NL SWB Clutch

Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Location: Central Coast NSW

Hi People,

It's time for a new clutch in my 99 NL Shorty 3.5, besides I need to do the rear main as well.

My question is does any one know if this model has a Dual Mass Flywheel or a Solid Flywheel?

I have sourced an Exedy clutch kit for $450 or a I can get a Daikin for $510. Any experiences you have had between the 2 brands?

Regards
Lonnie

Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Location: New Zealand

My 3.5 was a normal flywheel. Well I think it was, looked like any other one to me.

But they have a push pull type clutch which is very different. Not at all like the 3.0 ones.

Good luck with the changing of it.......

Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Location: Central Coast NSW

Thanks NJV6

Thats great news, wasn't really looking forward to having to replace a DMF with their large price tags.

Lonnie

Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Location: New Zealand

have you done a push pull clutch before?

Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Location: Central Coast NSW

No I havent, I under stand their concept. And I have read am instruction sheet from exedy about having to "snap in" the bearing. I beleive you have to install the bearing on the clutch fork and then pull the release fork in the opposite direction to snap it in.

Are they a pain to install?

Lonnie

Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Location: Heidelberg...Melbourne

Install is the easy part, its getting them out that can be tricky. NJ will know better than me but i'm pretty sure the clutch fork shaft needs to be removed or unbolted to remove the gearbox. From memory there is a rubber grommet you remove to gain access. Its been about 4 years since i did one. Going back together you just install the thrust bearing onto the fork and once the gearbox is in, push the lever and the bearing "snaps" into the pressure plate.

Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Location: New Zealand

There is a rubber rectangle grommet about fist size (but not quite Mad

) on the bottom of the bellhousing. right on the bottom of the bellhousing is also a small round steel bung (about an inch in diameter)

That bung needs knocked out the bottom, can't remember how I did it, I may have knocked it into the bellhousing and then pulled it out with a magnet, anyway that hole is where the pin that the clutch fork pivots on comes out.

Holding that pin in, is a 12mm bolt that if you manovre your head into positions it was never designed to move you can see. The hard part is undoing it. Far to tight (on space) for a tiny 1/4 socket set.

I got a 12mm ring spanner in and on the bolt but there is not enough room to move it. So I used the smallest adjustable cresent I could find and managed after some time to get it out. It really was a pain. Then the pin didn't take to much to remove by dropping it straight out the bung you removed earlier.

The clutch fork will then be able to be pulled out enough to clear its keeper.

I didn't change the clutch as it had been done recently (I pulled the motor) so just took the whole assembly off the flywheel.

Putting it back in - MAKE SURE you get the clutch fork in roughly the right place as you move the gearbox forward! I had the motor semi bolted back up but had to pull it all apart again as I didn't get the fork in the right place early on - things in there are tight.

Now, this dam pin and bolt, and its stupid bits of fluff that go on either end of the pin...... Got the pin in and then bought a 12mm racheting ring spanner and cut it in half. this worked a treat as I could do the bolt up in the small space.

It is not to bad a job really. 1st thing would be have a look to see the bolt and pin hole etc. Then get a 12mm racheting ring spanner and cut the thing in half. Works brilliant and made the job easy - well easier.

Hope this helps. It is nice and fresh as I did it in the new year.

Glen

Joined: 02 Jan 2003 Location: Tyers

Don't wont to sound negative about dropping the fork pivot shaft out. I didn't even think of that when I did mine but it would have been a waste of time doing mine as it was seized in there. Once the gearbox was on the ground I had to drill a 1/2" hole in the top of the bellhousing so I could punch the pin out front the top. And it took a hell of a lot of belting to get out. Kept bending 1/2" bar, until I cut some that was only a bit longer then the hole was deep, then belt, and belt, and belt......

To dissconnect the throwout bearing from the clutch centre I read all the instructions and poked and prodded, and poked and prodded...... until I poked and prodded with enough frustration that it finally disconnected.

Then when I lowered it out of the car I had to roll it off the jack and drag it out because it wouldn't clear the chassis, even with 32" tyres sitting up on ramps about 8 to 10" off the ground. (Although dropping it out was easy compared to trying to lift it back on the jack under the car when I was putting it back together.)

Geez the Gen 1s were easy to do clutches on. Then again they were easy to pretty much everything on, just a shame you had to do "everything" some damn often.

Peter H
NJ 2.8L TDI

Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Location: New Zealand

The 2.8 ones are slightly different again. They sort of have a twin slave cylinder arrangement from memory...?

I know with mine, until that pin came out the motor and gearbox could not be seperated.

Joined: 02 Jan 2003 Location: Tyers

Just a std single type slave cylinder, with an acumalator/damper upstream (only linked via hyd lines inline between master cyl and slave) to provide better "NVH qualities" (maybe less potential pulsing through the clutch pedal from the "big" 4 pot thumper at idle) as my local brake and clutch specialist said. No mechanical link to slave cyl, could easily work without it.

Peter H
NJ 2.8L TDI