Question about replacing my 5-speed MT clutch in my 2000 2.4L 2WD base Tacoma

Despite the welded on cross-member in my version 2000 Tacoma (158,000), I succeeded in removing the transmission to permit me to replace the rear main seal. While the transmission is out, I want to replace the clutch.

I first went to PartSuq.com to find the part numbers of the clutch disk and the pressure plate (clutch cover). After loging on, I selected the TOYOTA catalog and entered my VIN. Up came the set of exploded parts diagrams that apply to my VIN. There are 4 basic parts diagram categories:

Engine/Fuel/Tool,

Power Train/Chassis,

Body/Interior,

Electrical.

The clutch parts are in the power train set of drawings, and the first drawing that shows up in that category is the one that has the clutch in it. So, I clicked on that drawing. That exploded parts drawing has callouts for each part, and if you mouse over a callout for the clutch cover, it shows two possible clutches that are available for my truck, both active for the manufacturing times that include the date my truck was manufactured. One is LUK and the other is AISIN.

When I clicked on the callout for the clutch cover, up popped a notice that said "There are several options available for your car, pick the correct one," and there were the two numbers, one for the LUK cover (31210-04030) and another for the AISIN cover (3121030240).



Ok, it told me that I needed to "pick the correct one," so I went to the parts that I had removed from the truck and cleaned them well enough to identify the manufacturer of the two parts. They were both LUK.

That tells me that if I want to put the truck back to OEM condition, I need to find those exact parts made by LUK, put them on and the world will be wonderful. Easy, peasy!

So, at PartSuq.com, I clicked on the LUK part number (Toyota 31210-04030) and up pops a display that is headed by the Toyota OEM (LUK) part number I was seeking, but they didn't have that in stock. Instead, they offered a substitute part number AISIN CTX071, for $47.94, and there were 500 available, but that AISIN number was not a Toyota OEM part number, when I thought that I had "picked the correct one," LUK, of the two clutch covers (LUK and AISIN) used during that period of time for manufacturing my Tacoma (mine was made 03/2000 in Freemont, CA).



If, instead of buying a replacement LUK-made clutch cover, I purchased an AISIN-made clutch cover offered as a substitute for the LUK clutch cover, but it came with only an AISIN part number, indicating that it is not an official OEM Toyota part, would that be putting the truck back to OEM condition? Probably not. Worse, would it even work on my truck?

I asked myself wether I might use the other clutch cover that was being installed in Tacomas of my trucks vintage, namely the AISIN pick, instead of the LUK? But a similar thing happened when I clicked on the number for the ASIN clutch cover under a Toyota OEM part number. It returned me another substitute, actually a listing of substitutes:



So, were they saying that if I wanted to replace the LUK clutch cover that originally was installed in my truck, it might be possible instead to switch to an AISIN version of that clutch cover? Well, they didn't have that one in stock either, not the original part number, however, I could purchase a substitute AISIN Toyota (I guess) part with a substitute Toyota part number Toyota 31210-35281, and there were 13 of them still in their stock, each at $126.95. Was that my answer? Should I just buy that (AISIN?) clutch cover and be done with searching for a replacement clutch cover, and move on to find a LUK clutch disc?

I am OCD, or something like that. I don't trust numbers (issues) that don't work out logically. So, I visited another website, Amayana Trading in Japan, a site that is similar to PartSuq. Instead of saying "not available" or not listing a part, they listed the Toyota OEM (LUK) clutch covers (31210-04030) for $121.10, as well as the Toyota OEM (LUK) clutch plates (31250-04030) for $111.09. Of course, I would need to pay shipping.

I haven't actually used this site before, and from what I read on their site, it seems to me that they don't really have them in stock, they interact directly with the manufacturers to make a buy at the price you were quoted once you place, and pay for, an order, and let you know when they get a yes from the manufacturer that your shipment is coming. But, this was possibly getting closer, right? With one more item that cost $27.32, my total cost would be $259.51 plus shipping. That sounds like approximately $300. Is that expensive, cheap, what is that when shopping for a clutch?

To push that one as far as I could, I submitted an INQUIRY that stated all of the vehicle information I could provide and the cart entries that contained all of the LUK part numbers they listed that were being used when my Tacoma was being manufactured. In Japan, the holiday season ends on or about the 6th of January, and they are a half day ahead of us (later in time), so I expect to hear something from them early this week. Don't know what to expect.

ROCK AUTO

After that, I checked RockAuto. Using my disclosed vehicle information, they brought up maybe a dozen clutch kits they say will fit in my Tacoma. With interest, I recognized the manufacturer names of two of their suggestions, AISIN CKT-050 kit $142.79 and LUK 16085 kit $104.99.

The AISIN CKT-050 clutch kit doesn't say it is a Toyota OEM part, but does make the following statement:



One interesting thing about the AISIN CKT050 is the photograph of the kit parts. The parts look a lot like the parts that came out of my Tacoma, however they did not include any specifications that I might use to compare with the existing parts:



The LUK 16085 clutch kit also doesn't say it is a Toyota OEM part, but comes close in the following description:


The photos of the LUK 16085 kit differ significantly from the parts that came out of my Tacoma. The clutch plate has 6 springs instead of the 4 that came out, and the pattern on the cover is just DIFFERENT:



But, they were verbiose when it came to giving out specifications:



When looking at a Luk 16086 clutch kit on Amazon, I saw that people also buy the Luk flywheel at the same time, adding almost another $100 to the total price of the kit. I think the information provided for the flywheel explains that the Luk 16086 clutch cover design optimizes space in the bell housing, as it indicates in the details below in describing their associated flywheel:



With all of that, I still have not done justice in my search for a replacement clutch. There are things I know I still want to pursue, such as checking out the AISIN CKT050 through alternative sources.

If you are still with me after this lengthy text, let me try to boil down all of that into a few questions I would like to have answered:

1) When replacing the clutch, should I try to replace what exists with an exact (or equivalent) Toyota OEM replacement part number?

2) Would the alternate clutch product (AISIN) known to have been installed in Toyotas at the same time my LUK clutch parts were be usable in my Tacoma. Would they function properly?

3) When a seller of Toyota parts suggests a "substitute" Toyota OEM part number, implying that it is form, fit, and functionally equivalent to the original Toyota OEM part number, even possibly an improved product, since designs tend to improve over time, would such a "substitute" work as a replacement?

3) Or, having looked on-line a bit for a clutch that would fit my Tacoma, at places like Amazon, would a no-name replacement clutch kit work just fine in my Tacoma? Maybe it it just me that doesn't recognize the names, but on Amazon, there exist clutch kits that are comprised of a clutch disk and a pressure plate (cover) plus the bearings, and an alignment tool, that they claim would fit my vehicle. Their prices are high enough to make them seem to be ok, but should I trust them when they come from a seller that has a silly name?

4) Or, when the PartSuq.com website (a Toyota parts seller) offers up a non-Toyota part number as a "subsitute," and the part is made by AISIN, and those two parts would be 1/3rd the cost of the OEM Toyota part numbers, should I opt to buy that clutch in order to save money?

