Code:
Clutch replacement on a 1996 Infiniti G20t (by Dan Raymond)
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1) Loosen the lug nuts (13/16") on the front wheels. You do this first so
the weight of the car will prevent the wheels from turning.
2) Jack up the front of the car and remove the front wheels to gain access
to the cotter pins on the axle nuts. Remove the wheel caps in the
center of the wheels (you can push them out from the rear) so you can
access the axle nuts later.
3) Remove the cotter pins and axle nut caps (cotter pins are cheap but if
you are careful with them you can reuse them).
4) Replace the wheels and hand tighten 2 lug nuts per side.
5) Lower the jack to put weight on the wheels and loosen the axle nuts
(36mm).
6) Raise the jack and remove the wheels.
7) Lower the car onto two jack stands and remove the jack.
8) Remove the drain plug in the transmission (use a 1/2" ratchet with no
socket) and drain the transmission oil. You must do this now or the
oil will leak out later when you remove the axles. Put the drain plug
back in and tighten it.
9) Remove the left and right side splash shields to make more room for the
axles to come out (10mm or phillips head screwdriver). Also remove the
splash shield underneath the transmission for better access later.
10) Remove the caliper mounting bolts (14mm) and suspend the calipers from
the struts with some wire.
11) Use a flathead screwdriver and a mallet to remove the dust caps on top
of the steering knuckles. Be careful not to damage them.
12) Remove the nuts (17mm) and washers that hold the steering knuckles to
the struts.
13) Remove the axle nuts (36mm).
14) Detach the brackets (10mm) that hold the anti-lock brake sensor wires
to the struts. There are two brackets on each side. Doing this will
create a little more slack in the wire. Without the extra slack the
the wire will limit the movement of the steering knuckle making it
harder to remove the axles.
15) Separate the steering knuckles from the struts by pushing down on the
knuckle (be careful not to damage the seals). Separate the outer ends
of the axles from the steering knuckles by turning the knuckle down and
away from the car (make sure the steering wheel is not locked). You
may need to tap on the end of the axle with a rubber mallet to start
backing it out of the knuckle. Make sure that the inner joint of the
axle stays fully compressed while performing this procedure.
16) Remove the passenger side axle. There is a support bearing around the
center of the axle. That bearing is attached to a bracket on the car
by 3 bolts (12mm). Remove those bolts and rotate the bearing back and
forth to back it out. After that the axle should slide right out.
17) Remove the driver side axle. There is a circlip holding it into the
transmission. Use a pry bar to pop it out. It will come out about an
inch and then stop. Use a pry bar again to remove it completely. If
you are having difficulty try using a real prybar instead of a
screwdriver. A prybar is shaped and angled to make prying much easier
and more effective.
18) Disconnect the shift linkage underneath the car by removing the bolt
and nut (both 12mm).
19) Remove the battery and battery tray to give yourself more room to work
in this area. Loosen the 2 nuts (10mm) on the battery terminal wires
and disconnect them. Remove the 2 nuts (10mm) that hold the mounting
bracket and remove the bracket. Remove the 2 nuts (10mm) that hold the
fuse box to the battery tray. Remove the 4 bolts (12mm) that hold the
battery tray to the frame and remove the tray. You will need to detach
two wire harnesses from the tray before removing it.
20) Remove the air intake hose to gain access to the clutch cable. First
disconnect the two electrical connectors. Disconnect the two hoses on
top and the one underneath. Remove the two 10mm bolts at the bottom.
Loosen the hose clamp where the hose connects to the intake.
Disconnect the clips above the air filter. Lift out the intake hose.
You will need to separate it from the throttle cable on top and some
hoses underneath.
21) Disconnect the clutch cable from the lever on the transmission. Use a
pair of pliers to hold the adjuster and use a 10mm wrench to loosen the
locknut. Now loosen the adjuster and pull on the lever and the cable
will slip off the end of it. Remove the two bolts (12mm) that hold the
clutch cable bracket to the transmission.
22) Disconnect 4 electrical connectors from the transmission. There is a
gray one in the front, a gray one in the rear, a gray one on top and a
black one on top. The gray ones have a clip you must press in but the
black one has a clip you must pull out. There is also a cable tie you
must disconnect near the connector in the rear. Remove the ground wire
and vent tube (both attached to the top of the transmission).
