[Chris89]

my torque plate won't come off of the caliper and i don't know why. Also, i'm replacing my clutch and i need some advice on my first time pulling the tranny and replacing the clutch. I bought a used clutch disc, pressure plate, and throwout bearing for $50 with less than 5k on it. Was that a bad decision? What do i need to get resurfaced?

 

[supragook]

you should get your flywheel turned if it's got any grooves or heat marks on it..
if the pressure plate does..have that turned too
a used clutch isn't a great idea,, but hey if you are poor like me it will do for time being till you got some cash.
basically if it's your first time pullin the tranny..take your time.remove shifter. drain the tranny well.take that fork out from inside.
you can even udo the pressure plate and slide that out with the tranny if you have clearance problems.(remove the slave cylinder and put your extension and socket into that area)
undo your driveshaft..engine harness connectors (reverse light and such) and speedo cable
get yourself some long extensions to reach those upper bell housing bolts.
make sure you have all those bell housing bolts and tranny mount bolts taken off before you start prying.
put your jack with a 2x4 under there and pull that bad boy out of there
it's really not that bad to do...but putting it back in is kind of a pain in the butt...
good luck bud

 

[Soldier9]

IMHO it's far easier and quicker to just pull the engine before removing the tranny than doing it with the engine in the car...
With some practice it can be pulled in about 3 hours (and takes about the same to put back in), and then don't have to cuss and swear about those hard to reach bolts and nuts...

 

[supragook]

this is true...but then that is also a hassle for a beginner.. there are many connectors and things to break when doing it yourself....

 

[Chris89]

ok, but what about my brake caliper?

 

[wh0wants2know]

the reason that your torque plate won't come off the caliper is most likely that the boot on the thing is torn and it's rusted and stuck. some PB penetrating lube is useful, but the most reliable way is the crowbar trick, pioneered by me:

1. get a friend, a large crowbar, and a benchvise attached firmly to a heavy-ass bench. alternatively, have a third, very large friend stand on the torque plate.

2. insert the crowbar between the torque plate and caliper very close to the place where they are attached.

3. you + friend lean all your weight on the crowbar and pry that beotch apart. be careful because it may fly off. the landing on your face isn't so bad, but the landing of the caliper on your head hurts like hell.

4. drink beer and rebuild the caliper (or just replace the damn thing)

of course, there could be something else wrong with it, but if it was stiff at all, then this is most likely the reason. good luck.

btw: 500th post. i rule

 

[Chris89]

it's not stiff at all, it moves up and down freely but it won't come attached from the caliper. My front left wheel caliper will tho. I just can get that thing to come off. And i can't close the torque plate all the way over the new pads. front left side will close and wheel will move fine. I can push it over the pads really hard and get it 2/3 the way closed the it's so tight that the wheel won't move at all. i don't know what's wrong. I got my new pads with nothing on the backs of them. Do i want to get all the anti-squeel crap?

 

[Soldier9]

Unless you want to disassemble your brakes again later to get rid of the squeeling, get the anti-squeel crap now

 

[Chris89]

What do i do about getting the torque detached from the actual caliper? Also, the torque plate won't close completely over the pads.

 

[Chris89]

Ok, I've unscrewed the shifter and undone the Neg. battery terminal. Now i'm going to drain the oil. What size is the drain plug in mm? Also, when unbolting the crossmember, where should i jack it up at? and once its unscrewed, where do i want to jack it at?

 

[Chris89]

I thought it was only the clutch...I WAS WRONG...
ftp://[email protected]/trannyandclutch/smaller/
huge hole in bellhousing...Just need a new bellhousing as well as a new clutch. Still haven't pulled it all the way so i don't know what else is screwed...I'll keep in tact.

 

[Supra_Class]

What do i do about getting the torque detached from the actual caliper? Also, the torque plate won't close completely over the pads.

If you are just replacing the pads then the tq plate doesn't need to be removed. Remove the bolt on botom of the caliper & lift it up. install the pads on the TQ plate. Push the caliper piston in using the old pad & a C-clamp. If you don't the piston willl stick out to far & the caliper won't clear the new thicker pads.

 

[Chris89]

If you are just replacing the pads then the tq plate doesn't need to be removed. Remove the bolt on botom of the caliper & lift it up. install the pads on the TQ plate. Push the caliper piston in using the old pad & a C-clamp. If you don't the piston willl stick out to far & the caliper won't clear the new thicker pads.

I've compressed the piston all the way back in and I'm replacing both the pads and the rotors + all the anti squell hardware. For some reason the Torque Plate will not come off. My front left caliper closes fine over both pads and the rotors, also that Torque plate comes off the caliper with no effort. I have removed the lower bolt and the torque plate will move freely up and down on the caliper but will not close completely over pads....here's pics
ftp://[email protected]/trannyandclutch/
dsc03350.jpg is the caliper pic...