch slave is
screwed onto the clutch slave, then the slave is inserted into the tranny.
In order to unscrew it, you have to remove the clutch slave first.  You will
need a punch that is exactly 6 mm (or was it 8) in order to punch out the
pin holding the slave in.  But this isn't the end of it, the slave may very
well be seized in there.  I ended up having to get totally medieval on the
hose, bending twisting and kinking (essentially ruining it) and I did
eventually get it unscrewed from the slave cyl, with the cylinder still in
the tranny, but the hose was @#%$%ed, and I bought a new one (can't recall
the price, but it was not cheap).  At least then I got the tranny out from
under the car and had to beat on the slave quite severely to get it out.
Right around the same time someone else posted doing the same and they
cracked their tranny case.  Be careful and be prepared for this.

2.  A mini-mag lite is the perfect diameter for a clutch alignment tool, and
works pretty good as a flashlight too.

3.  You have to reverse pressure bleed the clutch, meaning you have to force
the brake fluid through the bleed valve on the clutch and up into the master
cylinder.  As far as I can tell, there is no way around this.  If you don't
have or don't want to get a pressure bleeder, you can crack the bleed screw
on one of your front wheels, run a tube to the bleed screw on the clutch
slave and have someone pump the brake pedal, while someone under the car
opens and closes the bleed screw as appropriate.  It does work, I did it,
but it can be very messy and you need a really tight fitting hose to go on
the bleed screws.

4.  As you are taking the tranny out, and once it is out, be very careful of
the vacuum actuator for the diff lock.  The nipples for the vac hose are
plastic and very brittle from the heat over the years (it is on the exhaust
side).  You can guess how I know this - (hint: I haven't locked my center
diff ever since doing the clutch job.)

5.  On reassembly, remember not to preinstall the clutch slave.  It has to
be screwed onto the hose first, then the hose attached to the hard line on
the chassis, THEN, you can install it into the tranny, under the car.
Rather than using a roll pin to hold the new clutch slave in, I used an
appropriate sized bolt and 2 nuts with a lock washer.

You don't need to remove the subframe at all.  Also, I think the haynes
manual sed you had to remove the downpipe.  I found this was not the case.

Good luck

Stephane



> ----------
> From: 	Comcast[SMTP:shoemakersp at comcast.net]
> Sent: 	February 13, 2003 1:24 PM
> To: 	Quattro List
> Subject: 	87 5K TQ wagon clutch swap
>
> My throwout bearing very vocally informed me that it was time for some
> attention.  Ben Swann and I are set to address this as soon as the needed
> parts arrive.  Hopefully we will encounter a day above freezing as
> well(not
> usually something we worry about in MD).
>
> We were planning on removing the transmission from the car, replacing the
> clutch disc, pressure plate, throwout bearing, pilot bearing and slave
> cylinder.  This would be using new bolts on the flywheel and pressure
> plate
> as well.  I am just looking for any BTDT's that anyone might have that we
> might not be considering.
>
> I am thinking to remove the tranny we will need to support the engine,
> undo
> the axles and driveshaft and then remove the tranny mount with the tranny
> supported.  Might this also entail lowing the front subframe??  Any
> experience on this would be helpful.  I haven't been able as of yet to
> find
> any answers on this method from bentley.
>
> While I am under there I also want to investigate the source of so much
> pentosin I have been losing.  I am pretty sure there is a leak somewhere,
> but I have yet to be able to pinpoint it.  I have to top it off about once
> a
> month.
>
> Thanks again to a great resource.  You guys make it possible to own and
> maintain these cars.
> -Sean Shoemaker
>
> 87 5000CS Wagon
> 84 Coupe GT (WE)
> 01 Dodge Dakota Club FS
>
>