bflooks

hey guys. i am waiting to get a little more $$ before replacing my clutch. it has 131k on it now. it slipped for the first time a few weeks back. now, it is constantly jerking/surging when letting off the clutch. especially going into 1st and 2nd. however, today, i had to get on it a bit to merge onto the highway. i brought it up to 4k rpm in 3rd, and it just started bucking (almost like when you hit a speed governor). i put it into 4th, and all was fine. this is normal signs of a clutch just about done, right? this is my first 5spd, and have never been in a vehicle with a bad clutch.

LittleRedToyota

yeah, it is prolly all due to the clutch...it slips some then it grabs, then it slips some, then it grabs...this is more pronounced when just starting out (i.e., 1st and 2nd gear) and when the RPMs are high (i.e., 4K in 4th).

anyway, i would suggest you either fix it soon or stop driving it...otherwise, you are going to toast your flywheel if you haven't already done so...not that flywheels are terribly expensive, but they aren't dirt cheap either.

once the clutch disc friction material wears away, you get metal contacting the flywheel...this destroys the flywheel. if you are familiar with disc brakes, the clutch works similarly. just like if you don't replace your brake pads when they wear down, you eventually get metal contacting the rotor and destroy the rotor.

also, i would suspect your clutch is going to totally fail and strand you somewhere in the not too distant future.

sorry for the bad news...the good news is that, if you are into wrenching on your truck yourself, replacing the clutch is not terribly difficult.

bflooks

thanks for the reply. i have the asco/aisin clutch kit being deliverred today. $178 deliverred. i am not that mechanically inclined. i can do brakes and such, but never tackled anything major like that. dealer wants $640-800, and a local wants $700. that sucks. but atleast i know it is nothing else. i appreciate it.

bflooks

actually, one more question. these are the parts included in the kit:

ASCO (AISIN) PRESSURE PLATE & DISC
OEM Throw out bearing
Pilot bearing
Aligment tool


i am not completely up to par on the terminology, but is the pressure plate the flywheel? and the disc the clutch plate? or vice versa? or is the flywheel non of the above? thanks again.

LittleRedToyota

no, the pressure plate is not the flywheel. the pressure plate is a sort of spring that puts pressure on the cltuch disc (which is the equivalent of the brake pad).

the flywheel is connected directly to your crankshaft, it's not actually part of the clutch. you don't get a new flywheel with a clutch kit.

if you do it yourself, when you pull the clutch, you will see the flywheel still connected to the engine. you should remove it and have it resurfaced (assuming it is not too scored to be resurfaced).

the flywheel spins with the engine all the time.

when the clutch is engaged (i.e., you are not pushing the pedal), the pressure plate pushes the clutch disc up against the flywheel and the clutch starts spinning with the flywheel...and, thus, the tranny spins, etc.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/clutch.htm is a great introduction to how clutches work.

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/4Runne...enance/clutch/ is a good write-up on replacing a clutch in a 4runner.

bflooks

perhaps i will just buy a new flywheel. why not? shouldn't be too expensive. thanks for the write ups as well. i am still not up for it on my own. i would do it if i had someone with me who knew what they were doing, but i don't think anyone is in the mass. area. but i do appreciate your help, and your great explanations.

NCSU-4runner

you dont have to get a new flywheel, if you want just get the current one re-surfaced. They just remove a few thousandths from the surface to give a fresh friction patch

bflooks

i thought i had heard somewhere that a turned flywheel can cause it to warp. i could just be pulling that out of my a$$ but....? you guys know more than i do, so if you guys say to have it turned, then i will go with that.

LittleRedToyota

like brake rotors, the flywheel has a minimum acceptable thickness...as long as it is not turned beyond that, it should be fine...unless it was deeply scored or has hot spots from running it with the clutch slipping for too long. no way to know that until you (or the shop) sees it, though.

bflooks

i found a shop in the town i grew up in that i used to take my vehicles to that will do the job for around $300!!! they said they will turn the flywheel for me! i am very very happy about this. it is going in next week. thanks for your help guys!

bflooks

clutch is done. took one day, and a total of $350 for labor. not bad considerring everyone else wanted $700-1000! i guess a little bit of a commute can save some serious $$$. parts $178, labor $350...not going to complain about that price after 132k on the original. picking it up tonight.

LittleRedToyota

cool...did you end up needing a new flywheel? or were they able to turn it?

bflooks

they were able to turn it. i must say...it feels soo smooth! haha. the clutch is a little lighter than stock, but much much nicer feel to it than my 132k old one. thanks for you help.