Clutch Install, Tick Master Cylinder, Bleeder

[Poolshark1321]

I just began the process to install my clutch assembly, Tick master, new slave cylinder, pilot bearing, rear main seals, Tick speed bleeder, transmission fluid and differential fluid. I just finished getting the car positioned on 4 jack stands safely and securely.

I am about to begin the real work to knock this out. I will do what I can tonight and then I will finish up tomorrow. Going to be doing it all on my own... but its not a big deal cause the parts have been sitting under my bed now for months.

I will be uploading many pictures for other peoples use when/if they ever need to do this themselves. I am trying to get many detailed pictures of the whole process.

Wish me luck guys!!!

[Poolshark1321]

Its officially complete and I just got back from the test drive. I started work Thurs at 9pm and worked til 11am Friday... then woke up around 9pm on friday and worked from 10pm til 4pm Saturday. So I would say I have roughly 30 hours in the job overall and I did it alone with all hand tools and two thorough DIY Clutch install write ups I printed out. I know thats a long time but I did more then just the clutch... getting that damn Tick Master Cylinder in was a PITA! The rear Diff fluid was messy to say the least, but the transmission fluid was easy. I took a water bottle and cut the bottom off, then connected a hose to the other end. Ran the hose through the shifter boot down into the reverse shift silenoid. Hung the whole contraption from my rear view mirror so I didnt have to sit there and hold it. That way I could go and do other things while it was filling and just come back to refill the bottle when it was getting empty.

I never realized how much my stock clutch slipped until now. Combined with the Tick adjustable master cylinder.... its a whole new animal. Shifts amazingly smooth and precise without any hesitation. Tends to want to shudder from a dead stop in 1st, but I am not anywhere near used to it so I think I can figure out how to stop that. I only have 10 mins drive time on it so far and I think the shuddering is just caused from slipping too much like I used to drive the stock clutch.

Well worth the time and effort involved in the install and I also have many pictures.. Going to go clean up the garage, sleep and then tomorrow I will get around to uploading the pictures!

+1 for...

Textralia and Tick Performance...

Oh and that wonderful Amsoil with my Dealer discount!

[Poolshark1321]

Here are most of the pictures I took during the install and the rest of them are on my photobucket here... http://s482.photobucket.com/albums/r...tch%20Install/

I took many pictures, some to show jacking points, jacking height and many pictures that were taken step by step as I followed the two DIY guides I printed out. One was the common LS7 Clutch Install guide for the 04 GTO and the other was on the Australian GTO site. I hope these pictures will help people considering this install themselves and provide a better idea of the overall process. Having a friend or two to lend a hand is a huge help. I'm just crazy and decided to tackle it myself no matter how long it took.


Picture of all the goodies before install...
















Some closeups of the used (8k miles) Textralia OZ700 Z-Grip clutch I bought from MyGTO. Great buy and IMO it was in great condition, thanks again MyGTO!

[Poolshark1321]

The blind hole puller I rented from AutoZone for $170.00 (OEM #27128)






My floor jacks and jack stands I used...



This is the height I jacked the car up initially.





Various pictures of the front end on jack stands. I use wooden shims because the car rarely sits perfectly flat. My garage floor is slanted and the rear end is about 3 inches higher then the front.

[Poolshark1321]

Rear end on jack stands and rear jacking point.







I used one of my floor jacks for removal of the transmission, but a transmission jack would be better. I used a rope to secure the transmission to the floor jack before I started lowering it to the ground. It worked fairly well and I happened to balance it just right to stabilize it with one hand while I slowly lowered it. Once I had it all the way down I rolled it on its side to help clear the bottom of the car.



I had to jack the car up higher to get the transmission out from under the car. I barely squeezed it out without having to remove the mid pipes or cats. I only removed the exhaust from the resonator back to get the drive shaft out and clear.



Stock flywheel, clutch plate and pressure plate I removed at 42k miles. It looked pretty glazed and I could feel how uneven the surfaces were.







