Update on my Greddy Turbo Miata: Clutch Install
 

Hello All,

Some of you probably remember my intro post/turbo install, and while I posted a couple updates last summer, I've been busier than a one-legged man in an a$$ kicking contest at work and haven't been able to for some time.

This all started in October '07 when I started feeling froggy, and added a boost controller, fuel pump, injectors, fuel pressure regulator and Apexi S-AFC fuel controller. All it took after those modifications was one wide open run (and ahem, 12 pounds of boost instead of 5 :) ) and the clutch was slipping with even medium throttle in gears 2-5. No big shocker there, but it did happen just a day before my scheduled dyno test. Hrmph.

Due to the aforementioned work schedule and the advent of winter here in Tennessee, I cleaned the Miata up, took a few pictures (click here to check them out on Flickr) and put my clutch-slipping toy away for the winter.

It wasn't until recently that I finally found a couple hours to start ripping out the transmission. I plan to keep this thread updated with pictures and details so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading,

-Tom

My Miata's home while it gets clutch surgery performed. The Mitsubishi flag is just to remind me of the years I've spent wrenching on those cars, in case I ever forget. ;)

The transmission came out without any major problems. Compared to a Lancer Evolution or similar AWD car, this was a piece of cake!
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_02...utch_job_2.jpg

The stock Miata transmission extricated from its home. I'll give it a little clean-up before going back in.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_02...ansmission.jpg

your work area is to clean and open...wtf!?!?!?

ya wtf ahha my garage is a gigantic mess which i get in shit for all the time, you are a lucky camper.

What clutch did you go with Tom?

ACT as from the DSM history?

so yea, ur garage is stupid clean

Thanks for the comments fellas! I'll admit, I'm a little crazy about the clean garage thing. I've found that I make mistakes and have to retrace my steps when my garage is cluttered and tools are disorganized.

In fact, I've been made fun of for this sort of thing by more than a couple buddies of mine:
http://turbomirage.com/91talon/9_20_2005/IMG_0705.jpg

As for the garage itself, I was lucky to find a house that had a nice big 2 car garage up top (hers) and a full basement/garage. The area where the Miata is my "long term project" area where I can park a car out of the way for a few months. I have another couple stalls for my daily drivers and a little workshop room that houses all of my tools and stuff. Hey, when you're gonna buy a house, get the stuff that you want! I also plan to U-Coat the floors this spring if time allows.

For the clutch, flywheel and pressure plate, I'm going with all ACT stuff. I've had excellent results with them in all of my DSMs, so I hope the same applies in the Miata world. The parts should be here soon, so I'll update this thread when I get my hands on them.

-Tom

good stuff. Post up pics of the rest of the garages than!

Hello All,

Well, the UPS man showed up at my door earlier this week with some goodies! Now I can finally get to work on this little beast.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03...h_flywheel.JPG

Here's all of the stuff that comes in the ACT clutch kit and the prolite flywheel.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03...ywheel_kit.JPG

A look at the stock flywheel vs. the ACT prolite. It is much lighter! I weighed the total weight of both clutch and flywheel assemblies, and the stock 1.6 was 27lbs, while the ACT was 21lbs. Not bad, especially since this is the larger 1.8L stuff.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03...t_flywheel.JPG

Here's a look at the stock 1.6L pressure plate vs. the ACT.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03...ate_vs_act.JPG

Stock clutch disc vs. ACT
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03...tch_vs_act.JPG

Shot of the stock 1.6 clutch disc sitting on the ACT prolite flywheel.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03...t_flywheel.JPG

More pictures!

Eeew! The stock bellhousing was a mess!
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03...ansmission.JPG

Judging by the oily mess, the transmission and rear main seals needed replaced. Here's a shot of the transmission input seal, which was very brittle.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03/front_cover.JPG

Much better! You could eat out of this thing now.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03...ansmission.JPG

While I'm in there, I replaced the stock motor mounts with these stiffer ones that I picked up from the nice folks at Flyin' Miata.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03...tor_mounts.JPG

You are a handy fellow, want to come over to my house for beers and clutch installs? ;)

Exactly how much beer are we talking about here? :)

My wife used to work for a beer company, we have a fridge especially for beer.

Tennessee to CT is a hell of a drive though. ;)

UPDATE!

Before I start, I've been using anti-seize and threadlock since I can remember. Both are messy and difficult to apply, especially if you're lying on your back.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03/old_anti_sieze.JPG

That said, I've gotta give a shout out to Loctite for making these stick applicators for their anti-seize and threadlocker products. I am amazed how much simpler this made the job vs. the old and messy ways. If you don't have these in your garage, go get em!
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03/stick_loctite.JPG

Here's the shiny new ACT flywheel installed:
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03..._installed.JPG

Here's a shot of the ACT clutch and flywheel assembly bolted up and awaiting the transmission! I finished up the job on Saturday morning and all told, it wasn't bad at at all. Removing the exhaust and loosening (not removing) the downpipe made re-install go quickly and without drama. It's snowing here at the moment, so I don't have much info to share about how it drives, but I will say that it revs up/down much faster. It's supposed to be nice weather the rest of the week, so I'll follow up with a full review.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03..._installed.JPG

The last piece of the traction puzzle are these little suckers. I picked them up from a local guy who used them on his Honda Civic. I've had excellent success and reliability with these particular slicks (22x8x15") on my old 1989 Mitsubishi Mirage, so we'll see how they work on the Miata. I ran mid 11s in the low 120s in the 1/4 mile with them on a crappy FWD platform, so I believe they'll be sufficient for the modest power I'm making here.
http://turbomirage.com/miata/2008_03...els_slicks.JPG

More to come!

Good to see the thread didn't die. I'm doing a clutch job myself in a few weeks.

those tires are the tits

underdog you still have your stock 1.6 diff on there dont you

how much boost you running on that car now?

Thanks for checking it out everyone! To answer a few of the questions, I am running 12psi these days. After I get this broke in (300 miles or so) I plan to schedule some dyno time and see how much power I'm making.

I am running the stock diff, so we'll see how that goes. I know it's very weak, but I plan to baby it off the line like I do my Talon in the video below. That car still has the puny 3 bolt diff, which should've blown up years ago given that it's making somewhere around 500hp. Doing so hurts my E.T. by a couple tenths, but that's not a bad trade-off for more reliability. I'll be taking my Miata to the track as soon as they open, so keep your fingers crossed! :noob:

Not sure how comfortable I would feel with those wheels drilled they way they are... of course, I'm not an engineer so who knows.