Clutch Replacement Writeup--Finished!

I got hit with a gauntlet of repairs recently, and when my clutch started slipping, I decided to tackle it myself. Outside. In the dirt. In the rain. With chickens. And I took photos to document the process, in case anyone is thinking of replacing the clutch in their 2nd gen on their own:

First off, you need some basic things:

-misc wrenches and sockets, including 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, and possibly 19mm
-torque wrench and lots of extensions
-clutch kit (I used an Aisin kit)
-new flywheel bolts
-exhaust manifold gasket and downpipe gaskets
-jack stands and jack
-transmission jack
-creeper
-liquid wrench
-safety glasses
-rags
-????

Before starting, makes sure there is a shop near you that can properly resurface the flywheel (it is a stepped flywheel and both surfaces need to be machined). Also, avoid donating blood for at least a week beforehand. You will understand why later.

First off, a clean, organized work area is a must:

Remember, always organize your bolts so you know where they go:


Remove your front driveshaft and hang your rear out of the way as securely as possible. Harbor Freight zip ties work beautifully:


Get help from the locals. Watch out for chicken poop, they LOVE to poop under pickup trucks EVERY DAMN TIME you go inside to grab something. Employ the dog to clean it up for you:


Don't keep hitting your head on the door when you crawl out from under the truck. See earlier comment about blood and rags.


Seriously, keep those rags handy:


Remove your center console and shift lever from the transmission. There is a retainer under the 3rd shift boot (really tiny one) that pops out --no need to take the cap off the transmission.


Do a bunch of stuff and remove the transmission. Realize how hard it is to get a wrench on the upper bellhousing bolts and spend all day doing it. Remove the driver side exhaust manifold to access the two top left bellhousing bolts even though you saw a video where the guy didn't seem to remove it. Swear profusely and continue to wrap rags around the cuts on your hands.


Stare in terror at the nightmare of mechanical stuff you just exposed:


Realize just how much your clutch was actually slipping:


Do other stuff while you wait for the shop to resurface your flywheel, like modify the rear suspension and install extended brake lines:


Now that your flywheel is resurfaced, install it using a crowbar to hold it steady while torquing the bolts. Notice how shiny it is:


Install new clutch using alignment tool. Install new throwout bearing inside bellhousing too, because it's cheap insurance and came with the clutch kit (you bought a kit, right?) Note: there is no pilot bearing in the 6spd Tacoma!


Drink heavily. Go to bed. Eat a hardy breakfast the next day and install everything in the reverse order of removal. Don't forget to replace the exhaust gaskets! A leaky exhaust is a PITA.


Drive it. Notice how much better it grips and laugh at yourself for not replacing the clutch sooner. Take ibuprofen because your entire body hurts and sleep for 10 hours when you go to bed. Keep telling yourself that you just saved $800 by doing it yourself, so in a way everything else you just bought for the truck was free!

 

Would you like some eggs with your sausages?

good job OP. Looks like a lot of work

 

Thanks for taking photos and sharing your project, you should be very happy you got the job done and saved a ton of cash, thanks again.

 

Did a similar job on a 91 YJ a couple of weeks ago. Without a transmission jack -- just use a floor jack, ratchet strap, and a chain hoist instead.
And no alignment tool, since I put back all the original parts (the pressure plate was filled up with mouse nest, but parts still good).

Note OP: With a brand new clutch, it will grip significantly more than it "should", because the surfaces are all rough. Give it a few thousand miles to break in, and it will end up somewhere between what you had before the job and what you got right away.

While I didn't end up bleeding from the job, I hear you on the PAIN level. A socket jumped off a bolt for me while putting it back together, smacked a fingernail against the jeep's frame hard enough to see stars.

Alignment tool is for amateurs. You can wiggle the disk around into alignment while the pressure plate is 'less than finger tight', then crank it into position once its in place. But I do suppose that it would be a bit easier with the tool.

 

Old post but, as far as connectors goes, where there any that was a PITA to get to or disconnect?

