Clutch tool, need some mcgyver help

[BoosTNThreshold]

In need of a alignment tool but no auto parts can get one on such short notice. Is there anything I can use or make to suffice for the time being?


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[H@xtGSX]

Personally, I wouldn't do it without an alignment tool. If you bought the clutch new, it should have come with one. That said, I have installed a clutch without a tool on a beater truck. I used a piece of steel barstock that fit up in the pilot bearing almost exactly, assumed the flywheel as 0 degrees (it was on 2 jackstands), referenced that angle against a bubble level to get the angle the barstock should be to be 90 degrees to the flywheel, used an angleometer to set the barstock and shoved the plate on... It worked............... But not very well. If you don't mind some vibration and a grabby cluch.... No, DON'T. Go get a tool. Do it right. A clutch is a lot of work. Do you want to have to do it twice??

 

[bmoha7321]

Ok... Quick & dirty. Get a wooden dowel exactly the size the fit into the center hole in the flywheel. Buy some 1&1/2" wide black electrical tape and wrap it until its the exact diameter of the inside of the clutch pp. do it carefully. No gaps. No folds. Smooth and even. It will work. I've done it before. A decade ago. I only use the tool now but it'll work in a pinch

 

[daplatano91]

Actually I've pulled apart a whole tranny once just for the input shaft the get the clutch lined up. Dont suggest you do it but it you have a spare it works.

 

[nfernotalon]

I wouldn't do it without the tool. I've done it before and it messed up the splines on the input shaft.

 

[dino4g63]

I agree with nfernotalon. You need to wait and get the Alignment tool. Nothing good will come from attempting to install without it.

 

[prdsmracer03]

I've done it by eye on a little civic, but seeing how DSM transmissions are a lot heavier I would definitely find one asap....if you lived in Florida I would let you borrow it.

 

[pos4g63]

You can install it without the tool. Just have some one hold the clutch while you bolt the pressure plate on and eye it up. Just did mine a couple weeks ago, no problem.

 

[Snot Rocket]

I was in the same boat a few years ago. I took the clutch disk to the parts store to match it up. Found one for some Chrysler that worked perfect. It seams mopar used our spline count on more than just the Laser.

 

[zcoh2gdsm]

DONT DO IT! i bought a brand new clutch for my STi a couple months ago and never received an alignment tool. I called a mobile repair guy to help me install it thinking he would have one, comes out with nothing but his hands and his truck and says "we'll do it by eye." meanwhile 5 hours later when the tranny is back on i start it and it doesn't go into gear.

next day tow it to aamco and they take off the tranny and find shavings everywhere, TOB is destroyed, pressure plate was screwed up and clutch was screwed up, the reason was due to the clutch not being properly aligned.

in short, wait for the tool it can mean saving your clutch/time/money

 

[ed1380]

DONT DO IT! i bought a brand new clutch for my STi a couple months ago and never received an alignment tool. I called a mobile repair guy to help me install it thinking he would have one, comes out with nothing but his hands and his truck and says "we'll do it by eye." meanwhile 5 hours later when the tranny is back on i start it and it doesn't go into gear.

next day tow it to aamco and they take off the tranny and find shavings everywhere, TOB is destroyed, pressure plate was screwed up and clutch was screwed up, the reason was due to the clutch not being properly aligned.

in short, wait for the tool it can mean saving your clutch/time/money

The tool is only to line up the disk. The first time you depress the clutch it'll adjust itself correctly.

 

[H@xtGSX]

You use the alignment tool so that when you put the transmission back on, it slides onto the input shaft quickly. It won't destroy your clutch if you don't use it. Just push the clutch in before starting it up once and it will seat itself correctly, as ed said. The problem I had with the truck I did without one was I started it before using the clutch, and it rumbled around a little... it was a bit grabby after that, but I don't know for sure if that is what caused it... It was a pita getting the transmission on though.

