Need a new clutch, what should I do?

[usnsc]

My stock clutch on my GSX is almost gone. I need a new one. The only place that will do an AWD clutch replacement is a Mitsu dealer about an hour away. My question is, do I want to buy a stock clutch and have everything waranted? or buy and ACT 2100 clutch kit and have them put it in. If I do that, I have to sign a wavier saying that if anything goes wrong with the car, it's not thier fault. Even if it is, I can't blame them or make them fix it. If they put in the clutch and forget to bolt up the transmission and I go to leave and it falls out beneath my car, they wont fix it, and I cant get them in trouble for it. Because I signed a wavier. Now I know that that wont happen. But what are the chances of something actually happening? We called Mitsubishi to get an estimate to see how much it would be, and they said it would be "about" $901.24. Does this seem a little costly for a clutch replacement? I guess it is a dealer. Oh well. What should I do?

 

[PieEyedPiper]

I'm in the exact same boat you are.
Today I went to the chrysler dealership and they quted me 650 for labour and well plus the cost of the act 2100 I'm eyeballing.

And then theres the cost of a new flywheel or getting our turned. I was informed its a good idea to get that done since the car will be apart and it could ahve been damaged by our slipping clutches.

Basically I have to save up 1300 bucks to get the job done right.
so bunk.

 

[spades_gsx]

you don't have any shops in your area that specialize on transmission work? like an AAMCO.(thats just a suggestion guys chill out) thats alot of money for a clutch job. you can have a decent shop do it just make sure you do a search on what you should do for a clutch swap as far as what to change at the same time as the clutch. the things that I did when I changed my clutch were:


new clutch fork and pivot ball(I had them shim the pivot ball with a regular washer)
ss clutch line
3 quarts of bg syncroshiftand had them step the clutch I believe to a bout .608-.610.(it was a while ago I cant remember the proper step hieght) as far as clutch choice, take intop consideration how YOU drive your car, what mods you have, what mods you plan on getting in the future, pedal feel, stronger pp plate vs a clutch disc with an aggressive bite. do a search on clutch selection and read ALOT and then make your own decision. good luck.

 

[usnsc]

I live in Princeton, KY. I have the only turbo car and the only AWD car. We have nothing but rednecks and hicks here. Big, loud, annoying trucks. One of my friends got his clutch replaced and came back, and the place that did it didnt hook something up right, and now his rear main seal is out, or something, and if he just parks his car, his car just spills out oil. theres nowhere around here. I could drive a few hours. Maybe to nashville. They might have some places

 

[xcellr8]

honestly, u can easily do it yourself, me and my friend used the vfaq and have changed the clutch of 2 of his dsms and its quite easy, just follow it slowly and get a friend to help.

 

[usnsc]

Is AAMCO a good place to get a clutch replaced? I found one about an hour and 45 mins away and will make the trip so I wont have to deal with Mitsu's b/s. Should I check it out?

 

[dsmpride]

Yea dude, you should definately look into doing it yourself. Granted, I know how to work and cars and have been doing for a long time, but it is really not that bad. You'll save some money and its great satisfaction when you get it done yourself. If your looking to mod your car at all, don't get the 2100. It can only handle slight power modifications done to an AWD. Go with a 2600 or a Spec stage 3 or something better like that. Good luck, and if you're going to do it yourself, just research and read and go into it with confidence instead of using guess work. I'm sure you'll do just fine.

Kent

 

[Talesin]

I've got a mechanic that I trust, but he's more than a bit far from you... Los Angeles would be quite a drive.

In any case, when I still had the GS-T, the previous owner had a friend put a new clutch in, after the old one burnt. Said friend screwed over the slave cylinder (and the master was already leaking).
My mechanic argued the case against an ACT 2100 or 2600, which I wanted, as the car was bone stock. The stock clutch will handle a good bit of abuse... and a performance clutch will definitely give your left leg a GOOD workout if you're using it as a daily driver, and have to deal with hours of stop-and-go heavy traffic. From the sound of things, you won't have to deal with LA-grade traffic, so it may not be as much of an issue.

In any case, he found me a new stock pressure plate (the 'performance' one was boned due to a misinstall... incorrect shimming, the splines were all bent flat and tweaked to the side) and a resurfaced lightened flywheel... $600 installed, all parts and labor included. Oh, and he also warrantied it for three months, parts and labor.

Remember, at a dealership they WILL overcharge you as much as possible, because then you can say 'Dealer Serviced' about the part. Find a good mechanic, or do it yourself.

I don't have the confidence yet to pull the tranny apart, but I'm looking into the cost if my mechanic would be willing to rent me bay-time with his lift, and possibly even watch to make sure I don't make a boneheaded mistake.


Heh. The saying really is true. "DSM. Making mechanics out of normal people since 1989."