5) How do YOU buy a replacement clutch disk and pressure plate? What's normal?


And thank you for reading all of that, whether or not you respond.



------------------------- REWARD ---------------------------------


As an aside, and a way to show my appreciation to anyone who provides assistence in helping me solve my clutch purchase problem, I have identified several off-shore websites that sell OEM Toyota parts at reasonable to low prices, however shipping must be included in the total price. Still, their net prices can beat anything I find here, except that these guys sometimes can be found selling on Amazon. I mention these sites not only because of prices; unlike the way business is done here in America, they allow a user to call up Toyota exploded parts diagrams of their precise models on their computers to help identify a needed part, AND their diagrams show every Toyota part number. You feel like being the guy at the Toyota dealer parts desk here in the US. [Just to let you know, I was using VPN when visiting these sites]:


1) PartSouq.com (Dubai, UAE), a trademark of PS AUTO GOODS WHOLESALERS L.L.C.
- sells parts for Japanese, Korean, and some European automobiles, i.e. TOYOTA


2) https://www.amayama.com, a trademark of Amayama Trading Co., Ltd,
- sells OEM (genuine) parts for cars manufactured by Japanese automakers: TOYOTA, Lexus, Nissan, Infiniti, Mitsubishi, Honda, Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki, Warehouses in:

- Japan started as Amayama Trading Co., Ltd. Date of establishment: November 1, 2004.

- Australia Established as Amayama Trading Co., Ltd branch at March, 9 2011. Established as Amayama Trading Co., Ltd representative in June, 27 2014.

- UAE Date of establishment: May 19, 2011, trading as Dekada Trading FZE can supply general part numbers for Japanese and Korean cars.


3) https://en.impex-jp.com/, a trademark of Impex Japan Co., Ltd. (Established in 2002) aims to promote various Japanese products and services to global market. Our main business activity at the present moment is distribution of new genuine and used spare parts for cars, motorcycles, watercrafts and construction equipment made in Japan: TOYOTA

Their location looks like the center of that 7.9 earthquake that happened just a day or so ago, but I think it is somewhat North of the spot.



4) This one is not an over-seas Toyota parts site. It is something sad that happened recently.

Henrico: McGeorge Toyota dealerships sold to Ourisman

Richmond Times-Dispatch
https://richmond.com › local › business › development

Oct 2, 2023 — The McGeorge Toyota auto dealership has sold its two locations to a Northern Virginia-based group, ending a 55-year run in western Henrico ...

[McGeorge used to be my "go to" on-line dealership because it seemed to offer the lowest priced Toyota parts of all the on-line Toyota dealers in the US. RIP McGeorge! That's just the way with capitalism.]

 

Thanks, Bivouac, your advice would directly solve my immediate problem; I could rest assured that the new clutch would work well, no doubt.

I didn't say it in my posting, but I am a retired engineer, so when I have any job to do, my goal is mixed between "get 'er done" and "learn all you can from every job you do." I realize normal people do not operate in this manner, but that's just who I am. I seriously want to get answers to my questions, so I continue to learn how everything works, how clutches work, what determines their fit to the model Tacoma I own, what alternative ones might be able to serve as substitute, and why, including learning about the parts supply processes, all while minimizing my costs. There is a NAPA just a few miles from me. I could easily go there as you suggest. They would sell me a clutch kit that I have no doubt would work in my Tacoma. Their kit would probably not be comprised of the Toyota OEM part numbers that came out of my truck, but it would work. However, that approach wouldn't teach me anything I don't already know.

Hey, I learned how to get the transmission out of my truck with the welded cross-member without having to take the entire engine/transmission assembly out (it's in the FSM). I also took the timing cover off without having to remove the head first, as required in the FSM. Now I know I can do those things. Before trying, I did not know either of those things. My only relevant experience was with my 1994 Celica that overheated. With encouragement from a kind neighbor, and the proper tools, we got the engine and transmission out, got the block machined and added a remanufactured head to get that car working again. That was maybe 5 years ago. This time, my Tacoma was leaking oil out of the valve cover onto the exhaust manifold (looked like a fire was likely), and when I removed the cover, the whole thing was filled with oil sludge. Instead of jacking the engine out and replacing it with something new, I chose to attempt to remove the sludge by hand, thinking that I could potentially save the engine, given enough care. So, I started at the top, then worked down by removing the timing cover and oil pan, then finally I made an attempt to replace the rear main seal since I thought it was leaking long before the sludge was found. That required taking the transmission out. This is a story of one stubbornly persistent guy who wants to see if he cannot do something he imagined that he could, and it isn't over yet. To me, it's the journey and not the destination that is most important.

And, I do appreciate your taking the time to offer your excellent advice. I might even do what you suggest, but only after I have sucked all the learning possibilites dry.

 

I am so sorry I tried to help I will delete my Post.

Sadly I fixed far to many problems.

 

No, Bivouac, your post was worth-while, helpful, and important to the thread. It forced me to be more specific as to my goal. I do hope I wasn't perceived as being rude to you. Communicating with text is tricky and difficult, and this might be one case of that being a problem. Please put your post back. Sincerely, Bill.

 

Appreciate you, Bivouac, really do!

If I learn something else of interest, I will let you know.

 

Make sure you get the fork back in correctly

 

Have you tried asking your local Toyota dealer’s parts department for help identifying the correct and in stock PN?

 

I wasn't expecting to have a problem with the fork installation, but I will keep what you say in mind when I am doing that part. I bought all new hardware for inside the bell housing. Did you have a special problem installing the fork when doing your own clutch replacement? If so, maybe you can explain to make me aware of what could go wrong?

Your 97, being even older than my 24 year old Tacoma, must have presented you with parts supply issues like those I am having in finding a replacement clutch to buy. I have learned a lot about clutches, for sure, but am stymied at a fundamental level, namely this question. Since the clutch cover and disc I took out of my Tacoma were both manufactured by LUK, should I only replace them with Toyota parts made by LUK? For essential parts, I try to choose OEM, although I cannot tell you why I feel so strongly that way.

Once you leave the OEM world, RockAuto has a lot of choices they say will work in my Tacoma. They are a variety of different manufacturers of after-market clutches, none with Toyota part numbers. I assume people buy and install those clutches without major problems, Also, I just discovered a seller on eBay (ClutchAmerica selling Clutch Max clutches) that has an extremely long listing of clutches that seem to target every car made. Each one shows the number of them sold to date, and in total units sold it's a fairly large number.

The quality of an aftermarket product concerns me, unless I can see lots of reviewers giving out praise, but ignoring that, what is there about the clutch to worry about if all the components are made by the same company, as far as installation goes. For example, Clutch Max has a kit for my Tacoma ($153) that includes a flywheel, disc, pressure plate, alignment tool, bearings, all made in USA by that company (whoever they may be; I have not learned so far, but did ask), so that manufacturer controls where all of the pins and bolt holes go, and the flywheel MUST be able to be bolted to the end of the rear crankshaft, so what else could be a problem? They claim that if the engine and transmission are OEM, then their clutch can be installed and the whole thing will work like OEM.

