changing a clutch
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New User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1
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changing a clutch
hey guys, any of you ever changed a clutch in an '86 bronco II, manual transmission with overdrive, 4X4 of course? my clutch is slipping or at least that's what it feels like. i talked to a local mechanic to get some advice and he says these particular tranny's are a real pain to work on. Can anyone either confirm or deny this? i was thinking about changing it myself, but i'm not a pro and my shop space and tools are limited. is this guy giving me a straight answer or is he just trying to drum up some new business?
thanx a bunch!
thanx a bunch!
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 19,402
Likes: 38
From: Bonita Springs FL
changing a clutch
It's not a real easy job, but I've never actually done it. I'm assuming you have the light duty Mazda tranny.
It requires dropping the transmission, which means you will need a tranny jack. To do the job right, you'll need to remove the flywheel and take it to a machine shop to have it put on a large surface grinder.
Honestly, there are a few jobs I wouldn't do myself, and I have a pretty complete set of tools, and a good resource like FTE. A clutch is one of them.
You should probably expect to pay about $500 for it at a shop. Make sure that includes the flywheel resurfacing.
It requires dropping the transmission, which means you will need a tranny jack. To do the job right, you'll need to remove the flywheel and take it to a machine shop to have it put on a large surface grinder.
Honestly, there are a few jobs I wouldn't do myself, and I have a pretty complete set of tools, and a good resource like FTE. A clutch is one of them.
You should probably expect to pay about $500 for it at a shop. Make sure that includes the flywheel resurfacing.
New User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Michigan
changing a clutch
i dropped my tanny and transfer case in my fullsize, and it was a bit of a pain, but i didn't remove the clutch i just replaced the slave cylinder, and i had to do it on dirt ground with limited tools.... took me about 1 week of free time (which isn't much) to drop the tranny, get hte new slave in, and put it back in, by myself...... if the bronco 2's are anything like the full size... it is a pain with all the rusted bolts, and getting the Bellhousing bolts to break free,.. but that is just about it..
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,526
Likes: 0
From: Round Rock, TX
changing a clutch
It's not really a difficult job, but if you get to where you need professional help to finish the job, your options for getting all the parts (and the vehicle) to the shop are limited.
That's a pretty light transmission; if you're a somewhat robust person, you can probably handle it with your legs or with your arms and your chest.
Here are my recommendations, assuming that you don't have access to a lift:
drive the front wheels up onto vehicle ramps to give yourself plenty of room to work
BLOCK THE REAR WHEELS SO THE VEHICLE DOESN'T ROLL AND KILL YOU
soak the bolts that hold the exhaust to the manifold with penetrating oil for a few hours since you'll want to remove those to make things go a lot easier
if you have the dual oxygen sensor setup (one per manifold), which I don't think they had in '86, be careful to plug the sensors back into their respective connectors (very interesting behavior when you get this wrong)
Removing the transfer case isn't terribly difficult; it's just another heavy weight you have to R&R while you're under there. To make it easier to unbolt the front driveshaft, put the transfer case into 4WD.
Let us know if you have any more questions.
That's a pretty light transmission; if you're a somewhat robust person, you can probably handle it with your legs or with your arms and your chest.
Here are my recommendations, assuming that you don't have access to a lift:
drive the front wheels up onto vehicle ramps to give yourself plenty of room to work
BLOCK THE REAR WHEELS SO THE VEHICLE DOESN'T ROLL AND KILL YOU
soak the bolts that hold the exhaust to the manifold with penetrating oil for a few hours since you'll want to remove those to make things go a lot easier
if you have the dual oxygen sensor setup (one per manifold), which I don't think they had in '86, be careful to plug the sensors back into their respective connectors (very interesting behavior when you get this wrong)
Removing the transfer case isn't terribly difficult; it's just another heavy weight you have to R&R while you're under there. To make it easier to unbolt the front driveshaft, put the transfer case into 4WD.
Let us know if you have any more questions.