23) Jack up the engine to take the weight off the mounts. Use the aluminum
(upper) oil pan not the steel (lower) oil pan as a lift point. Then
remove the 4 bolts that attach the rear (firewall side) mount to the
transmission. There are two medium length bolts: upper (17mm) and
lower (14mm). The upper bolt is right next to one of the engine to
transmission bolts (the 17mm one). There are two 14mm bolts in the
center: a long one and a short one that you can't see inside an access
hole. You'll need a ratchet extension for that one.
24) Remove the 3 engine to transmission bolts. There is a 17mm one near
the mount (mentioned above) and there are two 14mm ones along the
bottom of the transmission. The one towards the front of the car is
the shorter of the two. If you have trouble with these try raising or
lowering the engine.
25) Remove the three bolts (14mm) that attach the driver side mount to the
transmission. There are two long ones at the top and a short one at
the bottom.
26) Remove the 2 starter bolts (14mm). They are accessed from the
transmission side. The starter will fall back about an inch and rest
on a bracket underneath it. There is no need to disconnect the wires.
27) Remove the 5 transmission to engine bolts. They are all 17mm and they
are all the same length. The rearmost bolt holds a bracket with two
wiring harnesses attached to it. Disconnect the wiring harnesses and
remove the bracket. If you leave it in there it may get in the way
while removing and/or installing the transmission.
28) Remove the transmission. Lie underneath it and work it off the guide
pins and pull the input shaft out of the clutch disc. Have an
assistant help by pulling the housing away from the engine from above.
When the input shaft clears the pressure plate lower the transmission
and remove it through the wheel well.
29) Remove the pressure plate. There are six 12mm bolts. Have an
assistant keep the engine from turning by holding a wrench on the
crankshaft pulley on the other side of the engine. When the pressure
plate comes off the clutch disc will fall out so be prepared to catch
it.
30) Remove the flywheel. There are eight 12-point 14mm bolts. Again, have
an assistant keep the engine from turning.
31) Pry out the rear main seal. If you look at a new one you will see that
there is a groove where you can drive a flathead screwdriver through it
to get behind the metal part of the seal. Use the crankshaft as a
fulcrum and you will be able to pry it out. Make sure you are using a
heavy duty screwdriver because it will take a fair amount of force. Be
careful not to scratch the crankshaft or the retainer.
32) Apply some oil to the new seal and drive it in with a hammer and drift.
The original seal was mounted flush with the retainer. You can drive
the new one in as far as it will go (which will be a few millimeters
past flush). This will cause the seal to ride on a different part of
the crankshaft. This may help prevent an oil leak since the old seal
may have worn a groove in the crankshaft.
33) The input shaft does not ride in the pilot bushing so there is no need
to replace it.
34) Have the flywheel resurfaced if it is scored or there is heat
discoloration.
35) Put the flywheel back on and tighten the bolts to 65 ft-lbs.
36) Insert the alignment tool through the new clutch disc from the
transmission side (the side which protrudes further). Insert the
alignment tool into the pilot bushing in the crankshaft so that the
clutch disc lies flat against the flywheel.
37) Attach the new pressure plate and tighten the bolts in a star pattern.
Do it once to 10 ft-lbs and again to 20 ft-lbs. You can remove the
alignment tool now since the pressure plate is now holding the clutch
disc in place.
38) Detach the throwout bearing from the clutch lever. Transfer the clips
to the new throwout bearing and install it on the clutch lever. Use a
small amount of grease between all contact surfaces.
39) Apply a small amount of grease to the splines of the input shaft and
remate the transmission to the engine. Get an assistant to help you
and take your time.
40) The rest is just the reverse order of removal. You will probably need
an assistant to hold the starter in place while you bolt it up. Use
the engine jack to make sure the mounts are lined up properly. Don't
tighten anything until all the bolts are installed. The driver side
axle might give you a hard time but you just need to use the axle like
a slide hammer and pop it in. Adjust the clutch cable so there is a
small amount of free play in the lever (so the throwout bearing is not
in constant contact with the pressure plate). Refill the transmission
through the upper plug (use a 3/8" ratchet with no socket). You will
need a transmission funnel and just under a gallon of 80W-90 gear oil.
It won't quite hold a full gallon before it starts coming back out of
the hole you are putting it in.