That Clutch Max kit says the OE/OEM part numbers that they cover are:

CKT050 AISIN part number, 16-076 16-085 16-086 LUK RepSet part numbers, KTY13 167926 LFW198 LUK part number, 31210-28030-84 31210-28030 31250-28080 Toyota clutch cover assembly part numbers, and 13405-0W010


Would it be best if I replaced the LUK parts I took out with LUK parts, identified as Toyota part numbers?

 

Hi Jake,

There is a huge difference between Toyota's MSRP on these clutch products and what I would have to pay in the after-market, and I need to be careful about spending, so am a bit hesitant about approaching my local dealer since I know them so well, and worry about becoming trapped into spending top dollar. There are on-line Toyota dealerships who mark their Toyota prices down a bit, and I have been shopping those websites to get ideas about how expensive their clutch components are. They provide very little access to the Toyota parts diagrams, though by now I recognize what the Toyota diagrams become on US websites. I now have three overseas websites that sell Toyota parts also, and they give good access to the drawings. One clearly has high prices, but their Toyota diagrams seem better suited to provide substitutes, so that's what I use them for. I did leave that question at one of the US based dealerships, and am awaiting an answer, but I think your question will focus my energies. So, thanks.

One thing I do know is that the original Toyota part number for the LUK Clutch Cover assembly (31210-04030) has been discontinued. I majority voted three websites to make that determination. At PartSuq they recommended as substitute for the LUK manufactured cover an AISIN part (CTX-071 @$47.94 and have 500 available), but no recommended LUK manufactured Toyota substitute part. They also recommended as substitute for the LUK manufactured disc an AISIN part (DTX099L @ $48.97 and have 500 available) but no recommended LUK manufactured Toyota substitute part. PartSuq, in case you don't know, is located in Dubai, and offers inexpensive Toyota parts, including shipping, and their shipping is fast enough for me.

Do you happen to know the answer to my question. . . if I took out LUK clutch components from my truck, should I put LUK components back into my truck, of course LUK manufactured products having Toyota part numbers?

 

Jake,

I received a response from Camelback Toyota Parts Department (Toyota Parts Factory), one of the on-line Toyota parts sellers, and they had this to say.

31210-30240-84 (they have in stock) will work in my VIN, and it looks to them like it is the only option still made for Toyota. (I guess he means pressure plate)

That part is an AISIN manufuctured Toyota clutch pressure plate they sell for $80.06. My question was whether I could use non-LUK parts in my Tacoma, given that I found both the clutch pressure plate and the friction disc that were in my Tacoma to have been LUC manufactured. I will go back and ask that question of them.

 

Using the Toyota parts catalogs, I can now say with reasonable certainty that the clutch plate and friction disc in 2000 Tacomas with 2.4L 2RZ-FE engines and W59 transmissions, had the following Toyota part number names.

Clutch cover assembly

EITHER

LUK-made: 31210-04030

OR

AISIN-made: 31210-30240

Clutch friction disc

ONLY

LUK-made: 31250-04030

Since Toyota only used the LUK disc during the period of time when my truck was being built, and they were installing both LUK and AISIN pressure plates, I am thinking that it didn't matter that there was a mixture of LUK and AISIN parts in the clutch, so maybe I can replace with either manufacturer's product and things will work out ok.

PartSuq does not have any of those part numbers in stock, and with one exception, they recommend parts without Toyota numbers for replacement. The exception is the AISIN clutch cover 31210-30240. For that part they recommend Toyota part 31210-35281, and have 13 available at $126.95 each. For the disc, they recommend the AISIN DTX099L, and they have 500 available for $48.97 each.

Amayama suggests they have all of these Toyota numbers available, however they operate by collecting your money and then going after the parts, so they will have some problem obtaining these parts, I strongly suspect. I requested that they make that determination prior to my paying them and am waiting to see their response.

Camelback can replace the pressure plate 31210-04030 (LUK) with Toyota (AISIN) 31210-30240-84, in stock at $$80.06, marked down from MSRP $106.73, and have the LUK disc 31250-04030 in stock $135.73, marked down from MSRP $180.60.

 

Honestly as long as you use the same brand pressure plate and friction disk you'll be okay.

In my experience, Luk has a "softer" and smoother clutch feel
And
Aisin has a grabbier and "firmer" clutch feel.

Both are good and i've ran both in my vehicles.

Aisin currently makes most major Toyota parts nowadays like Transmissions, Timing belts, water pumps, clutches and, possibly coolant.

My favourite clutch brands in order are
Aisin, Exedy, Luk.

As long as you do a proper break in they're both pretty bulletproof.

 

I don't know if my experience applies to the first gen trucks, but...

My 2011 came with a Luk clutch. It only lasted ~40K miles before I had to replace it. Purchased Aisin parts for the replacement, and it's been fine since.

I will never purchase Luk parts. Aisin is gtg.

 

Appreciate your comment, Nolan. For the MT of my 2000 Tacoma, Toyota only has a LUK as an available OEM friction disc replacement , so you would suggest that I get a LUK pressure plate to go with it. I think that is possible. Examples:

Yoshiparts.com has the LUK 31210-04030 pressure plate ($163.51), and the LUK friction disc 31250-04030 ($173.52) -- $337.03. Expensive, but both parts are LUK and would maintain Toyota OEM level.

Then, PartSuq.com doesn't have the Toyota OEM level parts in stock, but has OEM "substitutes": AISIN CTX071 pressure plate, 500 available ($47.94) and AISIN DTX099L disc, 500 available ($48,97) -- $96.91, so that's both AISIN, but that's not true OEM. Do you think that would be risky? Sure is cheaper, but must include shipping from Dubai.

Camelback Toyota has a mixture of AISIN and LUK. They say their LUK Toyota OEM pressure plate 31210-04030 has been discontinued (contradicts Yoshiparts, above), and they want to replace it with ASIN 31210-30240-84 ($80.06), and complete the set with a LUK friction disc 31250-04030 ($135.73) -- $215.79, so that mixes ASIN and LUK, but would be OEM. I understand you think that is a bad idea.

Since you included Exedy in the middle of your ordered list, I take it that you are not wedded to the notion that you should always try to use Toyota OEM parts. That's fine by me, so long as I am convinced that what I put in has a good chance of operating at least as well and as long as OEM.

I was reading through a few "clutch" threads on here and same across a couple of discussions by guys who had taken their clutch knowledge to a whole new level. They were talking about many things, but two clutch manufacturers came up as being significantly better than OEM. One was Tilton, and the other was URD. Have you any experience with either of those?

Also, RockAuto has a fairly long list of clutch kits that they imply all fit my Tacoma. I have shopped there in the past and been pretty happy with their products. Then, when I know nothing about a particular clutch manufacturer, I hesitate. If a clutch mfg was not in your short list, I guess you would not pursue. They do have at least one AISIN and one LUK clutch kit offered.

