best way to change the clutch

[Cody14]

hey guys,

i have a 98 sc2 and i am pretty sure my clutch need changing, 130k on it! when i press the peddle totally it clicks, i guess thats the adjuster fully adjusted i am guessing? i have herd that its really hard to bleed the clutch? whats the best way to change the clutch and bleed it? i have done a few hondas and toyotas with out a problem. I was thinking about droping the entire sub=frame including the strut towers down and splitting the case on the ground? or is their enough room to just take the tranny out, i am kinda lazy but i do have access to a lift! if u could answer my qs that would be great thanks cody

[sierrap615]

in can be done in frame, but its a pain. there are a few how-tos on saturnfans.com. the adjuster is hyrdualic, not mechanical, it shouldn't click. that sound maybe be the clutch starter safety switch, mounted on the firewall. is the clutch slipping or if it hard to shift? the hydraulics should all be replaced with the clutch.

[Cody14]

it seems to slip, its hard to tell the clutch is kinda bla compared to a honda or toyota. i think it is slipping i mean in first i am at 2k before i let it out totally. are all saturn seem like u have to slip them a lot and have little or no feel to them? thanks cody

[sierrap615]

i think they work fairly well. when my clutch started to slip i first noticed it in 5th gear at WOT(basicly lugging the engine) i had it replaced about a month later

[Cody14]

hmm maybe my clutch is just really shot, yes it lugs into 5th at lower rpms, how is the best way to bleed the clutch with out distroying the slave cylindar? thanks cody

[sierrap615]

i would replace the assembly, but somebody awhile back posted this here:

I replaced my slave and master cylinder and successfully bled them. Here's how:
You can't do it once it's installed. Compress the slave rod and pour fluid in the line opening. Assemble everything. Compress the master rod all the way and then add fluid to the resevoir. Keep the resevoir full as you draw fluid into the cylinder (like a syrenge). There will still be air bubbles so hold the master in different positions while working the master rod (short quick strokes; you're only moving it a little) until the tiny bubbles stop appearing in the resevoir. The key is to do this in as many different angles as possible to get all the air out. And when you think you're done do it a little more to be sure.

[phattyc75]

The only way i was able to successfully bleed my clutch was using a bucket full of dot3 and submerging the slave cylinder in it.

This is done with the master cylinder in place and connected to the clutch pedal, and with the slave cylinder out of the transmission. Start by removing the hydraulic line from the slave cylinder (push the roll pin out with a small flat screwdriver or pin punch and then pull the line out of the slave cylinder. don't lose the rubber washer!). Fill the slave cylinder as full of fluid as you can with a syringe or any other method you can think of. Then submerge the end of the hydraulic line with the rubber washer on and the slave cylinder in the bucket of dot 3. Have a friend in the driver seat depress and hold the pedal. Then put the hose into the slave cylinder and hold it there by hand. The friend should then release the clutch pedal. Take the hose back out of the slave cylinder, and have your friend depress and hold the pedal again. Keep repeating until you no longer see bubbles from the hydraulic line. Then repeat a few more times just to be sure. Again, this entire procedure is done with the slave cylinder and end of the hydraulic line completely submerged in the fluid (*IMPORTANT!*). Also, every second time, make sure you check and fill the fluid in the reservoir. If the reservoir runs dry, you get to start over. Once you have successfully bled the hydraulics, reassemble and hold the hose in the slave cylinder while it is still submerged, then pull the assembly out of the fluid and stick the roll pin back in. If for some reason you let the hose slip out of the slave cylinder after it is out of the bucket, re-bleed the line a couple of times.

This procedure gives you the same effect as using a bleeder screw. Hope thats helpful.