 

There's good info in this thread too.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2015-toyota-tacoma-clutch-replacement-guide.539895/

 

To the original poster, and others who have provided input on this topic, thank you for taking the time to do so, it has helped me understand what I’ve needed to do. This cross member thing was a magical step that ALL posters/resources that I’ve found were mentioning but not providing the actual how to (aside from a comment that said shuffle the transmission jack in place now the crossmember is gone.. great, but one does not simply shuffle something currently being used to support hundreds of pounds in an area with limited footing for jack bases).

Normally I don’t post things up because my brain is innately non social, but for major pain issues where I’ve done things that I couldn’t find resources on I’d like to make knowledge offerings at the Taco Alter for the Taco gods/disciples to utilize as reference. If I started a new thread for this specific step it would likely never be seen by those needing it. It still likely won’t be seen unless folks actually take the time to read through threads (which I laugh at when someone just jumps in on the 5th page asking for an answer provided on the second).

Info for reference for those looking into this.. This (clutch replacement 4wd 2nd gen/08 taco) takes more time than you think it would. I work slowly (to avoid rage damage to clips and misc stubborn crap), but am pretty proficient in what I do.

Also, the removal of the tranny crossmember is a little sketch because it’s under the balance point of the tranny, so you need to shuffle things around to make it all work.

Currently my method of that magic but unseen ‘shuffle/tranny jack relocation’ is floor jack under the front of the tranny (with wood block as a spacer which won’t damage the tranny) to keep the tranny from falling back, while tranny jack is under my transfer case (as an oh shit the floor jack didn’t work/failed, also to provide motion between the tranny and tranny mount (ensuring you aren’t bound to the tranny when trying to remove that stubborn stubborn tranny cross member).

Ideally the floor jack/block is enough to hold the tranny in place alone, at which point I’ll quickly reposition my tranny jack to be where the cross member was, strap it down, remove the floor jack block combo, and start slowly lowering the tranny (after disconnecting/unbolting the electrical connectors/connector brackets, disconnecting the main hydraulic line feeding the hydraulic system on the tranny, my y-pipe, front and rear driveshafts completely, draining all fluid from tcase and tranny (weight reduction stage 2 ) to start on the bell housing bolts (especially those two SPECIAL bolts on top of the tranny approaching from the rear of the tranny with a go go gadget extension that you could pick your friends nose with while adhering to social distancing standards —3 to 4 feet with swivel is what I’ve seen work so far)

Also, might be a good idea to support your engine to keep it from tilting forward when the weight of the tranny is taken off it. This is tricky and debatable (for many reasons, of which I’m totally open to non trashy input) as it only makes sense if you’re supporting your engine from the side of the pivot points it is likely to tilt towards (the front of vehicle), but there aren’t any areas of the engine accessible in a 4wd configuration aside from the oil pan (which is in on the wrong side of the pivot point, and sensitive in general). I’ve located a gap between the engine and steering rack (at your own risk) that some soft wood (she said?) like cedar could be used to fill , giving us the viagr.. support needed to keep it (the engine) up in the front and down in the back (which is where we’ll want the engine to be positioned for when we’re ready to put that tranny back in there). The full weight of the engine is not being supported by the steering rack, only a portion. Watch for AC and hydraulic lines because those will break if they are involved/in the path.

To get around the limited footing issue, I plan on leveraging the wide inner gap between my tranny jack legs to go around the narrow(ish) width of my bottle jack’s foundation during the magical shuffle step. See footing pic.

if I run into any issues with what I’ve written for reference, NOT advice, I’ll update here.

 

Second note.. now my pressure plate bolts are loose enough to enable 1/4 to 1/2 inches of play (as seen through bell housing window). I triple checked torque on everything before bolting together last time, also believe I used blue threadlocker.

just an FYI. Pulling apart AGAIN to resolve, will update if anything relevant pops up. Fucking Sunday.

 

Using locktite the first time helps when installing clutches.

Saves your friend's pop offering you a bottle when you're about to remount the tranny, and laughing for several hours and through dinner.