AISIN CKT050 ($142.79) [different than the PartSuq AISIN kit]
LUK 16086 ($105.79) [from what LUK calls their RepSet of clutches]
In your opinion would either of those work ok?

Other cheaper parts sites:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/best-oem-parts-prices.820202/#post-29413807
https://www.suspensionlifts.com
https://www.sparksparts.com
https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com
https://toyota.oempartsonline.com

Finally, your last comment intrigued me. Can you illuminate me as to what a proper "break-in" might be for a new clutch? I am all ears because I have not yet even thought about that.

 

Thanks for the comment, snowdrifter. That must have been a large disappointment, having your clutch go out after only 40K miles! That's way too early. Was it the friction disc that went? Were you doing something like driving down the side of a mountain? On this forum, I can't help but notice that there are guys that put some extra heavy-duty demand on their clutches, and others that never even imagine going off-road, and I know that doing certain things can shorten the life of any clutch. For example, some people ride along with their foot on the clutch pedal so it is almost always just about to release, and some slip their clutches at every startup, so wear can happen quickly.

My readings agree with you, they indicate that LUK clutches may have more problems than the AISIN, so your conclusion is probably right. LUK is made in Germany? ASIN is made in Japan? What happened to that great German engineering?

Did you change it out yourself? Did you upgrade anything when you changed it out? I ask because I am learning how much effort it takes to do that right, and want to sympathize. And, also I am looking for advice on selecting the right clutch for the truck. I am not a hard driver, but sometimes. . . well. . . if I stepped up a notch to a stiffer clutch, say a Heavy-Duty or even a stage 1 level clutch, would I like the feel of it? Do you know if AISIN produces such clutches?

 

In my opinion, if possible I would for sure try to get a matching friction and pressure plate setup for two reasons.
1.) although they all do the same job than can be made with varying percentages of fibre to metallic fibre along with different coefficients of friction due to what fibres they use for the disk and clamp loads for the pressure plate

Example is I've noticed Aisin and Exedy tend to appear to have more metallic fibres in the friction disk which help with heat tolerance but hurts their coefficient of friction. I don't have equipment to measure exactly but their coinciding pressure plates tend to have a little bit of a stiffer pedal feel to them which i'm assuming is to compensate. Where as Luk clutches appear less metallic and have a lighter feeling clutch pedal as I assume in that case the friction disk has a higher coefficient of friction to allow for a lower clamp load from the pressure plate and in turn less pedal effort. The amount of "cooling vanes" between the segments of friction material also impact clutch bite as more segments will focus the clamp load more for a more positive engagement. An extreme example of this is a puck style clutch vs. a full disk clutch.... don't get a puck style.. you'll sorely regret it. Way too harsh of an engagement for anything other than racing applications with high power engines.

2.) some vehicles **cough germans especially cough** may have two different manufacturers of their oem clutches but clearly state not to mix and match. They don't state why but I have noticed some brands have variations in total surface area of friction area so unless I have no choice I tend to avoid mixing brands for clutch components.

I do strongly support using oem parts as much as possible unless there was something you didn't like about the oem part operation but when cost is a factor and/or it's a consumable part I tend to look at oem vs oem suppliers as a whole. What I mean by that is at the end of the day I would use any of my top three, along with Sachs, Valeo and Acdelco because they make clutches for cars rolling straight out of the factory where as Tilton and URD do not. The way I see it is if a Manufacturer trust them to supply their parts for a new car they have to warranty, then I trust them to sell me a replacement. Not saying Tilton or URD are bad choices. Just the way I view things when I want a replacement clutch that will function as close to factory as possible and in my eyes be more reliable.

Rockauto is usually my go to place for parts unless it's something I need right away or I can't find the part in a brand I want. In those situations, the dealer is usually where i'll end up.

I would get either the Luk or Aisin setup from rockauto without worry. Which ever setup appeals to you more, although I feel like you need to physically hold and see both to really see their details. The Marcel springs are one part of the friction disk they don't show in pictures.Either way, as an engineer I imagine you'll be able to ascertain more from looking at them than me. I'm just a mechanic aha.

If you get a clutch kit they usually come with break in instructions by generally they're all very similar. Avoid redline shifts, towing, hard acceleration especially from a standstill and, otherwise actions that are hard on the clutch or can overheat it for typically 1000kms. Luk's take longer to break in, both on paper and in my experience. It's been a while but I believe their instructions say 1600kms but, to me they don't feel broken in until around 2000kms. I do tend to downshift and slow the vehicle with the clutch occasionally during break in to help it along. Not every time, but occasionally

The break in is essentially serving the same purpose as burnishing new brakes in that you want some friction material to transfer to the pressure plate and flywheel. Except not as aggressively as with brakes, much slower and gentler. City driving tends to break it in faster where as highway driving can take twice as long because at most, a proper working clutch will have max 2% slippage when fully engaged

Best way I can describe how you know it's broken in is that the engagement will feel more linear and less of a sudden engagement.

Side note because I saw it mentioned earlier, unless you've encountered multiple situations where you've been hard on the clutch to the point of smoking/burning your stock clutch I would caution against a "heavy duty" clutch because they tend to engage very hard and create a very stiff clutch pedal which can making driving(smoothly) very unenjoyable. Especially if your drives are alot of stop and go. If you wanted to spice things up with your clutch I'd look into a heavy weight flywheel or if you plan to machine your flywheel, machine the step(if your flywheel is stepped) with an extra 0.01-0.02" step to it. The increased step will increase clamp load and make your pedal a little stiffer but wouldn't change how aggressive it bites.

However if you had no concerns with the stock setup, then I would just replace the wear items and move on. Clutches are simple assemblies but can go down deep rabbit holes that are easy to get lost and misguided in.

 

Thank you, Nolan. Again, I do appreciate your help.

1) I now believe you about being consistent when buying a clutch plate and friction plate. I'm in.

2) Maybe a Google image search of each clutch item before making a purchase, to find an image that, if blown up, would show details might give confidence?

3) Thank you for teaching me what a Marcel spring is. Initially, I thought these clutch parts were simpler than they actually are, but I enjoy learning. Having that small extra give at engagement might be a big help in terms of feel because the moment of engagement is a very small window of time, when working the foot pedal.

4) I also agree, no "puck style" clutch in my truck. It is easy for me to see the disadvantage of doing that. I find some clutches are rated in "stages" of their grabbing power, amount of torque the clutch can handle, and time to full engagement. I have seen stages 1, 2, not sure about 3, but 4 (I think that was the puck). One company (on Amazon) I know very little about (Clutch Max) starts at the low end of that progression at the BASE clutch (they do not use the word BASE). For my truck they have a BASE kit with a flywheel for $153, then the next level up they call the HD, which I assumed means Heavy Duty (also $153), and then they had a STAGE 1, and so on up to the puck style. Along that axis, lets call it "driveability", if you wanted to beef up YOUR clutch a little, but something you could feel was stronger, from what is OEM, say to make your clutch a little better for towing would you then opt for a Heavy Duty version, or even maybe a STAGE 1? I know that's a hard question since this is all subjective and driver dependent, so won't take your answer seriously, just a data point.

