sdoolin

One sure way to make new friends and find all manner of new maintenance tasks on your families/friends vehicles is to install a lift in your barn. But I digress...

Looking for tips/tricks on replacing the clutch in a 1996 4Runner "limited" with 3.4L engine and manual tranny. I have pretty vast experience with 1st gen 4runners as I own 2 of them and have done a complete rebuild on one of them just recently (22RE).

I have searched and read quite a bit, seems like the top two bellhousing bolts are the toughest part of the job, and a few folks recommend jacking the front of the engine for easier installation of tranny when clutch taken care of. I have never removed a tranny in and of itself, having always removed the engine instead (again - on earlier model 4runners).

I will be using a lift, and I have a tranny jack so I feel good about that. Anyone care to offer a short list of steps to take? I don't have a service manual for this vehicle and neither does the owner (brother in-law).

I assume I need to remove/disconnect both driveshafts, remove/disconnect all wiring, support tranny and remove crossmember and then finally remove last of engine/tranny bolts? Should I remove the shifters from inside the cabin for this?

Any and all help appreciated.

TheDurk

I just did mine in October. Here are the DIY's I used:

http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=149715

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/4Runne...enance/clutch/

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/mainte...chmaintenance/

plus I have a paper FSM.

While I was at it, I did rear main seal, clutch slave cylinder, and both shifter seat bushings. These last made a big difference. Get a white one and a blue one from Marlin Crawler, plus an end socket for the 5-speed shifter.

Yes on your steps, you do need to pull your shifters, the starter (good time to do contacts, I did those, too)and also front inspection plate off bellhousing or clutch won't clear and unbolt the slave cylinder and line. I got the top two bellhousing bolts with wobble extensions through the shifter hole, once I let the tranny droop some after removing the cross-member. Mark your drive-shafts/flanges so they go back in the same spot when you reassemble--same with flywheel.

I managed without a lift with just a tranny jack and jackstands but it was NOT fun. Nothing was easy to get to. Take pictures and pay attention to how the wiring goes; it's not easy to put it back.

Good luck.

sdoolin

Awesome links, thanks for the assist. A friend of mine works at a local shop and he says that "AllData" recommends removal of exhaust pipe, probably the crossover pipe. Didn't seem like anyone else needed to do that?

This is a 4Runner that will be for sale shortly after I put the clutch in it, so not sure I will do all of the other bits while I am in there. Rear main is certainly a good idea.

TheDurk

I did not have to touch exhaust at all. Cali. 2-cat exhausts like mine are different at the crossover so on your 1996 one cat Federal system I can't speak to that. Good thing, because those bolts are only coming out with TNT. I think you may have a problem, not sure.

On the bits, you may have no choice on the shift seats. Mine were in pieces--I would not have wanted to reuse, and new ones make a big difference to the feel of the tranny to the prospective buyer. That $12 I would spend. It takes an extra two minutes, max. The end socket did not need to be changed.

sdoolin

Transmission out almost too easily. My first gen Runner doesn't have the inspection plate on the bottom portion of the bellhousing, and that was the only bit that slowed me down. Forgot to remove it, then couldn't figure out why transmission wouldn't clear the flywheel.

Took my about 4 hrs to get it on the ground (well, on the transmission jack), and I was working very slowly.

Picking up parts today and re-installing everything tomorrow.

TheDurk

Hey, I warned you...

4 hrs is pretty good. Took me longer, but it was my first trans pull.

Jomoka

I was amused that I was able to drop the trans and get it out from under the car with all 4 wheels on the ground.

TheDurk

Lifted, right? With a '99 (tall springs) and stock tire size, I did everything on the ground, but I had to jack up the rig slightly to roll the trans/TC/bellhousing out from underneath and again to roll it back.

hrt4me

I see you already started the job, but here is a LINK to a repair manual which may still help you...

TheDurk

Unlikely. It's a 2002 manual and they stopped making 5-speed 4Runners in 2000.

Good for almost everything else, though.

sdoolin

Thanks for the link - though I don't think it'll be much help. Flywheel is being resurfaced in the morning and then hopefully it'll all go back together tomorrow afternoon/evening. I replaced the pilot bearing and rear main seal on it today.

As an aside, anyone have a trick for getting the wheels off this thing? They are the O.E. Toyota 6 spoke alloy wheels. Hub-centric (or whatever you call them). The rears came off with some coaxing from my right foot, but I can't budge the fronts. I normally use some anti-seize on these types of rims, but I can't budge the fronts to service the brakes and then apply anti-seize to lug nuts and hub.

TheDurk

Try loosely replacing the lugs, and then drive around an empty lot throwing the steering wheel back and forth trying to get the weight of the vehicle to break the rust bond.

It's never needed on a car I maintain myself, because I put anti-seize on the mating surfaces, but not the lugs. It has always worked on cars that come from outside when necessary.

sdoolin

Would not have thought of that, will give it a shot. I also use anti-seize on the mating surfaces on all of my vehicles, but alas - this doesn't belong to me.

Thanks for the tip.

Jomoka

Yeah, that was on my wife's lifted '96. 33" tires, 3" suspension lift.

aa1911

iTrader: (1)

oof, looks like I'll get to drop my tranny before long; I'm sure this project is right around the corner for me on my taco at least. 184k, I cannot believe it still works after all the crap I've put it through. SC, towing too heavy of stuff, 13 years old, etc etc.

thanks for the info and links fellas.

sdoolin

Job complete. Took about 6hrs to get everything back together. Hardest bit was lining the tranny up with the engine. I didn't remove the front sway bar and it gets in the way slightly. You gotta angle the tranny pretty heavily to get it into position above the sway bar, then you have to straighten it out (the tranny) to line it up with the engine. This is a little tough with the tranny chained to a jack, so the bench press method is employed.

I tried jacking the front of the engine to achieve a better angle but on this 4Runner jacking the engine did nothing.

If I were to do this again I would go ahead and remove that sway bar. On this truck it needs bushings anyway and on most trucks this age if those bushings haven't been serviced now would be a good time to do them.

Re-installing the starter sucks on these trucks - it is waaaaay easier on a gen1.

Anyways thanks to TheDurk for all the links and posts. This job is done and I am out (back to the gen1 forums).

TheDurk

Congrats! Happy to help. Yeah, I undid the swaybar brackets but did not pull the bar. I left the end links attached and bungeed it out of the way. Getting it in was a fight for me, too. I was sure it was lined up but it wouldn't go. I put the stock jack behind to help and after a few turns with my fingers it popped right in. Starter did indeed suck.