 

[TuskeeTuner]

I'm bringing this up in the interest of not starting another thread.
I'm getting ready to install my freshly built Jack's Transmission with an ACT(2100) and 6-puck. The alignment tool fits in the pilot hole of the crankshaft, but still allows several millimeters of slop when trying to precisely line up the clutch disk.

Is there a better alignment tool?
Should I bolt the pressure plate up loose enough to "wiggle" the disk into alignment, mount the tranny with new dowel pins (also included with the ACT clutch kit) using the input shaft of the trans to properly center the disk, remove the trans, and re-check alignment?

Sorry for coming off like a windbag - but I have no other way of communicating my thought process.

 

[DSMPT]

The alignment tool fits in the pilot hole of the crankshaft, but still allows several millimeters of slop when trying to precisely line up the clutch disk.

Several millimeters sounds something is not right. Which alignment tool are you using? The alignment tool tip goes into flywheel pilot hole, not crankshaft. And it should fit kinda exactly and tightly, not too loose. I have experience that I received a alignment tool with much smaller pilot diameter than the flywheel side hole, in that case I made a spacer to fit with the flywheel side hole.

Should I bolt the pressure plate up loose enough to "wiggle" the disk into alignment, mount the tranny with new dowel pins (also included with the ACT clutch kit) using the input shaft of the trans to properly center the disk, remove the trans, and re-check alignment?

No need to do such a thing. Just make the alignment tool come in center of flywheel.

 

[Dericsh]

When I found myself in these situations at the dealer, I would use some electrical tape wrapped around whatever alignment tool I had available to make it fit how I needed it to. In your case it sounds like maybe a couple wraps around the splines to fit the disc better.

 

[Justin DuBois]

Like so:

https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/itflys-1gina2g.532766/post-153895322

 

[TuskeeTuner]

Several millimeters sounds something is not right. Which alignment tool are you using? The alignment tool tip goes into flywheel pilot hole, not crankshaft. And it should fit kinda exactly and tightly, not too loose. I have experience that I received a alignment tool with much smaller pilot diameter than the flywheel side hole, in that case I made a spacer to fit with the flywheel side hole.


No need to do such a thing. Just make the alignment tool come in center of flywheel.

Using the supplied ACT alignment tool. The clutch disk fits fine on the spline shaft, but when inserting it into the flywheel pilot hole (ACT flywheel), you can still wiggle it around a little. I bolted it up 3 times before I threw in the towel...and also one of the new OEM lock washers broke from a mere 14 ft-lbs of torque. The second attempt, I pushed on the tool while running the bolts down with my battery ratchet. It's not off center by much, maybe a few (mm) at the most.

In your case it sounds like maybe a couple wraps around the splines to fit the disc better.

I thought about building up the diameter of the pin that goes into the flywheel, but it would have to be perfect with no overlapping tape.

I'll see about rigging up a tool and getting the disk centered. ACT's clutch alignment tool is no good I.M.O.

Thanks for the help fellas.

 

[DSMPT]

Using the supplied ACT alignment tool. The clutch disk fits fine on the spline shaft, but when inserting it into the flywheel pilot hole (ACT flywheel), you can still wiggle it around a little. I bolted it up 3 times before I threw in the towel...and also one of the new OEM lock washers broke from a mere 14 ft-lbs of torque. The second attempt, I pushed on the tool while running the bolts down with my battery ratchet. It's not off center by much, maybe a few (mm) at the most.

I thought about building up the diameter of the pin that goes into the flywheel, but it would have to be perfect with no overlapping tape.

I'll see about rigging up a tool and getting the disk centered. ACT's clutch alignment tool is no good I.M.O.

Thanks for the help fellas.

I think I now understand what you mean. What's the alignment tool tip outer diameter and flywheel pilot hole inner diameter? They are almost the same, right? If diameter is the same on both side, you are just fine. If different, you received a wrong one. But you can still make it work by using your own spacer.
There actually is some play even with the right tool. You can move the tool up and down, left and right a little bit before tightening the PP bolts, that's normal since the ACT tool is plastic. Just try to make the tool as straight as you can when tightening the PP bolts.

