Some pictures from GTRHOLIC's new clutch install

These are just some pictures of the old clutch and flywheel compared with the new clutch and flywheel.

New clutch is a LUK Heavy Duty item for the Micra. It has roughly 15% stronger clamping force than the factory LUK clutch according to Jim Berry @ Race Clutch in Brisbane.Jim reckons LUK clutches are very high quality - typically of a much more consistant quality than the common Daiken/Excedy/PBR clutches that are used on a regular basis in Australia. He also reckons the organics can withstand higher clamping force than the competition but you'll have to call him to find out more about that. Every spec he said was in old school units and I can't remember them. :P The LUK HD clutch is only a few more $$ than the repco available Daiken/Excedy/PBR and I reckon it is worth the money. If nissan used LUK's from the factory they must be half decent.

New flywheel is a second hand unit from Wreckers which has been machined and also lightened by approximately 1kg. Majority of the weight was taken off the rear behind the rear plate (micra fly is a 2 piece, like subaru clutches).

Anyway here are some pictures. In this picture you can see the new purple LUK HD clutch and the old one.

the LUK HD is a little different in design to the standard LUK.

The LUK we pulled out is the same as the LUK which was removed from a Micra in the Haynes manual.

One side of the plate was worn quite heavily.

There was no life left in this clutch assembly. It was goooone.

The old clutch had only around 100,000km on it yet it was well and truely shagged like it had been slipping heavily for some time.

Here's why.

At only 100,000km the rear main engine seal was stuffed. You could see the oil on it, and on the back of the flywheel there were little oil lines moving outwards.. SHame i didnt take a pic of it. :(

THe Haynes manual doesnt tell you how to remove the seal properly. Well... IT does but you don't have to do what it says unless the factory gasket goo around the plate has failed and is leaking oil.

All you need to remove the rear main seal is a oil seal puller (this is the safest way so you don't damage the seal seating - ruin that and you're screwed). Chris pulled it out with some extra expertise and creative thinking..

Seal removed.

Very easy to install the new seal. Once you've cleaned everything up you position the new seal and then use the old seal (once cleaned) to help push the new seal back in. It HAS to go in straight or it can be damaged, and you'll be pulling the gearbox out again!

And no you don't have to drain the sump to change the seal. You have to drain the sump if you follow the Haynes manual to renew the gasket around the seal's cradle.

I should mention that you're absolutely CRAZY if you don't replace the rear main seal while you're in there. I know they're expensive for the Micra but for crying out loud - its cheaper than a new clutch and its definately cheaper than the amount of labour which goes into removal of the gearbox in the micra.


Removing the gearbox in the LX/SLX isnt so bad because of the lack of ABS. Super S - well just looking down into my engine bay... I've got power steering which makes a mess on the drivers side, factory aircon which makes a mess infront of the engine and a huge bosch abs unit which makes a huge mess on the passenger side of the engine bay. I think it might be easier to drop the engine and gearbox as a whole with my car. Drop it down attached to the lower cross member. Gah.

Good informative pics and thread Yom.

My Jap-spec engine had a new seal put on here when it was reconditioned and installed.

Gah. I wish I could make my clutch pedal feel like chris's.

Hehehe i adjusted his first time round to engage like a centimeter off the floor.

Was awesome. haha.


Oh another thing - don't use grease on the throwout bearing! Graphite powder has been proven to do a better job and doesn't dry out or flick off onto the clutch.

Hi Yom,

Great work. I was going to use a standard LUK clutch in my car but I will investigate getting one of these instead.

In the yellow pages there is a "race clutch" place at Gladys Rd Greenslopes... Is this the place you went to ?. Sounds like the guy you talked to there knows his stuff.

Replacing the rear engine seal sounds like a good idea... I will take you advice on this. May I ask where you got hold of one from ?. I suspect something specialised like that would have to ordered from Nissan ?.

thanks

Hey Makes,

Yes that is the guy chris bought the clutch from. He ordered it up from Skidney on a friday and it arrived the next monday. Call them and ask to speak to Jim Berry.

I would definately recommend the Luk heavy Duty as the pedal is no heavier and with your odd towing adventures I think it would definaely pay off.

Also while you're in there and paying for the clutch to be machined I think it may be wise to look at taking a KG or two off the standard flywheel. Chris did and while there isnt a huge improvement in performance - there was no drop in performance either. If anything the car was slightly more fun to drive. THat could have been just the new clutch though... Unfortunately because of the condition of his old clutch we couldnt compare performance with any other micra either.


Rear main engine seal can be purchased from nissan - they're about $70. Chris got his at trade price, mabye message him as to how he got it significantly cheaper.

