How do I change an FC clutch?

[ramirez]

Ok I\'ve never changed a clutch on a car before. How easy is it do on an FC?

Anyone know if a guide exists?

[clive]

This is a tough one to answer as we do not know how much mechanical experiance you have,

My first worry would have to be the safety aspect as you will need to jack the vehicle quite high and make it safe with axle stands,

This would be the first step and I have to ask if you feel you can carry this out properly as the last thing I or anyone here would wish to do is hear that you was either tugging on a spanner and the car fell on you or upon pulling the heavy gear box out it fell on you and you were badly injured.

For a compitent mechanic with a lift this is a 2 to 2.5 hour job, on your back allow for a full day,

If you feel compitent to safely carry this all out we will try and help,

If you do follow this link and you will find a Gen 2 workshop manual  http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66749

[RobMatthews]

The way i now look at these things is, i can go out and earn the money doing my job, to pay a mechanic to do a job like this, its a dirty job to do and you\'ll end up struggling under the car, (maybe im just getting to old to be struggling under a car lol)

I assume as you\'ve asked the question you will also prob have limited kit ie you may have a socket set/he\'ll have an air gun...

This is my getting old view-basically why struggle on your back all day for the sake of a hundred quid on a mechanic?, unless you cant afford it or enjoy doing it :-)

[AtomicRex]

^^^^^
 
What Rob has said.  It isn\'t the most simple of jobs, and although you wont need many specialist tools, there is a lot of bits to take off prior to even getting to the gearbox.
 
Make sure you fit a decent clutch, clean the bell housing out thoroughly with a degreaser otherwise clutch dust will go back onto the fingers and will potentially prevent the clutch from working.
 
Also adjust the pedal to make sure the clutch isn\'t dragging.
 
Good luck, but I think I would follow Robs advice and go to a local mechanic.

[dthebuk]

I don\'t know if i fully agree.

I think for someone who\'s never put their car up in the air fully before, this is the hardest bit. Personally I woudn\'t use axel stands, i just don\'t trust the stability. When i Did mine i Had the rear on ramps (had to jack the car onto the ramps) and the front on axel stands with 2 jacks holding it also.

Once the car is in the air, it\'s pretty much all easy going, I found the most important tool was a long metal tube to extend some of my spanners/ratchets. I might just be a weakling though. Also we had 3 of us to take the gearbox down/lift it up. When we took it off we left it on a box under the the car it was easy to lift up.

For the price, id definitely do it myself. I was quoted around £400 labour in a couple of places because they were either specialists or didn\'t know the car.

It does depend on how much you want to do yourself though, I found doing the clutch set me up for doing pretty much anything to my car.

[ramirez]

Thanks everyone for the advice. It might be a bit more than I can chew so I think I\'ll let the pros handle it. Could most competent garages do a clutch on an FC or are they a car you need an expert to work on?

Silverstone Autosport near me reckon it would be about £300 fitted for a new clutch- does that sound reasonable?

[Prof]

£300 labour is probably about right - it\'s what I\'ve been quoted - It\'s about 3-3.5 hours work - maybe less if you\'re quick and there are no problems.
 
In Simple terms:
 
Exhaust off
Heatshields off
Prop Shaft off
Gearbox off
Clutch cover off
 
but there are lots of fiddly bits around the gearbox removal :
 
Wires connected to it
Starter motor has to come off
Clutch Slave cylinder needs to be removed from gearbox (can be supported and left plumbed in)
Speedo Cable
And probably stuff on the engine to get at the bolts at the rear of the gearbox
You need to support the weight of the gearbox (gearbox jack is ideal if you are doing it on the drive)
 
Takes me a day to do one on my own with a gearbox jack

[NeilSR]

Take it to a garage and say "change the clutch please"

cost me £150 in labour to change mine