Example: while reading your comments, I jotted down the words you used to express one concept when differentiating LUK from AISIN the two clutchs driving feel.

LUK-like: softer, smoother, lighter
AISIN-like: grabbier, firmer, stiffer, more positive engagement, way too harsh of an engagement

I don't yet know what "clutch world" prefers to call this phenomenom, but I suspect we both know what it is with muscle memory. So, I think I can tell you this and make the assumption you will understand correctly. What I want to say is that my impression from driving my truck for a number of years is that its clutch felt just a bit "puny," as if it might be able to be made to demonstrate a bit more "get up and go" even if it is only a 2RS-FE 2.4L engine. I have pulled a friend's trailor with it and I got it where I needed to get it, but for some reason, I felt it was weaker than it might be, say possibly if it had a stronger clutch. So, is that an engine problem, or a clutch problem, and if a clutch problem, how might I beef it up? I would add "you know what I'm sayin," in jest, and just did.

5) I'm pretty much in agreement with your attitude about OEM parts, so we are about even there. I did see that you expanded your top-rated clutch list a little:

AISIN, Sachs, Exedy, Valeo, LUK, AcDelco, or perhaps you would say: AISIN, Exedy, LUK, Sachs, Valeo, AcDelco, clutches that manufacture for the Tier 1 automobile manufacturers. I get the impression you prefer AISIN-like clutches because of its "firmer" feel, which I think is what I was trying to get at in my last paragraph.

I still plan to take a look at both the Tilton and URD clutches, just to know that I covered the territory (well lets be real. . . there is always more territory).
UPDATE: checked them out and determined they are racing clutches (uninterested).

I hear you on the idea that if Toyota (or any manufacturer) is selling a vehicle they have a warrantee on, it follows that they must use decent quality parts. It is funny that sounds so true, but in deep diving on some threads about clutches on this website, I found some commentors who hold an almost opposite view, for some reason. In particular, one guy said something like "Yeah, they use parts that are fantastic, as long as the vehicle isn't driven off the showroom floor, so I always try to find the highest quality replacement part available, no matter where I find it." I would like to go back and find exactly what he said because I remember starting to believe him while reading his comment, then unhitched my belief when I began thinking again. Also, there is this thing called "planned obsolescence" where mass mind thinks of the auto industry as criminals who design their vehicles to last exactly one day beyond their guaranteed warrentee date. But, all in all, I come down much closer to your view than anything else. It is a situation like I tried to describe about my clutch that makes me consider something different than OEM, but I think you covered that by saying "Just the way I view things when I want a replacement clutch that will function as close to factory as possible and in my eyes be more reliable."

6) Thank you for the explanation about how to break-in the new clutch. It's very informative and helpful. I do understand brake break-in, and can remember to do it mostly in the city environment and not the Interstate. I think I am good with this.

7) The RABBIT HOLE. . . I am just beginning to understand the nitty-gritty of clutch design and operation. I thank you for introducing me to Marcel springs and now flywheel step. To learn about flywheel step, something that seemed simple at first, I visited a website page https://www.roadraceengineering.com/clutchandflywheeltech.htm, subtitled "RRE's DSM Flywheel and Clutch Info." They say that flywheel step is the step height of the outer shelf that the clutch pressure plate bolts to. I hadn't even noticed that step before you mentioned it. I rushed down into my garage and found that there actually is a step from the friction surface to that part where the clutch pressure plate bolts to. In my case the step is not at all like a STEP, it barely catches my fingernail.

I am having a little trouble envisioning the step part of this: "If you wanted to spice things up with your clutch I'd look into a heavy weight flywheel or if you plan to machine your flywheel, machine the step (if your flywheel is stepped) with an extra 0.01-0.02" step to it. The increased step will increase clamp load and make your pedal a little stiffer but wouldn't change how aggressive it bites."

I'm lost wondering how an INCREASED STEP would INCREASE THE CLAMP LOAD. [the clamp load is the amount of pressure the pressure plate ring puts on the clutch disc when the clutch is engaged; the higher the clamp load, the greater the torque-holding capacity before the clutch begins to slip]. The addition to the STEP lowers the friction surface from the surface to which the pressure plate is bolted, so adding to the step increases the distance from the friction surface to the bolted on pressure plate. When engaged, the clutch disc is sandwitched between the pressure plate friction surface and the flywheel friction surface, which would be further away than before machining the additional amount of step. Would that not be a loosening of the clamp load? I haven't been studying clutches long enough to understand intuitively how everything relates, so I explained the limit to my understanding. Maybe you can set me straight?

But the point I was starting to make here is that slowly I am realizing just how weird those people are (I don't really mean that) who get themselves into modifying their clutches at the level you introduced here, changing the step being just an example of one thing someone might get pulled into, as being dragged down a rabbit hole, as you mentioned. The other thing I remember reading was about the throwout bearing and how they can fail and tricks you can use to make them better, and that you can have one that is hydraulically driven. Those guys were over my head almost from the get-go. I don't want to go any deeper than I need to get a new robust clutch installed and get the trucking working again. I do, however, want to understand those things as well as I can while I am at this point, because the more I know, the better I will be at not making serious mistakes. And, I doubt I will ever pass this way again.

Most importantly, I do not want to have to do it all over again right after I finish doing it!

8) RockAuto: I have had similar experiences as you. With my 1994 Celica overhaul/rennovation, including engine rebuild because of overheating, most time I used RockAuto, and never had a problem. Loved their magnetic build pictures. I hear you saying that you think either the AISIN or LUK they offer today would most likely work well for me.

9) After installation of the new clutch, I am thinking that there is a step in the procedure where I need to readjust the clutch pedal and linkage to the master cylinder so I get the point of engagement nailed down correctly. Think I saw a procedure for that in the FSM. At the final link to the fork, does the slave cylinder automatically correct for any difference in the "throw" of the TOB due to taller or shorter pressure plate?

10) Does there need to be 10? I added this one because somewhere along the line I had another question in my mind that now escapes me.

 

For looking at a google image, that can work. Just be careful because sometimes they just use a general photo of the component and not the specific component for the specific application that they'll actually send you.

Clutches are simple but the little details make a big difference. Flattened marcel springs and oil contamination of the friction material are the two most common reasons for a clutch that engages very suddenly in an unpredictable manner. I've only gone so far and reused a clutch a handful of times but in the event of having to reuse them for whatever reason, it's good to know what you're looking for. Same with when you're dealing with customer concerns.

I do know what you mean by your clutch feeling "puny", thats sort of another way I would describe Luk clutches. So I installed a Luk in my Ford Ranger and it was very smooth, light pedal feel and otherwise easy to drive. When towing with it, it never slipped on me in the over 200'000kms I kept the truck but when pulling out of a standstill I would have to raise the clutch pedal far higher from it's "usual" engagement point to achieve the same amount of slippage to get going. I noticed the same thing with my Mazda Protege that was loaded up with 6 big guys (6 is more than the car would seat shhhh, don't tell anyone) whereas when I installed an Exedy clutch it was a much smaller deviation from it's normal engagement point. That's also what I would describe as a more positive engagement.