 

[DSSA]

Using the supplied ACT alignment tool. The clutch disk fits fine on the spline shaft, but when inserting it into the flywheel pilot hole (ACT flywheel), you can still wiggle it around a little. I bolted it up 3 times before I threw in the towel...and also one of the new OEM lock washers broke from a mere 14 ft-lbs of torque. The second attempt, I pushed on the tool while running the bolts down with my battery ratchet. It's not off center by much, maybe a few (mm) at the most.

I thought about building up the diameter of the pin that goes into the flywheel, but it would have to be perfect with no overlapping tape.

I'll see about rigging up a tool and getting the disk centered. ACT's clutch alignment tool is no good I.M.O.

Thanks for the help fellas.

Is the ACT alignment tool still marked "20 Ford"? If so, it's the same alignment tool that they (and many other clutch manufacturers) have been using for about 25 years now without issue.

No, it's not made specifically for DSMs, and it's an off-the-shelf Dorman alignment tool (obviously, originally for a Ford), but thousands of clutch jobs have been successfully performed with them without issue.

Are you spinning the crank side to side a bit when you're getting it to mate? The center alignment is one thing, but you also have to have the input shaft splines align with the disc, meaning most times you'll have to bump the crank one way or the other a little bit (or twist the trans a little) to have the spline line up.

If you're bench-pressing it in, wiggle the trans a little clockwise/counterclockwise as you're engaging the input shaft into the disk and wiggle the trans a bit as you're pushing in.

If you're using a trans jack or the like, it's easiest with two people, one pushing inward on the trans a bit, while the other person wiggles the crankshaft back and forth slightly with a breaker bar on the center bolt.

Getting the clutch plate aligned is not something that has to be done down to the thousandths of an inch thing. I just did one in our tractor using electrical tape wrapped around two spots on a 1/2" extension a few months back--worked fine, and at that point you're aligning two halves of a 2500lb. tractor.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Correct, an A20 alignment tool for a Ford is what I have and use. For everyones amusement, one time I needed an alignment tool, so I grabbed the kitchen broom, cut off about 8-10" and ground the tip to kind of a point. It worked out great, BUT......then the wife used the broom..........boy did I get a chewing out for that. She was short, she got used to it tho.

 

[DSMPT]

I have the ACT AT20 alignment tool w/ ford stamp and ACT AT59 w/ Honda stamp. Both work just fine for DSM.
Off topic but just sharing my experience for someone who decides to go PPG gear set or one that has the late EVO's 23 spline larger diameter input shaft with Quarter Master 8-leg clutch kit, when I got my triple disc kit from a store, a ACT AT03 alignment tool for EVO was included in the kit. Of course the spline count and diameter is the same because the tool is for the late EVO, but the pilot hole diameter on the Quarter Master flywheel is much larger approxi 19.0mm. EVO's diameter is the same as DSM, approxi 14.8mm, so I needed to put a spacer to enlarge the tool outer diameter. I used a plastic cap from my medicine bottle like the 2nd pic below. Worked just as it should. Just for future reference.

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[danl]

Is the ACT alignment tool still marked "20 Ford"? If so, it's the same alignment tool that they (and many other clutch manufacturers) have been using for about 25 years now without issue.

No, it's not made specifically for DSMs, and it's an off-the-shelf Dorman alignment tool (obviously, originally for a Ford), but thousands of clutch jobs have been successfully performed with them without issue.

Are you spinning the crank side to side a bit when you're getting it to mate? The center alignment is one thing, but you also have to have the input shaft splines align with the disc, meaning most times you'll have to bump the crank one way or the other a little bit (or twist the trans a little) to have the spline line up.

