just to make sure...has anyone ever heard of an issue like mine when the clutch slips only when the engine/clutch is hot, and at over 3000rpms?

 

Yah mines doing it right now... replaceing it also tommorw.

 

question- if you didn't feel capable of doing a full marlin clutch job yourself, who would you trust to take it to?
Is this something that you would only recommend a Toy dealership for, or are there any reputable national chains who would be good for a job like this? I am in Seattle if that helps.

 

I don't feel like a clutch job would have to be done by a dealer. I'd just talk to other locals and find a reputable shop with decent rates. To me, dealer prices aren't necessary for such a "standard" bit of maintenance.

That said, a clutch job really isn't so bad. Assuming you have a decent set of metric wrenches and extensions, he only "tool" you'd most likely need to buy is a tranny adapter for your floor jack. Around $50 from Harbor Freight, possibly rent one as well. You'll need it twice... once for removal and once for reinstall.

Hardest part of the job is separating the tranny from the motor, and then getting the input splines to line back up when you put it all back together. Oh... and those 2 pesky uppermost bellhousing bolts aren't super fun either.

If you have a friend who can help, the job difficulty drops way down.

 

It was honestly not that hard of a job. The hardest part was muscling the tranny back into place for us. We had tons of extensions and an impact gun to help us though. A tranny jack wouldve made it 10x easier. Its really just an unbolt + bolt back up process, I guess the only part that you really need to know what you're doing is when you assemble the clutch.