I would install a heavy duty/stage 1 clutch in a daily driver however unless I was planning to frequently tow, offroad or otherwise abuse the clutch in a way that the stock clutch was unable to handle, It wouldn't be my first choice due to the increased pedal effort from the accompanying stiffer pressure plate.

I guess I did expand my list eh ahah? Aisin, Exedy and Luk are still my top three. As you mentioned, my main reason for including Valeo, ACDelco and Sachs is because they are Tier 1 OEM suppliers. From my time as a dealer mechanic (GM mind you though, never at Toyota) I sometimes feel, especially with newer vehicles that they subscribe to the planned obsolesce game plan. But in all honesty unless you get a high performance vehicle like a Corvette, Ferrari or something along those lines I feel like everyone is trying their best to make a long lasting vehicle. The vast majority of people use their vehicles to commute and especially in Prairie Canada for say, people drive alot. 300'000kms is in no way uncommon. I drive a bit more than average but i'm over 167'000kms and i've only had the truck for 2 and coming up on 3 years. Unless everyone got on board with the Obsolescence game plan, I feel like in the long run the longest running vehicle would eat everyones lunch. Of course some vehicles have issues that make it seem like they want the vehicle to break and others are very picky about maintenance but I feel thats a different topic that quite closely relates to politics at it's core.

Point I was trying to make there is to be a Tier 1 supplier you have to make a part that's atleast decent. Not saying they're the best ever made but consistent and decent at the least.

For the flywheel step you are correct but you're thinking of it backwards. After you machine the friction surface which would reduce the step, a guy would have to remove the locating dowels and then machine the non friction surface separately to increase the step. Effectively the increased step would just be loading the pressure plate springs more to increase the clamp load. I should also mention, this will only apply to clutch setups when the friction surface is elevated from the pressure plate mounting surface (don't quote me but, I believe it's called a positive stepped flywheel.)and only for clutches when the pressure plate fingers are depressed to release the clutch. Not "pull to release" style pressure plates.

To increase throwout bearing life, just make sure to check and adjust your clutch pedal freeplay. Usually you want about 1/4"-3/8" play at the pedal before the master cylinder starts to stroke. The throwout bearing should not be spinning when the clutch is engaged. Most people don't ever check and adjust their pedal play which will hasten the failure of the bearing from always spinning. As the clutch disk wears thinner and the pressure plate friction surface gets closer to the flywheel to continue sandwiching the friction disk to the flywheel (for push to release style pressure plates like the one in your truck) the fingers the throwout bearing applies force to will protrude further towards the throwout bearing and eventually lightly make contact. At that point you will usually hear the chirping people frequently talk about that goes away when you apply enough pressure to the pedal to make the bearing spin properly under load. That's the vast vast vast majority of all automotive clutch setups. I would say the only exception i'm aware of to having to perform some adjustment yourself would be on Fords that have a "self adjusting clutch" I'll try to post a picture in a following message but basically the pressure plate will be a little fancier and have a ratcheting adjustment mechanism built in so that as the friction disk wears down the pivot point of the pressure plate will move closer to the flywheel when the pedal is depressed, maintaining the distance between the throwout bearing and the pressure plate fingers. A "hydraulic throwout bearing" or more properly termed, a concentric slave cylinder is essentially the slave cylinder, release arm/fork and throwout bearing as one unit.

The setup on Toyota's where those parts are all separate is more serviceable. In my experience as long as you keep everything adjusted properly it's usually the slave cylinder that will fail of those three. The bearing should be replaced with the clutch and the fork inspected for deficiencies. Both tend to be cheap on their own which is a plus. A concentric slave on the other hand is something that should be replaced with every clutch job in my opinion. They're a little pricer but i've heard too often of people just changing the bearing on them just to find that shortly afterward the concentric slave starts leaking and/or failing to disengage the clutch fully, requiring you to basically rinse and repeat the job.

I prefer a concentric slave cylinder despite it's possible head aches mainly for the fact that in the winter time the pedal doesn't stiffen up much at all once the powertrain warms up because the slave is contained inside the bellhousing so retains it's heat better than an external slave cylinder that will damn near freeze as soon as the vehicle starts to move again. Would I convert to a concentric slave? To be honest, probably not. That conversion setup is very expensive in my opinion and I haven't really seen any long term feedback on how long it will last. I'm used to replacing those types of slaves with every clutch job but for the cost of that slave cylinder I don't think it would be financially a wise choice. Maybe after a guy gets 2-3 clutch replacements without the slave cylinder failing and reports back on that i'll revisit the idea. I'm not against it because I do personally prefer a concentric slave cylinder but at this time I don't know if it's financially a wise investment long term even though it looks very well made. In the future I may and am very open to the setup but presently that's my take on it.

I hope you don't have to get back in there again after this clutch replacement either. Biggest advice I can offer to ensure your success is to make sure your input shaft, specifically where the clutch disk rides is free of all rust and that the disk will slide smoothly on the splines. I use a little moly grease "massaged" onto both the face of the bearing that will contact the pressure plate fingers and into the splines of the input shaft. After which i'll slide the friction disk on and off then wipe the shaft in one pass to remove the excess grease. Especially the input shaft should be lubed sparingly as inside the bellhousing is very dusty as you would of noticed and either dust will stick to it and cause release issues or grease can fly off and contaminate the friction surfaces. On all the release arm pivot points which are usually evidenced by shiny surfaces along with cleaning the rust off the tip of the slave cylinder rod and release arm pocket, I'll also use a bit of lube on those spots too. Traditionally I used to use anti-seize or axle grease there but I've started just using moly grease in those spots too. I don't see why moly grease wouldn't be better in those spots but i've also never had issues using anti-seize. For the pilot bearing/bushing though(if you have one of them in your flywheel/crankshaft) just use axle grease, lithium grease, basically just not a grease fortified with solids like moly as it can cause the bearing/rollers to slide instead of roll across the race and wear flat spots into themselves causing issues down the road. Replacing the rear main seal while you're there isn't a bad idea but if it's not leaking and the vehicle had a very good oil change routine with good oil and no PCV issues then I tend to leave them alone. It's not a bad idea. Especially at higher mileage.

I kind of coincidentally answered your question about adjusting the pedal earlier but not fully. The pedal adjustments aren't so much for changing the engagement point. The two adjustments and their purpose are to set pedal height and clutch pedal freeplay. Pedal height I don't really see the point of playing with unless it was previously messed with or the freeplay can't be set with the pedal height where it's already set. Freeplay though is to ensure the throwout bearing is fully disengaged from the pressure plate fingers by compensating for the manufacturing tolerances of the clutch components at initially setup. Then to compensate for the friction disk over time wearing thinner as the pressure plate friction surface moves closer to the flywheel to continue clamping the friction disk and, the pressure plate fingers move closer to the throwout bearing as a function that all. Some vehicles will "automatically" adjust by lifting the clutch pedal above it's rest with your hand and others automatically adjust via a mechanism on the pressure plate. Good ol' Toyota just uses the clutch switch/ a mechanical stop to set pedal height and a jamb nut on a threaded master cylinder rod to set free play. So far on Toyota's i've always had a 14mm jamb nut and 12mm nut on the master cylinder rod.

