2006 STI Clutch Replacement - DIY or not?

Car: 2006 STI
Mods: TBE, 3-port BCS, tune

I bought the car with abour 47k on the clock and did basic mods and a tune (327ftlb). I'm about to hit 70k and I can feel my stock clutch starting to go (slip in 5th and 6th). It looks like the ACT Heavy Duty Street (HDSS) is a good choice for replacement if I'm looking to do a gt3076 in the future with modest power.

I typically do mechanical stuff myself, but a clutch is something that I haven't touched yet. I've got the tools and things, but it still makes me nervous. Anyone have advice on where to look into getting it done locally? Should I just toughen up and do it myself?

RS says $525 with flywheel resurfacing. I'd rather spend that on insulation and heating for my garage and do it myself. Maybe I'd pay/bribe someone to come and look over my shoulder for a bit while I'm doing it on my own?

Thanks for the advice!

 

turbo turtle+1 send him a pm he can do it for you. i find it odd that a ACT HD is slipping at that power lvl unless the clutch is that worn because that clutch is rated for over 400ftlbs

 

Thanks!

I should clarify - the clutch that's slipping is the stock clutch. The ACT is what I think I'm going to replace it with.

 

o ok yea cant go wrong with the act thats what i have love how it feels and drives. also paired it with a lw act flywheel

 

The clutch is definitely something you can do yourself if you have ample space and the proper tools. Personally, I have a transmission floor jack to help with dropping transmissions down from the car to make things a little more stable and safer. However, if you have a floor jack and a couple of friends you could accomplish the same thing. Here's a couple of trouble spots I'll point out for you:
1) Ground clearance: You will probably want the car as high off the ground as possible (at least 24-30" from floor to chassis) to make clearance for the transmission to come down and back a ways.
2) Transmission weight: The STI transmission clocks in just under 200lbs by itself dry. Might not be a problem for you, but my tranny outweighs me by at least 40 lbs (hence my purchase of atransmission jack)
3) Fluid: If you want to make less of a mess, drain the transmission beforehand.
4) Clutch fork pin: Don't forget to pull the pin from the clutch fork before separating the transmission from the engine. Make your life easier. (Tip taught to me from idget: once you get the pin's cover off of the transmission, you will need a threaded bolt to pull the pin. Use your battery tie-down J-Rod, it's a perfect thread pitch and is plenty long enough for you to get a good grab on it)

 

Thanks for all the info!

Any suggestions on the best way to get the car that high off the ground? Just my standard jackstands that high makes me nervous.

 

You can use 2x4's under the jackstands for a quick-and-dirty solution. Just make sure it is absolutely stable!

 

Awesome, thanks again. Placing my order with Josh @ importimage this afternoon once I choose between the ACT HDSS and XTSS.

Still deciding between hiring turbo-turtle to do it/help or to give it a shot on my own.

 

My understanding is that they both use the same organic street disc and that the XT just has a stronger pressure plate (566ftlb vs 515ftlb). I know they're more than I need in a stg2 car (430-450ftlb?), but like I mentioned in my original post, I'm planning on doing a modest gt30r next winter. I was hoping to wait on the clutch until then but it's slipping now.

Any other input?

 

Josh took great care of me and the ACT XTSS is on the way. I think I'll probably track down a buddy that knows his way around a clutch install and we'll see if we can tackle it ourselves.

 

I just figured that the car spun about that (340ftlb) on the dyno and with a ~25% drivetrain loss, that's 450ftlb at the clutch.

 

S'all good!

 

I've got a 3076r on my LGT and was on the original OEM clutch until about 3k miles ago. At that time I swapped in the ACT HD with a WRX flywheel and TSK kit. Great clutch. As far as DIY, absolutely. Host a work day in your garage with 2-3 good techie car guys.

The clutch holds the power just fine. Not sure about the STI setup, but the TSK kit for my swap was pretty much mandatory to eliminate noise.

 

Thanks John (and everyone else), for the vote of confidence in the DIY.

 

Well, the clutch it sitting on my living room floor. I'm hoping to do the install next week.

