Since I had so much trouble trying to find resources and helpful posts figured I would write up a How to change the clutch in a Shelby GT500
Things I learned: Always change the hydraulic slave cylinder when tranmission is out of the car. JUST DO IT. It is significantly easier to remove the tranny by yourself if you leave the tranny crossmember bolted to the tranny while dropping it. Bleeding the clutch system isn't as easy or quickly as people make it seem. All these topics will be discussed in more detail with the procedure.
Tools Needed:
3/8" ratchet
3/8" extensions
3/8" swivel
Sockets: 13mm, 18mm, 15mm
1/4" ratchet
1/4" extensions
Sockets: 10mm
Wrenches: 8mm, 12mm, 13mm
Clutch Alignment Tool
Torque Wrench
Transmission Jack
Stage 1: Preparation
1. (I did the clutch swap in the garage) Jack car up and place on jackstands. Typically 15-24" should do. When I jacked up the car the car was high enough to drop the transmission on the ground and slide it back with it still under the tunnel. Car was not high enough to pull the tranny out from under the car (short of 2" FML). Food for though when you jack the car up.
2. Disconnect Battery (8mm)
3. Remove the gearshift Lever (2-13mm bolts) and boot. It is only necessary to take off the top connection/lever.
4. Remove the cross brace on the K-member (4-15mm). This is not necessary but makes it easier and opens up the area for better access to the exhaust and 0-2 sensors.
5. Remove the x-pipe. (18-15mm). After loosening the bolts to the x-pipe access to the upper O-2 sensors are easier. NOTE: Only one upper O-2 needs to be disconnected to remove the x-pipe due to one being actually mounted on the exhaust manifold.
6. Remove Driveshaft (4-12mm). If don't want to remove the whole driveshaft it is possible to just disconnect the four bolts from the tranny-driveshaft and let it hang and move it to the side.
7. Remove bolts for the shifter under the car in the driveshaft tunnel. (2-10mm) Once these are removed you can pull the shifter down thru the boot and let it hang in the tunnel.
8. Remove Starter. (3-10mm)
9. Disconnect electrical connects
Stage 2: Dropping Transmission
1. This is how I found the easiest way since I did this on my own. Place Tranny jack under the tail shaft of the transmission so the transmission crossmember is sitting on the base of the jack. Remove the bolts from the crossmember (4-18mm). If you do this right the crossmember will still be connected to the transmission. This flat crossmember allows the transmission to be more stable on the jack and also give you a place to grab onto for leverage when wiggling the transmission back.
2. Remove the 2 bolts that bolt the bellhousing shroud thing to the bellhousing/dust cover.
3. Remove the bolts that join the bellhousing bolts to the motor. There are seven total but remove the five that are easily accessible first. 3 on drivers and two on passenger side. Lower the transmission jack which will tilt the transmission at a down angle. This allows the 2 bolts on the upper section of the bellhousing to be more accessible. (7-13mm)
4. Once all bellhousing bolts are removed pull back on the transmission and lower it from the car. Important to note once the connection for the hydraulic line is accessible disconnect it. Connection is on the drivers side of the bellhousing.
Stage 3: Beer
Stage 4: Clutch and flywheel.
1. This is pretty straight foward so Im just going to say take off clutch and flyweel.
2. Regarding changing the pilot bearing. I did not have the proper tool to remove the pilot bearing but Autozone allows you to rent the slide hamer and pilot bearing removal tool at no cost as long as you bring it back.
3. Instal new pilot bearing. I used a 2x4 to get the new pilot bearing in. You can also use a socket. Not sure if it's true but i was told the pilot bearings already come pre packed with grease so you don't need to worry about it.
4. Instal Flywheel, The flywheels only bolt on one way due to the bolts not being spaced evenly so this may take a minute to actually get the flywheel to line up. When torqueing these bolts be sure to torque evenly and in a star pattern.
5. Instal Clutch. Before tightening the bolts down on the pressure plate be sure you install the clutch alignment tool while the disks still have little pressure on them. Leave the clutch alignment tool in until all the bolts on the clutch/pressure plate are all torqued to specification.
NOTE: When instaling the flywheel and clutch minimize amount of touching on the flywheel surface. You want as little grease or oil on the flywheel as possible. Before installing clutch take brake cleaner and spray the flywheel off.
6. While the transmission is out of the car remove and replace the Hydraulic Slave cylinder. I did not do this and as I was bleeding mine started leaking So I had to remove the transmission again to replace it. It is good practice and relatively cheap part ~250 bucks.
Install
1. This is relatively easy, just do everything in reverse order.
Bleeding
1. I did not have a vacuum pump so all I could do was pump the clutch and let the car sit. It literally took a full day to get the clutch to feel somewhat 'heavy'. There was so much air in the system initially that there was no pressure on the clutch pedal and the remedy for that was to pump the clutch and just let the car sit for a few hours and repeat. One day of that the car was drivable, two days of that the clutch pedal and clutch engagement window was where it was suppose to be.
