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Article by:Callum Jones (7/1/2004)

You may as well get a kit with both a spigot and release bearing and if you have a clutch alignment tool it would make things a lot easier.
The next step is to make sure you have the right tools, you need:

• Torque wrench
• Assorted metric spanners and sockets, from 10mm to 19mm and a 32mm
• A 12 point 10mm socket for the pressure plate bolts and a 12 point 17mm socket for the flywheel.
• Loctite, I used blue, you can use other colors and brands as long as they're suitable. You don't have to use it but it could save you pulling the tranny to tighten bolts again and could save your ankles if you drive a RHD like me.
• A Jack or hoist. it might help to have two. If you don't have a hoist, just use an international 474 with hay forks
• Large metal bar to put over your breaker bar to get a lot of leverage. I used one and all the bolts came off smooth as.
• 3 x one liter containers of Honda MTF. It's good stuff
• Jack stands
• Lots of rags
• Flathead and Phillips screwdrivers.

I'm forgetting a lot of basic tools, if you're short of something improvise!



Right
Get some rags and cover your front body panels to protect it from scratches.
If you have a timing light, good, if you don't, mark the distributor so you can line it up when you put it back on later.
Now, these steps don't necessarily have to be done in this order.
Disconnect and remove the battery
Remove the 4 battery base bolts and remove the base.
Remove the air filter and tubing.
Disconnect the transmission grounding cable.
Loosen the clutch cable by turning the bolt on the end and remove the cable from the release arm, then remove the clutch cable bracket.
I have not worked on a hydro tranny but I believe you remove the clutch slave cylinder as well. There are two 14mm bolts. Be careful not to crush or bend the lines when you are maneuvering it around.
Disconnect the reverse light switch connectors
Disconnect the starter motor cables and wire harness clamp from the starter motor
Disconnect the distributor connectors and remove the mounting bolts and the distributor.
Remove the mounting bolts and remove the starter. There are two bolts, one is longer than the other, you have to remove the entire starter not just the motor, otherwise the tranny will not come off. This has caught many people out including me

You can decide what to do now, you don't have to remove the axles because they just swing out of the way but I would recommend removing them so as to give yourself more space and to avoid damage to the splines. Removal of the radiator and cross member is also optional but recommended.
Use a punch to straighten out the 32mm nut on the end of the drive shafts and loosen the nut. They will be tight so use your extension.
Jack up the front end of the car and place it on jack stands.
Drain the transmission oil by removing the filler bolt (top) then the drain bolt (bottom).
Remove the right splash guard.
Disconnect the oxygen sensors (2 for b16a, 1 for b16a2)
Drain the radiator
Remove the radiator mounting bolts and wiring connectors to the fans.
Remove the radiator hoses form the radiator.
Remove anything else from the radiator I may have forgotten and remove the radiator.
Remove the four mounting bolts from the cross member and remove the two bolts from each radius rod connected to the LCA, then remove the cross member.
Remove the lower section of the exhaust manifold if you still have the stock manifold, the bolts will probably be rusted solid so it might be easier to remove the whole thing
Remove the pin, then remove the castle nut then remove the LCA


Now swing the hub away, removing the axle at the same time. You don't have to remove the left hand side but it will be easier to get the transmission on again later if you do and it doesn't take long to remove.
remove the axle from the transmission, wrap the ends in a rag and store out of the way.
Remove the change rod and extension from the transmission.
Remove the front and rear engine stiffener
Remove the four bolts, and remove the flywheel cover.
Remove the two transmission mounting bolts (engine side)
Remove the two rear engine mount bolts
Remove the side transmission bolts from underneath.
Remove the bolts, then remove the transmission bolts.
Attach a chain or rope to the hoist (or farm-style tractor), otherwise, place a jack underneath the engine, lift the engine slightly to unload the mounts>>>>
If you have another jack, place this underneath the transmission to take the weight off the mounts. Alternatively, get a mate to hang onto it when necessary.
Remove the bolt and nut that attach the bracket to the side transmission mount.
Remove the three upper transmission mounting bolts from the transmission side.
Pull the transmission away from the clutch pressure plate until it clears the main shaft, then remove the transmission by lowering the jack




Now you can take a break, you're almost half way there.
Below you can see the stock flywheel, it has done 140 000 kms so needless to say, it needs machining. I also had it lightened to 6.5 KG's down from 8 KG and you can see the newly machined, lightened and balanced flywheel below that.
Above you can see a comparison of the old clutch disk and pressure plate (right) and the new one, an exedy organic unit. You may not be able to see, but the old clutch disk is worn down to the rivets.
To get the pressure plate off, you need to undo the 12 point 10mm bolts around the outside.
Jam a screwdriver in the ring gear to get the first bolt loose, after that you can stick a screwdriver right through the hole left by the first bolt and through to the block.
After removing these bolts, the PP (pressure plate) will practically fall off, along with the clutch disk.
The flywheel bolts are 17mm 12 point bolts and a lot of people complain about how difficult they are to get off, mine came off without even using the extension so I don't know what they're on about. Mine will have been done up for 13 years so I would have thought they would have been pretty stuck.
Make sure you save all of these bolts! and don't damage any of the threads.
Take your flywheel to a machine shop and get it nice and flat.
Using a punch and hammer, knock the spigot bearing out of the flywheel. Hammer in the new one using a block of wood in between so as not to damage the bearing.



Now remove the 8mm special bolt from the release shaft and remove the shaft.
Remove the release bearing and release fork, install the spring to the new bearing and apply grease to the contact points between them.
Grease the release shaft with high temp grease and reinstall the bearing.
Apply loctite ( optional) to the flywheel bolts and reinstall finger tight, tighten them to 76 ft-lb with your torque wrench in a criss cross pattern to avoid warpage.
Hold the clutch disk up to the flywheel and insert the alignment tool. If you don't have one you can eyeball it but make sure it's in the middle so the tranny will slide on. I had a universal tool that wasn't so great.
Align the PP and install the bolts finger tight, if you had your flywheel lightened I'd recommend putting loctite on these also. Again, tighten the bolts in a criss- cross pattern, this time to 19 ft-lb.
Now's the fun part.
Get someone to help you bring the transmission into line, if you're lucky the splines and spigot bearing will all line up perfectly, chances are it wont. I would definitely recommend removing the left hand drive shaft to make things easier.
Wiggle the tranny round till it goes on, DON'T force it or you'll damage the splines or the disk, line up the dowel pins and once these are all in you can put the bolts back in.
Installation is the reverse of removal. Here's a few points:
Remove the left hand axle because it is difficult to line up the shaft and the axle when installing the tranny.
Double check all the bolts are tightened
Now is a pretty good time to get some cans of degreaser and go nuts with it around your engine and tranny, it might pay to degrease the inside of the bell housing to get rid of the clutch residue.
Remember to bleed the coolant after refilling.
Align the mark on the distributor to ensure your timing is correct or use a timing light.
Reset your ecu and check for leaks before driving, also adjust the clutch to factory settings.
Allow around 1000 miles of clutch run-in before gunning it.
If you have anything left over, keep it in the glove box so you can reattach whatever falls off.