What fluids should I have on hand to change? Should I leave the rear diff alone this time around? Any other 'do it while you're down there' items I should consider?

 

whatever clutch you go with i would refer you to turbo turtle, he just did mine this last week and he did an awesome job!

 

If you go the route of dropping the transmission to change the clutch, you will have to drain the tranny of some fluid, otherwise it will spill out onto the floor. So it is a good time to just change the fluid altogether if you haven't done so in the recent past. Tranny fluid must be changed every 60k miles, at the latest. Changing the fluid every 30k miles is recommended. If you don't know if its ever been changed, then best to just change it. An experienced eye can tell you how old the fluid is. Same story for the rear diff, change every 30k miles. Rear diff fluid doesn't need to be drained or anything while changing the clutch.

While you're in there, you should change the front axle oil seals. And of course you should re-lube all the clutch components. Nothing else needs to be done while you're down there, unless you find a problem. Things that you can change are shifter linkages and/or shifter bushings, but those don't normally have to be changed at your mileage. It will also be convenient to change the clutch fluid.

~Dan

 

It's good to see a good amount of skilled members now! All I can say about the job is, it's heavy!

 

Thanks for the tips. There seems to be some discussion regarding what type of tranny fluid to use. Any recommendations on what I might be able to find locally?

 

Well, I'm to the point where I need to split the engine and transmission. Time to start wiggling, prying, etc? Any tricks?

 

Make sure u have the shift fork bolt out.

 

Yup, shift fork bolt is out. Someone on iwsti recommended heating the area around the pins with a torch. Is that sketchy?

 

this..

Angry!

 

you shouldnt have to, make sure you take that pitch mount or whatever off too. it looks like a dog bone.

 

Yup, that's out.

I'm reading that those little pins get corroded. Should I try and tap the pitch mount on the trans with a 2x4 and mallet or try and pry between the case and engine?

 

Here... this is how we do it.


[youtube]2hGanKrxYxA[/youtube]

 

Nothing like the scary asian doctor at work!

~Dan

 

this thing that popped up in my head

[youtube]0hiUuL5uTKc[/youtube]

 

Awesome guys, thanks for the tip. I sacrificed a screwdriver and sharpened and it with patience it came apart.

I'm slowly working on reassembly today and here's something I found. An over-eager buddy must have skewed the shaft before removing it from the seal. Only the outer dust boot seems to have a very small tear, the inside and the spring portion of the seal look fine. The rear half is pushed in though. How can I go about straightening it?

 

Lol Nuke...Didn't know you had some old Skool blood in you!!

must be your "y0" factor or "X" factor

 

That seal should be replaced. It is not worth fooling around with a $10 oil seal.

 

Fine, fine, headed to white bear subaru now. Wish there was someone closer.

 

deff worth replacing rather then taking as chance. mine was borderline only difference is i had to drive a hr and a half to get my replacement

 

I had my local napa order it, should be here this afternoon. Hopefully I wont have trouble replacing it after the transmission is mated back up with the engine.

 

New question:

The seal on the left is the one that I took out of the car, the seal on the right is the one that NAPA ordered. They have the same ID and OD, but look different. The NAPA seal doesn't have the dust shield piece. Should I scrap that NAPA seal and find a dealership tomorrow? Can I reassemble everything now and just do the seal in the morning?

 

I like to use OEM because of those fancy shields. But you can use the NAPA one too.

 

Thanks. I suppose there's no sense in cutting corners while I'm under here, just wanted to know what's up.

 

Thanks for the help and advice on this fellas; I've put 300mi on the car since buttoning it up and it's holding up just fine.

My gas mileage has increased pretty notably, must be the new fluids?

 

Fluids usually don't show any measurable difference in fuel economy. If you disconnected your battery (to remove the starter or whatever), reconnecting the battery will definitely improve fuel economy. After about 3000 miles or so, your fuel economy will go back to normal. Sounds strange, but it is true.

Other than that, maybe you are getting better fuel economy because you are driving it more lightly. You should do easy driving to break-in the clutch for 500 miles.

~Dan

 

Yup, definitely disconnected the battery.