Clutch Replacement Hints

[Vibenator]

I just finished installing a new flywheel, clutch disc, and pressure plate assembly in my seldom-driven 2003 Vibe GT. The infamous clutch was starting to slip noticeably at 28,000 miles. It was time for repair. There have been quite a few posts on this site about clutch installation, including the one very comprehensive post that provided photos of the process. (To be honest, the photos, while interesing, weren't much help in the actual process.) Here’s what I found from my experience. This info may help others who are considering the project. I won't go into all the details, because much of the job is self evident to anyone familiar with manual transmission vehicles. I'll just hit some of the main points that many seem to be concerned with. You've got to remove the air cleaner assembly and all the other stuff over the transmission. I took a digital photo after removing each component. There are a lot of wires, sensors, brackets etc. in this area, and the photos were a big help in making sure that everything was put back where it should be. I highly recommend this. I used a 30mm socket and 1/2" breaker bar to remove the axle nuts while the car was still on the ground. It's not hard with the right tools - you may have to put a pipe over the breaker bar to get more leverage. It's not really necessary to remove the right axle shaft, but it makes putting the trans back in a little easier. I removed it because I wanted to make the job as easy as possible. It comes out easily after removing the two bolts on the mid-shaft carrier bearing. Because I removed both axle shafts, the ball joints and sway bar were disconnected from the swing arms on the K-member. This made it simple to remove the four 21mm bolts that secure the K-member on which the steering rack is mounted. With the K-member out of the way there's a lot of room to work around the trans. The only touchy part was removing the pressure hose from the power steering pump. Not much room to get at the 19mm nut. It's not really necessary to remove the K-member, but since time wasn't an issue (I have two other vehicles) I decided to make the job as easy as possible. The trans is wide open with the K-member out of the way. I also removed the left strut to gain easier access to the trans. With all of these components removed, removal and installation of the trans was a breeze. Also, having the K-member off the car gives you a chance to do a thorough inspection of the front suspension and steering. Now would be a great time to replace components if needed. Instead of taking the glazed flywheel to a machine shop for refinishing, I bought a refurbished flywheel from the local auto parts store for $45. (The Toyota dealer wanted $280 for a new one.) Also, I bought a pack of 8 ARP flywheel bolts for $15. OEM bolts are $8.10 EACH from the dealer, and aren't as strong as the aircraft-grade ARP bolts.The Exedy replacement clutch kit I used included an alignment tool, but since there's no pilot bearing in the end of the crankshaft, it was useless. I eyeballed the clutch disc to the center of the pressure plate and hoped for the best. As I expected, I couldn't get the trans to mate against the block because the clutch disc wasn't in perfect alignment with the splines on the trans input shaft. I solved this problem by starting the trans mounting bolts, and tightening them slowly while alternately turning the flywheel with a screwdriver to make sure that the input shaft was entering the splines in the clutch disc. Any binding of the flywheel would indicate severe mis-alignment. Luckily, there wasn't any and the trans seated completely without a problem. A word on the Exedy clutch. I installed the standard (stock) Exedy clutch kit ($120) made by Daikin, the OEM supplier to Toyota. Some say this is the stock clutch and should be avoided. It isn't. A comparison revealed that it's a completely different unit. The new clutch is strong and grabby and feels much better than the old one. Time will tell how it holds up. While the trans is out of the car it's a good time to replace the gear oil. I used Valvoline 85w synthetic gear lube. The transmission seems to shift better. Also, the clutch pedal action feels smoother with the new clutch. Don't forget to grease the throw-out arm pivot points and contact surfaces on the throw-out bearing. The engine must be supported when removing the trans because three of the four engine mounting brackets attach to the trans. Using an engine hoist to hold up the engine from the top isn’t absolutely necessary. I supported the engine under the oil pan using a trolley jack. I made a wooden fixture out of 2x4's that roughly conformed to the shape of the oil pan, and bolted it to my jack. This took a little time, but was preferable to shelling out $250 for an engine hoist. I also shimmed up a jack stand under the engine for insurance. I ended up spending less than $200 for a job that the dealer wanted $1,800 for. And I made sure it was done right.