If you're bench-pressing it in, wiggle the trans a little clockwise/counterclockwise as you're engaging the input shaft into the disk and wiggle the trans a bit as you're pushing in.

If you're using a trans jack or the like, it's easiest with two people, one pushing inward on the trans a bit, while the other person wiggles the crankshaft back and forth slightly with a breaker bar on the center bolt.

Getting the clutch plate aligned is not something that has to be done down to the thousandths of an inch thing. I just did one in our tractor using electrical tape wrapped around two spots on a 1/2" extension a few months back--worked fine, and at that point you're aligning two halves of a 2500lb. tractor.

I’ve been dorking around with these cars for over two decades and never knew they used a ford alignment tool in act kits.

 

[TuskeeTuner]

Is the ACT alignment tool still marked "20 Ford"? If so, it's the same alignment tool that they (and many other clutch manufacturers) have been using for about 25 years now without issue.

No, it's not made specifically for DSMs, and it's an off-the-shelf Dorman alignment tool (obviously, originally for a Ford), but thousands of clutch jobs have been successfully performed with them without issue.

Are you spinning the crank side to side a bit when you're getting it to mate? The center alignment is one thing, but you also have to have the input shaft splines align with the disc, meaning most times you'll have to bump the crank one way or the other a little bit (or twist the trans a little) to have the spline line up.

If you're bench-pressing it in, wiggle the trans a little clockwise/counterclockwise as you're engaging the input shaft into the disk and wiggle the trans a bit as you're pushing in.

If you're using a trans jack or the like, it's easiest with two people, one pushing inward on the trans a bit, while the other person wiggles the crankshaft back and forth slightly with a breaker bar on the center bolt.

Getting the clutch plate aligned is not something that has to be done down to the thousandths of an inch thing. I just did one in our tractor using electrical tape wrapped around two spots on a 1/2" extension a few months back--worked fine, and at that point you're aligning two halves of a 2500lb. tractor.

I'd have to look at the stamping molded onto the tool...not sure what it says. I never reached the point of mating the trans to the engine - wasn't happy with the clutch disk position with relation to the ACT flywheel. I know it's only 2-3(mm) off center but I'm not satisfied with it being off. I can still see the smooth reflective surface of the flywheel on the entire circumference of the flywheel, but there's more in some spots than other. There's no room for the spline in the clutch disk to move around.

I've installed a F5M33 by myself before back when ACT made the rattling clutch disks.

I'm gonna try building up the end of the tool next weekend using either tape or shrink tubing and see how it works out. It's going to one way or another.

 

[pauleyman]

You're way over thinking this. Tape it. Stab it. Move along.

 

[DSSA]

I'd have to look at the stamping molded onto the tool...not sure what it says. I never reached the point of mating the trans to the engine - wasn't happy with the clutch disk position with relation to the ACT flywheel. I know it's only 2-3(mm) off center but I'm not satisfied with it being off. I can still see the smooth reflective surface of the flywheel on the entire circumference of the flywheel, but there's more in some spots than other. There's no room for the spline in the clutch disk to move around.

I've installed a F5M33 by myself before back when ACT made the rattling clutch disks.

I'm gonna try building up the end of the tool next weekend using either tape or shrink tubing and see how it works out. It's going to one way or another.

While I appreciate you trying to be "precise", you're kind of making something out of nothing.

The clutch disc does NOT have to be centered to a thousandth of an inch, as I mentioned before. The "2-3mm off" you're seeing makes no difference, and the clutch disc will move that much (or more) as soon as you hit it with the input shaft and start aligning it. The clutch disc isn't going to be held down against the plate with THAT much pressure to prevent it moving a little bit. A clutch alignment tool is used to get the center hub of the disc "In the correct area", it is not a machinist tool.

So, unless you have the engine and transmission out of the car, and have built a rig to hold both ABSOLUTELY parallel to one another while putting them together, you're wasting your time fighting a battle that will end the same way as soon as your start mating the two.

As Paul said, "You're way overthinking this".