Clutch replacement

A guide to changing the clutch.

It is inevitable that at some point you will have to face changing the clutch. It dips in and out of the mud on a regular basis as the bell-housing is not sealed. Eventually the clutch thrust bearing will start rattling and the action will become stiff and heavy. Changing the clutch on a Jimny seems to be not for the faint hearted. It’s a very physical task and it is not pleasant struggling with the gearbox under the car, it is a very tight fit in the transmission tunnel.

No special tools are required, but a good toolkit is needed. You will need extension bars for a socket set as some of the bolts are well hidden and difficult to access. A breaker bar is also needed as some bolts are very tight.

If this hasn’t put you off then its time to start work. It goes without saying that you should jet-wash the underside of the car if possible to remove as much of the muck before it drops on you! There are two ways of changing the clutch, one is to take the engine and gearbox out and the other is to drop the gearbox off. The Suzuki factory manual suggests the gearbox dropping method so that is the way I have gone.

The factory manual suggests it is not necessary to remove the transfer box, but I have removed it as you will need all the space you can get, I thoroughly recommend that you also remove the transfer box.

If you have the luxury of a bit of time then spray the visible bolts with WD40 a day or so before. In particular you should try and spray the bolts holding the exhaust front section and the bolts around the gearbox housing as these are difficult.

Starting inside the car it is necessary to remove both the gear lever and the transfer box lever.

To remove the gearbox lever you have to remove the centre console. This is held on by four screws on the side at the front and back.

File:Figure 1. Removing the Centre Console.png

Figure 1. Removing the Centre Console

The console then lifts out. Mine was more of a problem as I have a switch panel fitted so I then needed to remove the gearlever before the console would come completely away, but this has to be done at some point anyway. Pull the gaiter away to reveal the three bolt heads around the base of the gearlever, undo the bolts and carefully lift out the gearstick, note that there is a small spring and a cup that should not be lost!

File:Figure 2. Removing the Gearlever.png

Figure 2. Removing the Gearlever

With the console removed you will then see a frame that holds in a second gaiter. Simply undo the bolts and lift the frame clear.

File:Figure 3. Removing the lower Gaiter.png

Figure 3. Removing the lower Gaiter

If you are removing the Transfer Box then you need to remove the gaiter etc. around the Transfer Box Level. First locate the small screw at the rear of the transfer knob and remove it.

File:Figure 4. Removing the Transfer Lever Knob.png

Figure 4. Removing the Transfer Lever Knob

Unscrew the frame around the gaiter and pull the frame and gaiter clear.

File:Figure 5. Removing the Transfer Level Gaiter.png

Figure 5. Removing the Transfer Level Gaiter

Move outside the car and disconnect the negative cable at battery. Now drain the oil from the gearbox and transfer box, if you are not doing any work on the transfer box then it is not strictly necessary to drain the oil providing you keep it upright to stop the oil coming out of the lever hole.

File:Figure 6. Gearbox Drain Plugs.png

Figure 6. Gearbox Drain Plugs