In this month’s Schaeffler LuK clutch feature, REPXPERT Alistair Mason is replacing the clutch and dual mass flywheel (DMF) on a 2011 Nissan Juke 1.5 dCI. The vehicle has been booked in due to a very heavy clutch pedal, after some initial diagnosis, gearbox removal was advised and authorisation given.
Vehicle information
Manufacturer: Nissan
Model: Juke
Year: 2011 Engine: 1.5
Schedule time: 4.9 hours
Workshop equipment
- Vehicle lift – (two post is ideal).
- Engine support.
- Transmission jack.
- Clutch alignment tool.
Note – Prior to the repair, ensure you have the locking wheel bolt key if required.
Gearbox removal With the vehicle placed on the lift, open the bonnet and remove the following items – engine cover, battery and battery carrier (Fig. 1), air filter assembly and air filter ducting, this now gives better access to the top of the gearbox. Remove the gear position switch multiplug and gear change cables (Fig. 2), there is now better access to remove the upper bell-housing bolts. Remove the hydraulic clutch pipe from the concentric slave cylinder (CSC) connection and if possible blank the pipe to stop the fluid running out.
Raise the vehicle lift to gain access to the underside and remove the engine under-tray, this is a good time to remove the gearbox oil drain plug and allow the oil to drain, lower the vehicle to waist height, remove both front wheels and both front hub nuts (Fig. 3), remove the N/S wheel arch liner; this now gives access to remove the gearbox earth lead (Fig. 4) and unclip the wiring loom.
We now need to remove or lower the front subframe to give clearance to remove the gearbox, disconnect the anti-roll bar links, bottom ball joints, remove the driveshafts, remove the steering rack to subframe bolts and support the steering rack, remove the engine to subframe pendulum mount, remove the starter motor bolts, support the engine, remove the four subframe bolts and lower the front sub-frame.
With the aid of a ladder, remove the gearbox mounting accessed from the engine bay, support the gearbox with a transmission jack, remove the lower bell housing bolts, lower the engine and gearbox slightly, ease the gearbox off the clutch and away from the engine, when clear lower the gearbox and remove from the vehicle.
Clutch removal and replacement
Remove the nine clutch bolts from the pressure plate and remove the clutch assembly. At this point the clutch was examined and it could be seen that the clutch was near the end of its service life as the clutch lining had worn close to flush with the lining rivets (Fig. 5), due to this the clutch diaphragm fingers would not be operating in their optimum position and therefore giving a heavier feeling clutch pedal.
The customer had authorised replacing the dual mass flywheel as advised as best practice, so a LuK RepSet DMF was the chosen repair solution as it contains all parts required for the repair.
Remove the six DMF retaining bolt and remove the DMF, inspect the rear of the engine for any leaks, rectify as required and then clean the back of the engine with clutch and brake dust cleaner to avoid any contamination of the new clutch and DMF assembly.
Mount the new DMF onto the crankshaft and insert the new bolts, tighten in an even and sequential manner and torque to the manufacture’s specification and when correctly torqued, degrease the DMF face with clutch and brake dust cleaner (Fig. 6).
We now turn our attention to the gearbox and the release system, remove the two CSC retaining bolts and remove the CSC, check for any leaks, also check for any play in the gearbox input shaft and then clean the bellhousing with clutch and brake dust cleaner. Carefully mount the new CSC taking note of the service information with reference to the clutch pipe grommet, insert the two CSC retaining bolts and torque as required (Fig. 7).
Apply a light smear of high melting point grease to the splines on the gearbox input shaft and then mount the new clutch plate onto the input shaft, this will confirm the clutch plate is correct and also evenly distribute the grease, remove the clutch plate and wipe off any excess grease.
Now fit the new clutch onto the DMF, mount the new clutch plate onto the DMF ensuring “gearbox side” is visible (Fig. 8) and then align using a clutch alignment tool, degrease the clutch pressure plate surface with clutch and brake dust cleaner, position the clutch pressure plate onto the DMF alignment dowels, fit and tighten the nine clutch bolts in an even and sequential manner, torque to the manufacturer’s specification and then finally remove the clutch alignment tool.
Before fitting the gearbox, ensure the engine to gearbox alignment dowels are positioned correctly and that all cables etc. are clear of the bellhousing area to aid gear-box fitment. It is always best practice to flush the old clutch fluid out of the hydraulic system and refill with new fluid of the correct specification.
Gearbox installation
Place the gearbox onto the transmission jack, raise the jack; when the gearbox is close to the engine, spend a little time aligning the gearbox, ease into position and then onto the alignment dowels. Insert and tighten a couple of easily accessible bellhousing bolts. Using the jack, raise the gearbox and install the gearbox mounting, the engine support and transmission jack can now be removed and then all parts can be fitted in reverse order of removal. When bleeding the clutch, the bleed system has a two position CSC connection (Fig. 9), position one opens the bleed nipple and when the connection is pushed against the gearbox casing the bleed nipple is closed, in this instance the connection was eased back to position one and the hydraulic system was vacuum bled. Remember to refill gearbox oil with the correct grade and amount of oil and to reset all affected electrical consumers, always carry out a full road test to ensure a quality repair.