(adding rest tomorrow)
Things I learned: Always change the hydraulic slave cylinder when tranmission is out of the car. JUST DO IT. It is significantly easier to remove the tranny by yourself if you leave the tranny crossmember bolted to the tranny while dropping it. Bleeding the clutch system isn't as easy or quickly as people make it seem. All these topics will be discussed in more detail with the procedure.
Tools Needed:
3/8" ratchet
3/8" extensions
3/8" swivel
Sockets: 13mm, 18mm, 15mm
1/4" ratchet
1/4" extensions
Sockets: 10mm
Wrenches: 8mm, 12mm, 13mm
Clutch Alignment Tool
Torque Wrench
Transmission Jack
Stage 1: Preparation
1. (I did the clutch swap in the garage) Jack car up and place on jackstands. Typically 15-24" should do. When I jacked up the car the car was high enough to drop the transmission on the ground and slide it back with it still under the tunnel. Car was not high enough to pull the tranny out from under the car (short of 2" FML). Food for though when you jack the car up.
2. Disconnect Battery (8mm)
3. Remove the gearshift Lever (2-13mm bolts) and boot. It is only necessary to take off the top connection/lever.
4. Remove the cross brace on the K-member (4-15mm). This is not necessary but makes it easier and opens up the area for better access to the exhaust and 0-2 sensors.
5. Remove the x-pipe. (18-15mm). After loosening the bolts to the x-pipe access to the upper O-2 sensors are easier. NOTE: Only one upper O-2 needs to be disconnected to remove the x-pipe due to one being actually mounted on the exhaust manifold.
6. Remove Driveshaft (4-12mm). If don't want to remove the whole driveshaft it is possible to just disconnect the four bolts from the tranny-driveshaft and let it hang and move it to the side.
7. Remove bolts for the shifter under the car in the driveshaft tunnel. (2-10mm) Once these are removed you can pull the shifter down thru the boot and let it hang in the tunnel.
8. Remove Starter. (3-10mm)
9. Disconnect electrical connects
Stage 2: Dropping Transmission
1. This is how I found the easiest way since I did this on my own. Place Tranny jack under the tail shaft of the transmission so the transmission crossmember is sitting on the base of the jack. Remove the bolts from the crossmember (4-18mm). If you do this right the crossmember will still be connected to the transmission. This flat crossmember allows the transmission to be more stable on the jack and also give you a place to grab onto for leverage when wiggling the transmission back.
2. Remove the 2 bolts that bolt the bellhousing shroud thing to the bellhousing/dust cover.
3. Remove the bolts that join the bellhousing bolts to the motor. There are seven total but remove the five that are easily accessible first. 3 on drivers and two on passenger side. Lower the transmission jack which will tilt the transmission at a down angle. This allows the 2 bolts on the upper section of the bellhousing to be more accessible. (7-13mm)
4. Once all bellhousing bolts are removed pull back on the transmission and lower it from the car. Important to note once the connection for the hydraulic line is accessible disconnect it. Connection is on the drivers side of the bellhousing.
Stage 3: Beer
Stage 4: Clutch and flywheel.
1. This is pretty straight foward so Im just going to say take off clutch and flyweel.
2. Regarding changing the pilot bearing. I did not have the proper tool to remove the pilot bearing but Autozone allows you to rent the slide hamer and pilot bearing removal tool at no cost as long as you bring it back.
3. Instal new pilot bearing. I used a 2x4 to get the new pilot bearing in. You can also use a socket. Not sure if it's true but i was told the pilot bearings already come pre packed with grease so you don't need to worry about it.
4. Instal Flywheel, The flywheels only bolt on one way due to the bolts not being spaced evenly so this may take a minute to actually get the flywheel to line up. When torqueing these bolts be sure to torque evenly and in a star pattern.
5. Instal Clutch. Before tightening the bolts down on the pressure plate be sure you install the clutch alignment tool while the disks still have little pressure on them. Leave the clutch alignment tool in until all the bolts on the clutch/pressure plate are all torqued to specification.
NOTE: When instaling the flywheel and clutch minimize amount of touching on the flywheel surface. You want as little grease or oil on the flywheel as possible. Before installing clutch take brake cleaner and spray the flywheel off.
6. While the transmission is out of the car remove and replace the Hydraulic Slave cylinder. I did not do this and as I was bleeding mine started leaking So I had to remove the transmission again to replace it. It is good practice and relatively cheap part ~250 bucks.
Install
1. This is relatively easy, just do everything in reverse order.
Bleeding
1. I did not have a vacuum pump so all I could do was pump the clutch and let the car sit. It literally took a full day to get the clutch to feel somewhat 'heavy'. There was so much air in the system initially that there was no pressure on the clutch pedal and the remedy for that was to pump the clutch and just let the car sit for a few hours and repeat. One day of that the car was drivable, two days of that the clutch pedal and clutch engagement window was where it was suppose to be.
(adding rest tomorrow)
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