[06pvibe]

Nice write-up, and chances are I will be doing the same for my wife's '06 base before too long so this info should come in handy. Thanks!!I am also looking into a lightened flywheel and a stage1/stage2 unit for longer life and a better feel in the pedal. Plus the wife (Wendy Andretti) is rather hard on the drivetrain, especially the clutch.You say you took pictures? Why not post them as part of the write-up? Pictures always help drive home the point and make for a better How-To.

[high revin]

Hard to beleive you had to replace at only 26kI have an 03 GT aswell and it has just turned 180 k still orginal clutch hopeing to get 200k out of this clutch!

[Vibenator]

The Matrix/Vibe clutch problem remains a mystery. Some go quickly and some don't. However, the fact that so many seem to slip with only a few thousand miles points to a problem. I bought the car from my brother-in-law with only 18,000 miles on it and noticed the clutch beginning to slip at about 20,000. It got progressivly worse to the point where I had to drive the car very gently which became a PITA. One possible explanation is that the clutch wasn't broken in properly. My brother-in-law tends to slip the clutch unecessarily between gears. I suspect that may have contributed to its early demise. Another possibility is that there were a couple of bad clutch lots from the supplier. The disc, flywheel, and pressure plate were not scoured or pitted but simply glazed to a mirror-like finish. The pressure plate had a bluish tinge which pointed to overheating.

[ZERO6]

03' Vibe GT134,00km on original clutch here.Friend will do the clutch for me for about $650.00 cashI wont even attempt!!!!!!Well worth the money, to me..

[wildtka]

03 GT Here 196,000 still on original clutch. Second slips just a little ,but other than that still going strong replacing soon however.

[bassplayaz06]

03 GT here, went 144,000 mi on original clutch, started to slip after overloading it for a gig. finally got the transmission out and the clutch off, worn down to the metal.

[129CBRider]

I have a 2003 Vibe standard 5-speed and the clutch started slipping after I tried to back my aluminum motorcycle trailer up hill one time. I bought all the new parts but got to thinking "Why with only 68K miles and no real daily abuse should a clutch start to slip?" Glazing! I imagine Toyota, in an effort to make the clutch last longer designed it with a harder pad. I started downshifting more often, putting a reverse spin on the clutch/pressure plate contact surfaces and sure 'nuf, it stopped slipping after a week.Now has about 135,000 miles on the original clutch/pressure plate. I can make it slip if I rev, drop the clutch in 2nd from a stop but it would do that when it was new.

[eastsidegirl]

Holy Crap!! You have a Golden GT there, no doubt!! I have had nothing but problem after problem with mine - since I bought it. I am on the 4th clutch and it just went out. I KNOW how to drive a clutch & I LOVE my car, but come on! I'm jealous, SO jealous

[Bedlam]

interesting tips on the removal process.I just had to do this process completely twice due to being sold a junk transmission for the first replacement. The only thing we did on the outer axles was to remove the lower 3 bolt connection for the whole assembly. Once that was done, the shaft can come free of the transmission if someone pulls out on the assembly. This can be done with both sides and when out, the axle can pivot 90 degrees and tie off on the front support of the car. Never a need to remove the brake/hub assembly or any of that.Just make sure to break the axles free of the dif before pulling out. You'll know when the snap rings disengage and the whole thing can slide. A large pair of adjustable pliers fit around it quite nicely and provided a point of leverage to pry against. The inside of the axle doesn't have a good surface to pry on normally and you don't want to damage the dust boot.One major thing to note is regarding the snap rings on reassembly. Make sure that the gap in the ring is hanging down when you go to snap it back in. It will go in much easier and not bind on reassembly.With my buddy coming over to help for about 20-30 min to help drop and put the transmission back into position, the whole process can be done in around 6 hours and back on the road.A set of metric ratcheting wrenches makes or breaks the lowered wrenching time. We even left the whole airbox assembly installed and only removed a single electrical connector to the transmission. You have to remove only the airbox hose to the TB and lift the filter to remove 1 screw for removing the upper engine mount. After that you are golden and can skip a load of steps and save some serious time.For supporting the engine, you can pick up a cross brace from harbor freight for $40 or so or you can make one with some wood you have lying around since the engine is really not heavy at all in these little cars. Supporting the engine independently front the top makes the job much easier because nothing is in the way as you work over or under the car.