Tips on Replacing Your Car or Truck's Clutch Plate

If you have an older manual vehicle, chances are that you will someday have to replace the clutch plate. The clutch plate is located on the very back of the engine attached to the flywheel. If you can remove your engine it is a very simple part to fix, and can easily be done at home, on a workbench, or even on the ground next to your vehicle.

The first thing you should always do before you repair something on your vehicle is get yourself a repair manual for your specific model. This will help you to identify what things are where they are located, and the specifics of what you need to do the job. Once you have that, you have to remove the engine from your car.

Now that the engine is out of your vehicle take a look at the back part that was hidden inside the transmission. It should be attached to the fly wheel by several small bolts. However you should not take it off just yet. Go To your local auto parts supply store, a web sight, or magazine to find the clutch plate for your specific model and year. If you are lucky they will still be being made in some country and you can buy one for a cheap price. You might want to shop around to ensure you are getting a good deal. Do not buy one used if you can avoid it. Because it could be already mostly warn out. It is almost impossible to tell how far a clutch plate has worn down unless you have a new one to compare it to.

Now that you have your new clutch plate, take a wrench and put it on the bolt that the front pulley is connected by. This will hold the engine tight, and stop it from turning. Now carefully take off the bolts that are holding the clutch plate on. You might need to tap them with a hammer, just be careful you do not break the bolts off, because then you will need to extract the remainder from the fly wheel.

Once you have taken them all off take the plastic installer that came with the new fly wheel, they normally include them, and use it to put the round disk part onto the flywheel. Now install the cover carefully. Put the bolts back in and tighten them in a star pattern, just like you would do with a tire. That way all the parts will connect at the same time, and one would not be looser then another. Once you have tightened them all to the appropriate foot pounds, you are ready to reinstall your engine.