Marlin, other mechanics, question about 94 saturn clutch replacement, pull the engine!?! WTF?

[Thegonagle]

I spent the last 2 hours looking at Google-archived rec.autos.makers.saturn newsgroup threads, but only found one relevant post, and nobody even answered the guy's question.

I recently bought a shiny plastic 94 Saturn SL2 that's in fairly decent shape (202,000 miles, but runs excellent, very little oil usage, mostly excellent maintenance, but needed both outside mirrors and new drivers power window regulator). My friend at work didn't want it anymore because the clutch "went out" (he's not particularly mechanically inclined). I test drove it and found that the clutch was still engaging strongly, but that it was only disengaging partially when the pedal was pressed. Knowing this thing has a hydraulic clutch, I diagnosed it in my head as clutch hydraulics (read cheap and easy) and offered him $250 on the spot, which he accepted.

After I took possession of my fly new ride, I found no external leaks, that the fluid reservoir was still half full, and that I could ?pump up? the clutch for a slightly more thorough disengagement (still not completely disengaged though). OK, diagnosis: master cylinder.

I go to Napa and buy a Haynes manual, an air filter, and an oil filter. While I?m there, I inquire about the master cylinder and find out that there are no rebuild kits available and that they can?t be bled properly anyway (this guy must have had a Saturn before), so I bought a complete new sealed ?hydraulic actuator assembly,? pre-filled and per-bled, at the Saturn dealership.

Well, as for my $250 plastic street buoy, I guess I got what I paid for, because the new hydraulic system did not solve the problem. The clutch still won?t disengage completely, and the car remains, for all intents and purposes, unusable. Barring a defective hydraulic unit, I?m guessing there must problem with the release fork or the pressure plate. Now it?s looking like I?ll need to go in and replace stuff.

OK, I can take it like a man, I didn?t get as great a deal as I thought, but I?ve done two clutches before in my friends garages with their cars. Time to bust open the Haynes. First thing it says: Remove Engine, (see chapter 2B). What!?! I?ve never needed to remove an engine to get to the clutch. I?m not going to pull this engine myself. I don?t have an engine hoist, and I don?t even have a garage with lights or electricity. The garage I do have I rent from my grandmother who lives 10 miles away. If I need to have this job done by a garage/dealership, I?ll be a bit upset. I?m trying to buy a house soon and I don?t want to give my money away if I don?t need to.

My question is, can I just do this job the way I?m used to, by lifting the car, removing the driveshafts, and easing the transmission to the side and then down to the ground? If not, why? WTF? Is this GM?s idea of a joke? :| I'm not laughing. We all know that Haynes can be a bit inaccurate. Someone please, oh please, tell me how this is supposed to be done.

Thanks a ton.

 

[NormanBates]

I only took a quick at my friends 94 saturn and I see no problem with this. I have a 97 Saturn SL and I just drop the engine far enough to work on, just replaced the clutch assy. a few months ago.

 

[vi edit]

GM FWD = IS SUCK to work on.

Reason numero uno why I ditched the Monte Carlo we owned. It should not take me 2 hours to replace the fuggin battery. It should not take me 4 hours to swap out the alternator. And it MOST CERTAINLY SHOULD NOT take 8 hours to replace the timing belt.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

2 hours to change a battery?? wtf? thats impossible!!

Garfang: Unfortnately I have no mechanical knowledge to provide you with..but you can check out the SaturnFans forums for help??

Just wanted to have a chance to help, since you've helped me and others numerous times.

 

[klod]

I found the following here:

Question: 1993 Saturn SL2 1.9 DOHC mileage: 110,000. I have a car problem that's just about to
drive me nuts and I'm hoping you can help. I've found similar questions in your archives, but none
that help. Recently my clutch pedal began losing resistance. It slowly worsened until eventually I
couldn't even change gears while the car was running. Mistakenly thinking it was the clutch, I pulled
the motor and trans and installed a new clutch kit--disc, pressure plate, and throw out bearing
(even though the old assembly appeared to be in good shape). I reinstalled everything only to find
the pedal still didn't have pressure. After rereading the appropriate chapter in my manual, I
attempted to bleed the master and slave cylinders. Still getting no result, I bought the new hydraulic
assembly from Saturn-all the pieces, lines, etc. Now I have great pressure, but I still can't get the
car into any gear while it's running. If it's off, however, I can get it into any gear and turn the car on;
when I turn the car on, it immediately begins driving slowly (like it normally would with the clutch
half-depressed, similar to when you ride a clutch at a red light on a hill). When I let out on the
clutch, it takes off like it normally would, but I can't get it out of gear--I have to turn the car off. I've
looked for adjustments, but there are none. I took the motor back out to see that everything had
been assembled properly (clutch facing proper side, etc.), and it had. It seems that if the push rod off
the slave cylinder was a bit longer it would work fine, but I've examined it side by side with the
original, and both rods are the same length. Please help me--I'm running out of answers (as have all
the parts store people and Saturn technicians I've talked to!)! Cory

Answer: Your problem may be a bent clutch disk. It is easy to do when reinstalling a transmission.

Sorry so long. Good luck.

 

[klod]

And then I found these step-by-step instructions. Wow.

 

[Thegonagle]

NormanBates: What do you mean, dropped the engine. It?s been awhile since I?ve done this, so do you use a jack to support the engine from underneath, and then lower it to give enough clearance to allow the transmission to clear the frame rail when you slide it to the side? How much do you need to lower the engine? Doesn?t the exhaust get in the way? If it?s only an inch or two, that?s not much of a stretch, but more sounds bad.

vi_edit: This car ain?t no import killer, as they were hoping for. As far as I can tell, it?s YAGM, yet another GM, or perhaps SINTH, Saturn Is Not Toyota or Honda.

mAdD INDIAN: Thanks, I am currently checking that out, I didn?t find that site in my initial searches. In the forums, some people are saying you need to remove the engine, some people aren?t.

klod: Thanks, I already happened to find that first one, and it didn?t fit my situation, though if the flywheel is warped, that could be a problem. Hmmm. . . That second link is great, so thanks for that!


Everyone, thanks again. I?d still love to hear from any of the mechanics we have here who may have replaced a clutch on a Saturn or two, just to hear any tips you might have. I haven?t done this in awhile, and they weren?t my cars before, so I didn?t do most of the work.

 

[Thegonagle]

Bump (for while I'm at work tonight)

Thanks, dudes!