On 09/23/2017 02:39 AM, Chaya Eve wrote:
For example, I didn't even know the pressure plate had bolts.
The DIYs I found just said "remove pressure plate" so I assumed there were
no bolts.

No, there are a number of them. Both removing and replacing them, you
want to work your way around evenly rather than removing them one by
one. The default position for a clutch is engaged so there will be
considerable spring pressure. The screws themselves aren't big, usually
in the 1/4 - 5/16 range so it won't be a lot of torque.

Also most expect to resurface the flywheel.
And most expect to replace the two "bearings", the throwout & pilot.
And they expect to replace the "rear engine seal".

From you description the clutch probably has quite a bit of life left
and hasn't started tear things up yet.The flywheel surface may not be as
smooth as a baby's but but don't get too excited by minor wear.

Unless Toyota did something really strange, the throwout bearing is a
loose fit on the transmission nose and it held in place by the fork on
the lever. The pilot bushing usually requires a puller and driver to
seat the new one. I've seated bushings with old pipe fittings or
whatever else was laying around but sometimes it isn't too pretty if
it's a tight press fit.

Don't worry about the rear seal unless you see obvious leakage. With
some engines that can turn into a whole other project.

I'm not sure of what else that people routinely inspect to replace.
In my case, I'm not expecting any "damage" since the transmission is
essentially working fine (the clutch is merely "due" for a change based on
time and miles).

My pickup is 30 years old and had close to 200K miles when I replaced
the clutch. My real task was replacing the throwout bearing. The OEM
design was cast iron and would start to hang up; the latest one is
polymer and seems to work better. Anyway I did the clutch and pressure
plate while I was there and iirc it was only about $50 for the pair.
They didn't need replacing.

otoh, I had a Dodge pickup that had had a hard life. The clutch was
slipping, no question but it came by the wear honestly hauling more than
a 1/2 ton truck should. A couple of my cars suffered from my driving
style when I was a kid. As my father told me "If you're going to drive
like that you'd better get good at fixing stuff."

Anyway, there's no 'due' for clutches in general. After I grew up, or at
least got older, I stopped having clutch problems



No mention of cleaning and safety precautions associated with same.
I'm not sure what 'cleaning' is needed other than wiping off old grease.

. It is said to put it in gear when aligning splines (allows output & input shaft to turn)
Top gear always.
The thing I didn't get is how I'm supposed to put it in gear when it's
already removed from the vehicle?

Is it easy to put a transmission in top gear when it's just sitting there
on the garage floor without a shifter mechanism?