Thursday, July 24, 2008

No Disassemble!

I've decided to start posting updates as I repair my truck (1997 Chevy S-10 that currently needs the clutch components replaced), so keep checking back and hopefully I'll have frequent updates and photos as I do some major amateur repair work! And if you're wondering why I titled this post "No Disassemble!", then you're probably haven't seen or don't remember the movie Short Circuit. I haven't seen it in a really long time but it's worth a watch if you can get your hands on it...

Anyway, the main goal is for me to replace all of the clutch components and anything else that needs replacing along the way. It had become very difficult for me to shift into any gears towards the end of last year, so I had decided to take it in to a mechanic to see what was wrong. They told me that I probably needed the clutch and slave cylinder replaced, if not all clutch components. Christian Brothers quoted me about $1800. Anyway, I didn't want to or expect to have to spend that much money, especially since we were just settling into our new house and had many other things that we needed. So I looked around and even got an estimate closer to $1100 from a transmission shop, but by this point I had decided it would be nice to repair my truck myself if I could. I've done oil changes before, and I've even replaced brake pads and spart plugs and wires... but those things don't really require much work compared to what I've started now :-)

I haven't driven my truck in several months, and since gas prices have gone up so much it made more sense for Summer and I to carpool to work anyway. A few months ago I bought the first few items that I needed to begin repairs... a floor jack and 4 jack stands to allow me to raise my truck in the garage and work underneath it safely. So my truck has been in the garage on jack stands for a couple months now, and I finally started work this past week! I'm not sure why I waited so long, but I guess I was nervous about undertaking such a large task... and the first steps pretty much commit you to the whole process!

So, in order to replace the clutch components, I have to do the following things just to get to them:
  • Disconnect and remove the driveshaft
  • Remove the shift lever (which by the way either requires you to cut the carpet slightly or remove the seats to be able to lift the carpet over it :-O )
  • Remove the section of exhaust pipe that runs from the exhaust manifold to the catalytic converter
  • Remove several wiring clips and the transmission crossmember
  • Unbolt and remove the transmission, lowering it from underneath the truck

Fun eh? Actually I think I'm going to enjoy it but I'm sure some parts will be frustrating and tough since these bolts haven't been touched in over 10 years now and are probably quite rusted as I've already found!

This week I decided to just go for it and start taking apart stuff... I removed 4 bolts from the driveshaft, and 2 more from a center section of the driveshaft. The repair manual said I should just lower the rear portion of the driveshaft once I removed those bolts. Hmm, after 30 minutes of pulling/yanking/twisting (carefully since I'm underneath several tons of metal) and spraying more WD-40, the driveshaft was still connected and it wouldn't "lower". So I gave up for the night and did the usual the next day: Google. I finally found a video of a guy removing a driveshaft (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWYNfVdAx70), and he had to smack it quite a bit with a hammer since corrosion keeps the pieces together even when they're no longer bolted. So a day or 2 later I had time to try again. I grabbed the hammer and smacked it around quite a bit to try to get it to come free... and finally after 15 minutes of that (I had to hit a certain part I guess) the driveshaft came loose!!! I had said a little prayer after I had been trying for awhile, so thanks for the answered prayer God!

I also removed some bolts from a section of exhaust pipe since I need to replace the muffler as well. When I first got underneath my truck earlier this year I saw a hole in the muffler that had been leaking on our driveway. So, that's what I've done so far. Not much but I already feel better about doing the rest of the work... it's just going to take patience and persistence!



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