1992 Ford Escort Clutch Replacement Directions
Transmission trouble in an older car is never welcome, especially when it's an older economy car like a Ford Escort. These vehicles can offer years of relatively trouble-free, frugal motoring, but as they age and things go wrong, the price of repairs can quickly eclipse the value of the car. The clutch of a manual transmission is a wear item that eventually needs replacement, and it's an expensive fix at most shops. Tackling a clutch replacement is not a job for a novice, but for mechanics with a bit of experience, it can be a significant money-saver.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Full set of metric and imperial sockets and wrenches
- Jackstands
- Engine hoist or Ford engine support bar D88L-60000-A
- Wooden dummy shaft or clutch aligning tool
Instructions
-
Glass Removal
-
1
Jack the car up, remove the front wheels and support it on jack stands.
-
2
Remove the battery, battery tray, air intake, front fender inner splash shields and slave cylinder hose. Remove the speedometer cable and grounding strap from the transaxle. The engine will need to be supported by the engine hoist or Ford's special tool. Disconnect the transaxle mounts and transaxle-to-engine bolts and remove the transaxle.
-
-
3
Mark the pressure plate and flywheel for reassembly in the same position. Loosen the bolts connecting the two one turn at a time, crossing diagonally each time, to prevent warping of the pressure plate cover.
-
4
Remove the bolts and detach the pressure plate and clutch disc from the flywheel.
-
5
Check the flywheel, throwout bearing, pilot bearing and clutch fork for unusual wear.
Installation
-
6
Install any new bearings that are needed and the flywheel. Ensure that all mating surfaces are clean.
-
7
Tighten the bolts to 71 to 76 foot-pounds.
-
8
Align the new clutch disc and pressure plate to the marks made before removal. Support them with a wooden shaft or the clutch aligning tool.
-
9
Reinstall the pressure plate to flywheel bolts, tighten them in a diagonal pattern to 13 to 20 foot-pounds and remove the alignment tool.
-
10
Grease the release bearing and reinstall it in the clutch fork. Reinstall the transaxle.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
After removing the transaxle from the car, drain the fluid to prevent spills.
Sometimes, the flywheel will be discolored and show a bluish hue. This is evidence of overheating and means that the flywheel should be replaced or re-surfaced. Grooving and scoring also call for replacement or refinishing of the flywheel.
The engine must be supported while the transaxle is out of the car to prevent damage to the engine mounts and other components.
