There has been a lot of wishy-washy talk about the McLeod clutch install, with no real strong info. So, here it is. This should clear up any confusion, and prevent people from screwing up their installs.
McLeod RXT twin-disc clutch, Fidanza steel flywheel, 26-spline input shaft:
After you remove the stock clutch/flywheel, it's a good idea to replace the pilot bearing. It easily came right out of the crankshaft with a puller, and we hammered in a new one.
Then we installed the lower portion of the clutch to the flywheel. This houses the bottom clutch disc, and also acts as an adapter so you can use your McLeod clutch with any brand of flywheel.
Next we installed the top clutch disc and the pressure plate. We used the input shaft for alignment instead of the supplied alignment tool.
Next we installed the input shaft. This is way easier than it looks. Simply pop off the front bearing retainer cover (about 10? bolts), and open up the tranny. Remove the old input shaft and install the new one. Install new races into the retainer cover. We used stock sized shims and it measured out perfectly.
If you bought a new retainer sleeve (recommended) simply press out the old one, and press in the new one.
Here is a pic of the input shaft installed.
Now for the tricky part. This is where many people screw up the install of the McLeod clutch, and why some people have had failures and/or problems.
The stock height of the pivot ball is often does not work with the McLeod clutches. I had heard reports of some people having to shim them (add a washer), so that the pivot ball is higher, so this is what we tried first.
We first added a washer (.105 thousandths thick).
This was way too high. The throw out bearing was pressing hard against the pressure plate fingers. Ideally we are looking for about 1/8" of play in the clutch fork.
Next we tried a .056 thousandths washer.
This was also too high. It was difficult to even get the transmission to seat with the pivot ball shimmed. Hmm, we started to wonder, maybe the info we had seen on the forums might be bad? So, next we tried the stock height with the pivot ball. This also gave us no play in the clutch fork.
So, we used an adjustable pivot stud. First we tried -2mm (lower than stock height). This gave us some play, but not enough. At -4mm lower than stock height, it was perfect. The stock height of the pivot ball for us was 37.5mm. We lowered that height to 33.5mm. With this adjustment, we got .125 thousanths (1/8") of play in the clutch fork. This way the throw out bearing doesn't ride on the pressure plate fingers.
After pulling the tranny 5 times to get this right. I'm glad it's over.
The clutch drives great. The pedal feel is lighter than stock. When you slip it, it slips just fine, no grabby-ness, no jerky-ness, no chatter. It slips just as comfortably as a stock clutch. But when you let it out quick, it sure grabs!
I want to thank Jason @ Texas Drivetrain for the help. I couldn't have done it without him! He is so meticulous and takes his time. I've never had anyone work on my car that has been so careful and thorough! You can reach him at (817) 300-6840 if you want any work done to your car, there is no one better!
Also, thanks to Jared @ Lethal Performance for selling me all the parts I needed at an awesome cost.
McLeod RXT twin-disc clutch, Fidanza steel flywheel, 26-spline input shaft:
After you remove the stock clutch/flywheel, it's a good idea to replace the pilot bearing. It easily came right out of the crankshaft with a puller, and we hammered in a new one.
Then we installed the lower portion of the clutch to the flywheel. This houses the bottom clutch disc, and also acts as an adapter so you can use your McLeod clutch with any brand of flywheel.
Next we installed the top clutch disc and the pressure plate. We used the input shaft for alignment instead of the supplied alignment tool.
Next we installed the input shaft. This is way easier than it looks. Simply pop off the front bearing retainer cover (about 10? bolts), and open up the tranny. Remove the old input shaft and install the new one. Install new races into the retainer cover. We used stock sized shims and it measured out perfectly.
If you bought a new retainer sleeve (recommended) simply press out the old one, and press in the new one.
Here is a pic of the input shaft installed.
Now for the tricky part. This is where many people screw up the install of the McLeod clutch, and why some people have had failures and/or problems.
The stock height of the pivot ball is often does not work with the McLeod clutches. I had heard reports of some people having to shim them (add a washer), so that the pivot ball is higher, so this is what we tried first.
We first added a washer (.105 thousandths thick).
This was way too high. The throw out bearing was pressing hard against the pressure plate fingers. Ideally we are looking for about 1/8" of play in the clutch fork.
Next we tried a .056 thousandths washer.
This was also too high. It was difficult to even get the transmission to seat with the pivot ball shimmed. Hmm, we started to wonder, maybe the info we had seen on the forums might be bad? So, next we tried the stock height with the pivot ball. This also gave us no play in the clutch fork.
So, we used an adjustable pivot stud. First we tried -2mm (lower than stock height). This gave us some play, but not enough. At -4mm lower than stock height, it was perfect. The stock height of the pivot ball for us was 37.5mm. We lowered that height to 33.5mm. With this adjustment, we got .125 thousanths (1/8") of play in the clutch fork. This way the throw out bearing doesn't ride on the pressure plate fingers.
After pulling the tranny 5 times to get this right. I'm glad it's over.
The clutch drives great. The pedal feel is lighter than stock. When you slip it, it slips just fine, no grabby-ness, no jerky-ness, no chatter. It slips just as comfortably as a stock clutch. But when you let it out quick, it sure grabs!
I want to thank Jason @ Texas Drivetrain for the help. I couldn't have done it without him! He is so meticulous and takes his time. I've never had anyone work on my car that has been so careful and thorough! You can reach him at (817) 300-6840 if you want any work done to your car, there is no one better!
Also, thanks to Jared @ Lethal Performance for selling me all the parts I needed at an awesome cost.
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