Rear main cover and seal before replacement

[Poolshark1321]

I extended the dust gap and cut two 1" holes to provide more air inside the bell housing. I read this in the guide from www.ls1.com.au that I used alongside the common LS7 install guide. Its located here... http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=75261

Heres the pictures of my bell housing after the changes







New rear main seal and cover gasket. It is a well known fact that many of the LSx engines tend to leak on the surfaces that seal the rear main cover. I only placed RTV on the surface of the engine side.





Textralia flywheel bolted up and torqued down.



Fully assembled clutch setup



Tick Performance adjustable master cylinder. The directions said 1-2 hours or so for install but there was no way. It took me longer to remove the older master and replace it then it did to get the transmission on the ground. Still it was a great buy and the difference is amazing, much shorter travel with a slightly harder clutch pedal feel.



Tick Speed Bleeder



SS braided line provided by Tick with the master cylinder (worked great and made the whole clutch line metal. The line covered in a heat shield is the clutch line from tick and un covered braided line is the speed bleeder.

[Poolshark1321]

This wasnt my idea but it worked amazingly well and I didnt spill a drop. It did take around 30 mins or so to gravity feed all 4.6 qts into the transmission through the reverse lockout solenoid. I hung it from the rear view mirror so I could work on other things while waiting for it to drain.

[Poolshark1321]

I am finally getting the hang of the new setup and I am really enjoying it. I was having trouble taking off from 1st gear at a stop without chattering. The setup was very solid at the track. I cant wait to stiffen up the rear end to eliminate the wheel hop issues.

[Poolshark1321]

I just think its because I was so used to slipping the stock clutch all the time. Clutch hooks amazingly well and when clutched correctly is very smooth.

My stock clutch started squeaking on hard pulls or clutch drops toward the end of its use. I believe its pretty common, MelloYellow04 has the same problem. He just ordered the complete monsterIII and tick package. Should be installing it soon because his stock clutch is much worse then mine was. Almost sounds like a bad bearing on a pulley...

[Poolshark1321]

Originally Posted by Weldermike27408

trans rattles a little in 2-3-4 and act like it dopesnt want to go into 2nd all the way..not to mention not wanting to go into gear @ WOT shifts....

That sounds like a bad stock master cylinder for sure if your having trouble shifting at WOT. Yes you will need part of the stock clutch line for the tick clutch line.

Originally Posted by Weldermike27408

i wnat the Tick set up and i will need that line that turns to the back of the trans and hooks up to the Tick feed line
Mike

Its the black plastic piece you see that goes to a smaller black line that runs inside the bellhousing. It connects the the Braided Tick clutch line that has a black heat shield.

[Poolshark1321]

Your best bang for buck package you can buy is the complete kit from Tick Performance. I would recommend going with the Monster III clutch package... it is basically the exact same clutch as the Textralia OZ700 Z Grip I installed. It has the 6 puck clutch disc design just like the Monster III does. The only difference I know of is the Textralia clutchs have no break in period and the Monster clutchs do have a small break end period. I wouldnt let the break in period worry me at all though...

Check it out here...
http://www.tick-performance.com/tick.../gto/packages/

Its a little over 1k for everything you see I installed (no fluids and no rear main seal) and it comes with a brand new clutch. Dont forget to add the new GM or ARP flywheel and pressure plate bolts. They are extra and are not included in the price of the kit, yet it is recommended you buy and use new hardware because the GM bolts are TTY (tighten to yield/one time use).

[Poolshark1321]

Here is a copy/pasted version of the Australian clutch install guide that talks about drilling holes in your bell housing. Marranos... I trust the aussies since they have had these cars far longer then us.... Ive never had a single issue with this mod.


DIY: Clutch install and bellhousing - Marranos Enhancement Division
Oki guys,

I have put together for you guys a how to install clutch,braided line mod,spiggot bearing & bellhousing mod,i hope this helps members out here that like doing things thmeselves enjoy...

[Poolshark1321]

[ram09]

Discussion thread:

http://www.gastiresoil.com/showthread.php?t=1456