We got some pretty bad snow today, about up to my chest in some areas to be exact. In our apartment complex a Dodge Durango 4x4 got stuck so we decided to help him out. We got my girlfriends 94 Pickup 4x4 22RE and got the tow rope to yank him out. Long story short we got him out and burnt the clutch at the same time. I don't need a lesson on how to pull someone out I already learned the hard way.

Anyways which is the best clutch kit to buy? It is mostly a daily driver but I don't want to throw a generic clutch on there like I had to put in mine. Are Marlin (or something of the like) clutches good for a daily driver?

 

go with marlin for sure

 

What are the main differences between performance/ceramic clutches and standard clutches?

 

The Ceramic clutch relies on heat to start grabbing from what I've learned. I'm not sure how that affects daily driving. They claim it will last 2x as long as a normal clutch though..

 

Depending on the cost difference, I think I'd look at another OEM clutch first. People seem to get really good mileage out of these, I have yet to replace one. Is it slipping or... I watched someone pull my 97 up a boat ramp one time, smoking the clutch the whole way up. It was hard to see the 4runner through the cloud of white smoke at the top of the ramp. Smelled funny for a few days, but I've put a lot of miles since and not had any issues.

 

Could this be anything other than the clutch? The truck barely moves when we put it in 1st gear or reverse, it goes into the gears just fine.

 

So in first or reverse the engine revs, but it moves more slowly than it should? That's a clutch on it's way out.

Do you know how many miles were on that clutch? I'm just curious.

 

A marlin ceraminc clutch is a little excessive for a daily driver( not a bad clutch at all though, read on)... some people would consider it to be too much work to drive with, as said before they rely on heat which means there's really no plan it's either "in" or "out", no in between... I would suggest first an OEM heavy duty one or as an upgrade, an equivilant such as a centerforce dual-metallic one, for example... I would not, however, recomend a kevlar clutch...These burn up way too easy with one little slip (I've seen it, trust me)...

 

We do not know how many miles the clutch had on it. It does move, just a lot slower than it should.

 

I bet it was already on it's way out, you probably just shortened it's life by a few weeks or months. I don't think I've ever heard anyone complain that the stock clutch is a weak link in a Toyota, folks seem to generally get 70k - 100k + on them.

oh, and



I want to see the chest deep snow and the stuck Dodge!

 

I figured its life was coming to an end but still it is really bad timing. Right now I dont have the garage or tools to fix it and it will cost about $600 to get it replaced.


I will get the pics posted soon.

EDIT: As I was talking to one of the mechanics he said he had a Toyota truck come in the other day and the guy replaced his clutch but it turned out it was just a bracket that was bad. Is anything like this possible in our situation?

 

I don't want to get off topic, but where are you in IL? I'm assuming somewhere near the center of the state. I'm near Rockford, and we didn't get a ton of snow, just high winds that blew around what we got.

Rob

 

Right in Bloomington, Normal. We got TONS of snow. Which was pretty sweet until we burnt the clutch on the pickup and mine is stuck in 6ft of snow.

 

i just put in the marlin clutch kit very nice and i love the way it drives....i highly reccomend it

 

do you daily drive it?

 

yup i did the basic marlin not the ceramic...trust me you will lke it it is so much better than my centerforce that exploded with less than 40k on it

 

So you got their Heavy Duty OEM clutch kit?


To the original poster. Does sound like you hurt the clutch. My clutch isnt as bad as yours (no noticeable slipping driving in town) but soon as I hit the dirt and put some work on it begins to heat up and slip real quick... engine revs, tires do not move hehe

I to am looking at a replacement clutch... so my eyes are on this thread. =)

From what I've been reading the Ceramic clutches aren't much fun when you drive the truck A LOT.. DD in other words since they tend to slip then GRAB... no gentle slipping until engaged fully like a typical clutch.. no smooth stop and go action, just stop, or go. lol

 

I either fully agree with everything you just said...by the way, nice truck

since your "on the market" for clutches, have you considered one of LC's?

 

LC's are incredibley expensive.

Looks like I will be doing the work myself because I cant imagine paying a mechanic do it for $400! Anyone have any suggestions and or tips for replacing the clutch? I think we are going to replace the flywheel also. What all do I have to remove to drop the transmission?

 

$400 would be real cheap if I had to do it outside. That really doesnt seem that bad, if that includes parts.