10.) This can be just to round everything off instead of leaving it at 9 aha

 

Amazing, Nolan, how thorough you were in your explanations. You surfaced much information I hadn't known before, and made it clear in my mind, while correcting my misunderstandings. Now a lot more makes sense to me. I had not imagined there would be so much that someone needs to understand in order to replace a clutch with confidence, to get the job done correctly, while raising the probability that the job will not have to be redone not long after doing it, which is a primary concern. If you don't mind, I would like to ask a few more questions so that I am certain that I understand everything I need to finish this job. First, I digress a bit.

Some years ago, I was searching for an oil leak, and thought it might be the rear main seal, but wasn't sure, however we put something to protect the driveway under the place where the truck parks to catch any potential drips, and there were plenty, collecting slowly, over a long period of time. With the transmission out, I can now see evidence of, proof of, that seal leaking. One of the reasons I took out the transmission was to replace that seal. To be up front with you, what led me, finally, to the transmission was a different oil leak, a bad one, from the valve cover, a leak so bad that I HAD to take care of it, else risk having the engine catch fire. So, I removed the cover, only to find extreme oil sludge. Without taking the engine out, I worked my way around the engine cleaning out oil sludge, beginning with the camshaft area, continuing to the oil pan, and then the timing cover. Recently, my wife had presented me with a QuickJack lift to use in working on our cars, so with the Tacoma up high enough, getting to the bottom of the engine and finally the transmission was a natural progression (follow the dirty surfaces). A lot of stuff got replaced along the way, and a lot of blue paper towels have come and gone. I love how clean things have gotten.

Be that as it may, when I rolled the transmission into its temporary storage place, I noticed that inside the bell housing there was a lot more mess I will need to clean out. It looked dark, it looked like oil. Assume it is oil. I am wondering if oil that leaked out of the rear main seal could have gotten into the bell housing. You wrote "Flattened marcel springs and oil contamination of the friction material are the two most common reasons for a clutch that engages very suddenly in an unpredictable manner." I never experienced that, so maybe the oil in the bell housing isn't from the main seal, but perhaps that seal around the transmission input shaft? Is that something I should be replacing anyway, since the tranmission is out already?

The way that the flywheel step works is now clear to me. I think the slight step of my current flywheel is a positive step, like you described. It was ever so slight. But the effect on clamping force I think I now understand. I've been considering replacement of the flywheel rather than having it resurfaced, after learning that service is done as a "grinding" operation, rather than by metal lathe, and the general state of the art of automotive service being so pathetic, almost universally. Trouble is, the Toyota flywheels are very expensive, considering that they sell the wheel itself by itself, and the Ring Gear is another expensive piece, and you need to buy three metal dowels and ten replacement flywheel bolts that get "torqued to yield," and they are like $5 to $9 each, and you need 10 ($50 to $90). Is there any cheaper way than buying Toyota parts? $697, $614.44, are two prices I have gotten.

When you said this "I would install a heavy duty/stage 1 clutch in a daily driver however unless" I think you meant you would NOT. I think you went on to say just use OEM or equivalent.

You taught me about there existing "pull to release" diaphram clutches, and then the "concentric slave cylinder" [CMHydroTOB, from some thread] clutch release mechanisms that live inside the bell housing. I found both of those ideas exciting. I almost wanted to add one of the HydraulicTOBs into my Tacoma, but talked myself out of doing that when you said "I prefer a concentric slave cylinder despite it's possible head aches mainly for the fact that in the winter time the pedal doesn't stiffen up much at all once the powertrain warms up because the slave is contained inside the bellhousing so retains it's heat better than an external slave cylinder that will damn near freeze as soon as the vehicle starts to move again." My back began to shiver reading that, considering that you live in Alberta, Canada and I live in North Carolina, and I know it gets so cold up there that my nose would break off on some nights after just 15 minutes exposure if the wind was blowing. I really don't think I am going to have any problems with the external slave cylinder freezing up. I installed our Bosch 18.5 SEER heat pump last year and, in learning how to do that, studied the lowest temperatures over the past four years and found that 16F (-9C) was the low where I live over those years. Still, I wanted to ask you if you think I should change out the slave cylinder while doing the clutch job? Is there any good reason to go new with it? You had said of them (not the CSC) "In my experience as long as you keep everything adjusted properly it's usually the slave cylinder that will fail of those three."

Then you explained that the TOB should not spin when the clutch is engaged (i.e. when the clutch disc is clamped so power is being transmitted from engine to wheels). And you said something about "make the bearing spin properly under load." (Took me awhile) Then I realized that the clutch cover is bolted onto the flywheel, so it is rotating always with the absolute speed of the engine, so the diaphram is also spinning at the same rate. Thus, when the TOB goes to release the clutch, as it begins touching the fingers of the diaphram, the bearing will initially be rubbing against the fingers, causing wear on them (so, the bearing's bearing surface is its round end, under this condition). But, right quickly, the TOB revs up to speed and that bearing surface stops wearing on the fingers. Then, when the gear has been shifted and you take your foot off the clutch pedal, the TOB has backed off from the fingers and it can stop spinning, if it wasn't splined onto the input shaft. I think I saw a video that showed a landing place for the TOB that is a cylindrical tube (maybe) that allows it to stop spinning while the transmission input shaft continues to rotate inside it at engine speed because power is then coming from the engine directly to the transmission shaft (and that would be the second bearing surface of the TOB, an actual roller bearing?).

You were discussing how to save the TOB from overuse, and said to make the clutch pedal "free play" adjustment such that the TOB is not rubbing against the diaphram fingers, which can happen when the friction material wears off the clutch disc, which makes the pressure plate come closer to the flywheel plate that grabs the disc, which, to my amazement (but I now understand), causes the diaphram fingers to move toward the TOB, sometimes enough for them to touch the TOB. My question here is about the "chirping" that some talk about, that you attribute to the fingers rubbing against the TOB. When you hear that "chirping," wouldn't that be the tell that prompts you to replace the clutch? I had already purchased a new fork, ball, TOB when starting this job.

Much appreciate your advice about lubrication of the various places, especially the input shaft information. I'm going to follow those instructions carefully. When I install the new pilot bearing, should it go in dry?

So far, I have limited my search for Toyota OEM clutch parts, or equivalent. Getting close to making a purchase.

One last thing:

Before installing the new rear main seal, should I wet-sand out the corrosion on the seal retainer, or buy a new retainer?

 

Hey no problem and of course, I like helping people out when I can.