Apparently there are no 'aftermarket' seals for the micra but if you went to a bearing shop I'm sure they'd find one which is just right. I'd rather the genuine nissan part though. :)

Cheers

Also if you're doing the clutch on your sensible micra it may also pay off to take your gearbox to a specalist and get the input shaft seal replaced and bearings inspected.

We didnt bother on chris's car as it only has 100,000km on the clock and probably hasnt been driven hard.


Why would you do this? Well the seal is meant to be replaced when you do the clutch as this seal is exposed to the same heat and stress which the rear main engine seal is exposed to so it only makes sense that it might be near the end of its life.

The trouble is that if the input shaft does die after you put the gearbox back together you'll be up for another new clutch and possibly a gearbox rebuild. But worse than that you'd have to pull the gearbox out again - which would either mean another weekend of pain or blowing another $300 to $500 at the mechanics.

I might see if matty wants to experiment with his old gearbox sitting in his garage. Input shaft seal might be easier than expected. Its a very cheap part too, $5 or so.

Cheers

yeah, cheap part, only $4. i haev one here. i would like to be there for the experimenting with matty gearbox. see how hard it is. might do mine.

Alex

Eek $70 huh. I think mine has gone.

I really think its because the skinny JUN flywheel gets too hot when you cook it during a bad launch or gear change, and as a result, the seal has worn prematurely.

Yeah just one of the negatives of a thin flywheel.

You better get it fixed soon or you'll be up for a new clutch as well.

WEIRD man nothing looks warped or heat damaged. Now I am a bit spun out. Some fingers slightly out of alignment, but not by much, literally about 1mm and only 4 of them.

Will go to a drivetrain place and check that flywheel and clutch are both still balanced and not warped.

My seal looks pretty nice and new too. So that's weird.

But I did find oil drops (see other thread).

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Just an update to this thread.

The clutch grips hard and the pedal has hardened up a bit since it was installed. Pedal feel (to me) seems really good. Compeltely different and so much better than mine (factory clutch afaik).

Also takes abuse very well, holds nicely without a hint of slip with 4000rpm launches (sorry chris :P).

Definately recommended. If you remain naturally aspirated I don't see why you would need a bigger/better clutch.

Just great. Glad to hear it.

Agree. Hack had a standard one put in some 30,000 kl ago. When Whitey had its last up grade took out the Exedy HD one and put in the 3 button job. Exedy hardly worn and so thought good idea put it in Hack. Well when we got to Hacks standard clutch it was hardly worn. Still put the Exedy one in but will keep the stock one.
Hack does not have a hard life re launches but gets a bit of a serve now and then.
The one in Whitey gives you some clutch shudder in first if you do not give it a few revs. It hates normal launches.Tend to rev it a bit on take off and ride the clutch a tad to stop shudder.

Hehe I could just imagine it.. A few herbs in whitey and a few grunty noises and off it goes, shudder free.

I had one of those 3 puck ones on the first micra too. I used to be a typical hoon though and absolutely belted it to pieces, gave it a flogging. I think within 12-18 months it was very very worn because I used to do all these massive 2nd gear burnouts with the 155s on and hand brake turns in a figure 8 pattern out in industrial areas etc. Ha ha ha. Yeah absolutely killed it, but yeah felt great before all of that bad serve was dished out.

One time out at this industrial area, I had 2 mates with me, they got out of the car and stood on the side of the road, one of them with a video camera.. (This was when the first micra was at its peak, i.e. extractors, big intake, pod, fuel reg etc all combined with 155 tyres), and I did all these massive figure 8 burnouts by dumping it in 2nd gear and leaving a smoke trail and then once the speed got up to say 50kmh again, yank on the hand brake and turn the figure 8 back the other way etc.. Dump the clutch again in 2nd gear just as the handbrake was starting to lose momentum..

Two bad things:
- The video turned out crap (absolutely no light, so it just turned out completely dark in playback)
- Some guy came out of almost nowhere and ran over towards out car chasing us, and must have got my number plate. Mates jumped in the car, off we went. And later some coppa called my house and spoke to my dad and I got an official "burnout" warning against my name hahahaha. So awesome.
- Oh and that exact night, as we were driving home, I noticed all these sparks and noises coming from near the tyres.. Oh no, the steel radial belts were all hanging out and slapping into the road!!! DANGEROUS!

I am so opposite of that kind of caper now.

Gee Cisco no different to the rest of us !!
The first mini I owned the things I did in that was a wonder it lasted a year. Got a real flogging. Handbrake turns a speciality, anywhere,anytime.

Hehe. Yeah that's awesome.

Now I absolutely hate wheelspin and just picture the spider gears inside the gearbox getting extra wear and tear..

Always thinking about the mechanicals :)