My car going onto the hoist at WASP Performance
Step 1: Remove the center console
2800lbs pressure plate. Custom made by Direct Clutches
Exedy Full Face Organic Clutch with sprung center
S15 6 Speed Gearbox just before it's about to come out
Remove clutch slave cylinder
Disconnect tailshaft
Support the gearbox for unbolting
Drop out old gearbox oil
The exhaust needed to be unhooked to gain access to some of the bolts holding the gearbox in.
Once all the bolts holding the gearbox in were removed - it was dropped out revealing the factory pressure plate.
Bell housing of the gearbox
S15 Gearbox
Removal of the factory clutch revealed the source of my "clutch problems". The factory flywheel was cooked. You can see the hot spots and decolourisation. At one stage my factory flywheel must have got so hot, and the clutch plate simply polished the surface making it glass smooth. This is why with my factory pressure plate - the clutch plate wasn't holding against smooth flywheel surface.
Factory clutch plate - still heaps of meat left on it even after a cooked flywheel. This is a testament to Nissan OEM clutches.
Factory clutch plate & pressure plate
New thrust bearing
The arse end of an SR20DET (flywheel removed)
Factory flywheel, and factory clutch - cripsy!!!
The flywheel had to go to Direct Clutches to get machined in a special jig they have setup specially for doing Dual Mass Flywheels. This is the before and after shots:
Before
After
The results??
What can I say - the Exedy clutch with the 2800lbs pressure plate is awesome. The organic clutch plate allows slip but when the pressure plate fully engages it bites hard. It's traffic friendly (if you have the leg muscles to work the pedal). Being a sprung clutch plate, against a sprung DMF - it's very smooth and easy on the take up.
Chris also recommended some Castrol Syntax Gearbox oil - I was amazed at what a difference it actually made. Gear changes are a lot smoother and there is a LOT less gearbox noise - and finding reverse is a lot less difficult with the new oil.