It can be tricky sometimes trying to pinpoint a leak in the bellhousing and whether it's from the transmission of rear main seal. If it's the rear main seal, usually you'll see the splatter residue on the backside of the flywheel from being flung around while the engine is running where as a leak from the transmission will not do that unless it's leaking very bad. If it were in such a state though I imagine the transmission would have somewhat of a fresh oil trail along with the input shaft having a massive amount of play along with a destroyed/missing pilot bearing/bushing. If it can be had separately then there's no harm I can see to replacing it. I've never seen an input shaft seal leak on a manual transmission but like any seal it has a finite life and can leak. Whether or not you replace it, make sure the breather on the transmission isn't plugged. I don't know where or what it looks like but unless your transmission just has rubber plugs on the shift rails then most likely the breather will be a rubber line near the top of the transmission. Just like with differentials and other gear cases if the breather is plugged up/stuck it will allow excess pressure to build when it warms up and can cause leaks.

The flywheel step is indeed subtle on Toyota's from what i've seen. Don't quote me but I believe the factory step is 0.05".

I feel like grinding is better to cutting flywheels, rotors, drums, etc because the cutting bit can skip over hard friction material deposits and leave behind high spots where as I haven't known grinding to do that. What my high school auto teacher (who was a 5 degree holding Mechanical engineer and never actually a mechanic for more than 6 months) taught and made me do when I was changing a clutch in my car at home was sit me in the front of the Varsol tank with 160 grit wet sandpaper and told me to go to town on it at a 45* angle for two rotations then switch hands and directions and go 90* from my previous angle around it for two rotations and keep repeating that routine until the flywheel had no more friction material on it... it took me about an hour and a half and in comparison to something to would install in one of his Lotus cars he gave me a 7/10 on it. Clutch worked great and I had zero shuddering or vibrations. So thats an option. His alternative was to sit around for an hour and a half on his couch at home with 160 grit dry sandpaper around a flat sanding block and repeat the process without the Varsol tank. To be completely honest, outside of that time I've never machined a flywheel I was reusing. If the flywheel had excessive runout and/or had hot spots, cracks or otherwise unsalvageable I would just replace them. By the time you machine past the blue metal you'd have alot metal removed along with a different coefficient of friction which would impact the function of the clutch and behaviour of the flywheel once it warms up due to the tempering of the metal varying around it's surface. The don't confuse the friction material for hot spots. What i've always done with flywheels that are serviceable is just walk around the disk with one of those plastic bristle brushes on a drill. Roloc disk is what I know them as. After the roloc disk it should look like a mirror. If i'm unsure of the condition of the disk I'll hit it with the Roloc disk which will make the condition very apparent afterward. If I see blue steel after that then I get a new flywheel. Oem flywheels are expensive and at times I have gone aftermarket due to cost but I always felt the beat up old Factory flywheels were better. I don't know what made me feel that way but i've never had an aftermarket flywheel feel the same. Maybe they're a little lighter or not balanced as well? I don't honestly know what it is about them.

As a licensed mechanic myself I agree that the skills in the trade are at a poor level. I feel like i've missed the good days of the trade. Most of my "mechanical" experience has been from buying, fixing and selling vehicles. I caught up to my age in vehicles owned last year with 25 at 25. School taught me the theory of everything and the dealership taught me electrical and networking on vehicles. I cycled through 5 different journeymen during my final 2 years at the dealership. Some very good and some that should have their licensed pulled but I learned lots from all of them. The general consensus among them all was that I missed the good days in the trade where things got repaired and not just replaced. I was surprised that most of the 36 guys at the dealership didn't even know how to run a brake lathe.

Thats interesting that Toyota choose to use Torque to Yield(TTY) fasteners for the flywheel. Unless it's a specialty fastener such as an inverted drive like a torx bit ,triple square or a standard hex head bolt wouldn't allow socket access or proper clutch disk installation, I would just get some bolts of an appropriate grade depending on bolt torque and use locktite (or sealant depending on which is correct for your application) on the threads and carry on with life. Pressure plate bolts if need be I would do the same along with their lock washers. I also use locktite on the pressure plate bolts just to be safe even though it might not be spec'd with the lock washers.

Ahah I certainly have made a trend with myself here of circling back to using oem. If the circumstances called for it I would use a heavy duty/stage 1 clutch. I was looking at a Kevlar clutch disk for my Ranger when I was planning to do my tdi swap because I was planning to tow and haul often with it but still wanted something smooth. I ended up aborting mission on that project before it really got off the group so I don't know what my final conclusion would of been there. When in doubt, OEM in my opinion is the way to go.

Hehe, Prime Minister Justin Castro and his Climate Czar, the joker looking spiderman, Steven Guilbeault are trying to get Western Canada into heat pumps like the Maritime provinces. Heat pumps work alright for a mild weather as you describe but ya when I left work yesterday morning it was -41*... nothing likes to work well at -41* aha.

Unless the slave cylinder is leaking I don't usually change external slaves proactively because they're easy enough to change when everything is together and if you flush your brake/clutch fluid every now and then, it will probably never leak. There is a chance that with the new clutch the slave starts to leak but like I said they're usually easy to change so I tend to roll the dice and wait for them to fail before I replace them.

In regards to the throwout bearing chirping against the diaphragm fingers, it doesn't necessarily mean it's time for a clutch replacement because sometimes if it's just making very light contact it will slide against the surface and not actually spin the bearing which is usually evidenced by heavy discolouration on either the fingers or the bearing surface contacted by the fingers. I'd say it's replacement time if when you step on the clutch enough to fully engage and spin the bearing as it was meant to be spun you hear the chirping, then the actual bearing assembly is ready for retirement. Otherwise if you can adjust it to no longer make noise then it's still fit for duty. Note that if you only hear chirping when the pedal is fully depressed and clutch disengaged from the transmission then thats more so usually a pilot bearing/bushing as a partially depressed pedal that doesn't disengage the clutch will not create a difference of speed between the input shaft of the transmission and flywheel of the engine.

After the pilot bearing is installed to the crankshaft or flywheel, where ever yours lives, I usually lubricate it by packing some axle grease into it. Not lots because it could potentially fling somewhere and contaminate the friction disk surface but enough to lubricate it. Don't use moly grease there as it can cause the bearing rollers to slide instead of roll and put flat spots on them or in the case of a bushing(which would be an oilite type), the moly will plug up the pores in the bushing and prevent it from holding and releasing it's impregnated lubricant over time. For the exact type... pick your favourite high temperature lubricant. I know some guys that would use just plain motor oil, others just spray a quick shot of white lithium grease from an aerosol can onto it and some guys just install it as is with whatever and however much lube comes on the surface out of the package

To be honest with you i've never in my life removed a seal retaining plate like that to change the seal. I'd just lay it on some glass or otherwise make sure it's flat and then clean the bore with a scotch-brite pad to get off the corrosion. Wet sanding will work too. Unless you notice any deficiencies that would prevent proper sealing, I see no need to replace it. I just recommend when you reinstall it that you put a small dab of Rtv at the 90* angles/transition gap where the bottom will meet the oil pan just because in my experience, even with the best gaskets it's hard to seal transition gaps and 90* angles. I do the same on valve covers if they have a hard angle near the cam bearing caps