• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

Clutch replacement: Should I do it myself?

PurpleMystique said:
I have the engine supported from below and above so it's good to go.
Click to expand...

Not going to work - I wouldn't work anywhere near an engine support from below when removing the transmission. It doesn't gently slide off - you will have to pry and shake it off...

Once you remove the transmission the only place you will be able to support the motor is the oil pan - thinking the motor won't lean or rock when you remove the mounts is crazy.
 
KyleQ said:
I wrap it with a rag and tie it up and out of the way. It will drain your M/C and you will have to not only bleed your clutch, but your brakes as well.
Click to expand...

I usually hook it up to either an old throwout bearing, or the new one. That way you don't lose much fluid at all.
 
KyleQ said:
Not going to work - I wouldn't work anywhere near an engine support from below when removing the transmission. It doesn't gently slide off - you will have to pry and shake it off...

Once you remove the transmission the only place you will be able to support the motor is the oil pan - thinking the motor won't lean or rock when you remove the mounts is crazy.
Click to expand...

PurpleMystique said:
and above
Click to expand...

Double the support, double the fun.

It's the same reason I have jackstands and jacks holding the car up - if one fails, I don't want a face full of 3.0.
 
Stuck again:
What exactly does it take to disconnect the shift tower and cables? I don't want to just start yanking stuff out if I don't have to/shouldn't.

Also, the bolt through the front RR is totally stuck. My 18" half inch wrench and my air impact driver can't touch it. I've soaked it in PB blaster a couple of times to no avail. I might just have to disconnect the RR from the MTX.
 
No clue on the tower, but the cables will pop right off when you pry on them. Use a big screw driver or one of your pickle forks. I had to call somebody to ask about this when I did it because I was afraid to break them, but they WILL pop off.
 
Yeah, they take a little bit of force to get off, i stick a flathead screw driver in between the cable end pry up and twist the head of the screwdriver is long ways in between the shifter end/shifttower. That usually does it for me. Make sure you get a screwdriver with a beefy head though.
 
DROPPING THE SUBFRAME!

1. I disconnected the single bolt inside the passenger compartment hooking the steering wheel to the steering rack. Is that enough? The rubber boot that separates the engine bay from the driver's footwell seems to be stretching.

2. I can drop the front of the subframe about 5 or 6 inches before the steering rack holder hits the transaxle. Is this normal? Do I start disconnecting the transaxle at this point?
 
And some totally way fun progress pics:

IMG_1559.jpg


IMG_1560.jpg


IMG_1561.jpg


IMG_1562.jpg
 
Subscribing. No idea how much more life my clutch has in it. Its good now but who knows. Great how to thread when its done. You are doing a great job btw, just keep plugging away and you'll be done.
 
This should be your next picture you post :laugh:



Well - you shouldn't have a pic of a Spec stage 1 that burned up in less then 10K.... A stage 1 has no place behind a 3L...
 
Clutch Install Day 1,258:

Shift cables disconnected.

- I can't push the subframe down very far without it hitting the back of the MTX. Am I doing it right?

- Is there anything else on the steering that I need to disconnect besides the single bolt in the driver's footwell? The rubber boot seems to be stretching.
 
PurpleMystique said:
- I can't push the subframe down very far without it hitting the back of the MTX. Am I doing it right?

- Is there anything else on the steering that I need to disconnect besides the single bolt in the driver's footwell? The rubber boot seems to be stretching.
Click to expand...

I was able to remove my subframe without moving the transmission... What all is holding the subframe in place now?

You'll know when the rack is disconnected from the steering column, it should pull out. You might want to try marking the column in the footwell to get it put back together in the same spot... When I dropped mine in the Cougar I didn't get it back together the same and my steering wheel was crooked while driving straight until I got an alignment afterwards.
 
Redlineracer12 said:
I was able to remove my subframe without moving the transmission... What all is holding the subframe in place now?

You'll know when the rack is disconnected from the steering column, it should pull out. You might want to try marking the column in the footwell to get it put back together in the same spot... When I dropped mine in the Cougar I didn't get it back together the same and my steering wheel was crooked while driving straight until I got an alignment afterwards.
Click to expand...

That is a 10 minute fix - just take it apart, straighten the wheel, lock the ignition and put it back together... Did it for Kyle once... The subframe shouldn't hit the MTX - I just did a transmission swap on a car and didn't have any issues. Support radiator, unbolt rad mounts, unbolt a/c canister, remove front bolts, loosen rear bolts almost all of the way, disconnect steering and it should droop all the way down to the floor without hitting anything...
 
Maybe I'll have to get a picture of it. From what I remember (I haven't touched it in a couple days) the steering rack sits inside a metal box on the back brace of the subframe. I removed the front bolts, loosened the rear bolts, and pushed down on the front of the subframe. The metal box that holds the steering rack started pushing on the back of the transaxle as it rotated down.

Also, how do I handle the intermediate passenger side axle - the part that goes from the transaxle to the engine-mounted brace where it connects to the CV joint? I pulled the strut and end of the axle with the slide hammer, but the bolts holding the axle brace to the engine are beyond tight.
 
if your front and rear roll restrictors are off.... then you should be able to swing the motor forwards, away from the rack. ...G.
 
I so totally almost worked on it tonight, but I took the motorcycle for a nice long ride, plus The Office starts in like 25 minutes. So many excuses...

How many bolts hold the MTX to the engine? I have a huge mess of coolant lines, wires, and vacuum lines to work around, so I'm not sure if I am getting all of them. There are two holes at the bottom unused since I have a 3.0, but how many bolts are on the top half of the MTX?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top