HZ(B)J44 Clutch Replacement Write Up (1 Viewer)

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BreckenridgeCruiser

I break things.
SILVER Star
Joined
Aug 14, 2006
Threads
393
Messages
4,415
Location
Oceanside, CA
Website
teqtach.com
I wasn't sure where to post this since my truck is a 40 series, but has the engine from a 70 series, and has a custom suspension and cross member setup. So I decided here is a good home for it.

I had just had my H55/split case rebuilt by Georg @orangefj45 at Valley Hybrids with upgraded t/case gearing. I went with a higher high gear (maybe 10% overdrive) and a lower low gearing (above 3.x:1 versus the 2.9:1 stock). I don't quite remember the actual numbers, but will edit here when I confirm them. With the low 1st gear and the 5th gear, this is the perfect ratios for the way I drive where I am either on southern californian highways, or offroad where the lower gears are nice. With 3.73s in the dffs, it should work out for all the ways I use it.

So what happened? I get the tranny back, slap it in, and drive it and for a second I think I am in four low. I realize after some playing that I should have changed the clutch while I had the tranny out, but I stupidly was so excited that I couldn't wait. So out it came for the upgraded HD clutch kit from Terrain Tamer. Since the HZ is turboed, I should have done this anyway as a turboed HZ will overpower a healthy OEM clutch, let alone what was proabably the original one in the bellhousing when I installed the combo.

So... enough typing... I forgot to take pictures of the tranny combo coming down, but will have some of it going back in later in the thread.

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Tranny out after dropping it... I used a shop crane/engine hoist on the transmission, and a tranny jack under the t case. Made it very safe and stable to get out...

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The front suspension is a 3 link coil over and the rear is a 4 link with 80 series front springs. Both axles are 1985 FJ60 axles. All shocks are remote reservoir Radflo. I had to pull both the custom transmission crossmember (designed to use the 70 series isolator) and the crossmember for the lower control arms to get the tranny out. You can see the suspension crossmember inside the tire with a racor I need to hook up on a custom bracket. My truck didn't have the sedimenter so this will act as a prefilter and water separator.


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Oh yeah... here is the truck...

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It was pretty gross in the bellhousing. Lot of caked on clutch dust (from wear) and oil in there... Look at all the crap caked on the throwout bearing.

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And in the bottom of the bellhousing

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and you can see the oil on the backing plate of the engine under the flywheel... Ugh.

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Don't know how much of the slipping clutch was from wear and burning, or oil contamination... Either way, it was both and both are bad!

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And the culprit.... Look at that thrashed rear main seal!

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Got the flywheel resurfaced before I tackled the cleanup job on the bellhousing and other part. The step is supposed to be 0.5mm or .0987 of an inch (rounded up to .020). My machinist rounded up a little bit to make sure the clutch was nice and solid.

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Grimy backing plate - Ugh

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Grimy bellhousing - double ugh
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Gross throwout. Luckily the Terrain Tamer kit comes with a whole new bearing, hub, and clip so this really can be thrown out!

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slight groove in the crank. Looks way worse in the picture than IRL. I couldn't catch a fingernail on it. I tapped the new rear main in just a slight bit more than the old one to not sit right in the same groove.
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Reaplaced the pilot bearing. Used the wet newspaper trick to pack behind the bearing instead of grease (grease is messy!). I dipped strips of newspaper in water and stuffed it into the pilot bearing hole. I used the clutch alignment tool that comes with the TT kit ( with the ring pulled out of the back) to pack it in with a dead blow hammer. It took a few passes of hammering it in, then adding more, then hammering in, etc. and then the bearing started to move! Came out easily and was easy to clean up. In fact the water helped wash the face of the crank!

To install the bearing I used a socket. I was looking for one that the outer lip was the same size as the outer race of the bearing, but then I though to reverse the socket since the face of my deadblow hammer was bigger than the socket. This allowed for a larger surface area of pressure to push the bearing in evenly.

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I then used a perfectly sized PVC gardening drain reducer to tap in the new rear main. This reducer was the perfect size to evenly tap the seal intp place. I t sat on just the outer edge of the seal so it was pushing in exactly where I needed it to... once it got almost even with the seal holder, it was slightly too big so I had to angle a little to adjust the evenness of the seal depth. As I said before I pushed it in just a tiny bit more than the old one (that was just flush or even a light bit out from the face of the seal holder) so as not to have the seal lip ride in the same groove on the crank.
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So I tried to clean off all the crap on the bellhousing, rear plate, etc. with brake cleaner and simple green and then bti the bullet and took advantage of a harbor freight sale and bought a 20 gal parts cleaner. One thing I read while researching is that the drain plug is straight threaded and a pain to drain. I bought a drill bit and tap for a 3/8 npt and drilled out the drain hole and tapped it to add a valve and hose barb... This way, I can hook up a hose and drain it right back into the 5 gallon bucket the solvent (purple power - $27 at the napa around the corner) came in.

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So much better drain setup!
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This was as far as I got with brake cleaner and simple green.
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and this was after using the parts cleaner and brass and steel brushes. I then rinsed with water.
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Cleaned up clutch fork. I couldn't even tell what color it was when I pulled it out.
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Backing plate installed Single bolt is 13ft/lbs.
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The flywheel installed with blue thread locker on each bolt and then torqued to 94 ft/lbs. I used the wrench to brace the wheel to be able to apply force enough to fully torque the bolts. I did the opposite star pattern as outlined in the FSM with multiple passes to get to full torque. I then hit the flywheel with brake cleaner before installing the clutch disk and pressure plate.
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Using the clutch alignment tool, I installed the pressure plate and disk using a few passes to get all the bolts snugged down. I wanted to be sure to set the plate evenly. I then torqued to 14ft/lbs per spec.
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Prepped the bellhousing to be reinstalled tomorrow. I applied light grease to the ball pivot, the seat for the slave cylinder piston, the two pivot points for where the throwout seats on the fork, the contact lip of the throwout bearing hub, and lastly the input shaft of the transmission. I may also apply a little to the pressure plate spring finger tips, but may just stick with the light coating on the bearing hub.
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More to come...
 
Nice work!!!!

I very much appreciate your support and even more so, that you’ve taken the time to document the work and write it up. THIS IS WHAT MUD IS ALL ABOUT!!!!

Thank you!!!!

Georg @ Valley Hybrids, Cruiser Brothers & Long Range America
 
Thanks Georg!

I couldn't be doing this without your help! It's people like you that really support this community with your knowledge and providing parts and services to keep us on, and off, the road!
 
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@orangefj45 just informed me that the torque for the bolts on the bellhousing to engine is 60ft/lbs. So doing that install tomorrow!
 
Not as much done this morning, but I did pull the bolts out one by one from the clutch cover/pressure plate to add thread locker per the suggestion of the terrain tamer's website. retorqued to 14 ft/lbs.

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Yesterday I had a great workout when I decided to clean the outside of the bellhousing. I had only done the inside, but decided to hit the outside to get all the caked on oil, etc off. After the cleaning, I resembled the clutch fork and throw-out bearing and put the rubber boots and vents back into the bellhousing.

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And then the bellhousing went back on all bolts torqued to spec. I could not find the spec anywhere for the HZ, looking at the engine manual, the body and chassis manual, and even the transmission repair manual for the H55! I asked @orangefj45 who knew it off of the top of is head. When I asked where he found it, his reply was "a girl can't give up all her secrets!" Ha! What a tease!

So, at the end, of the day, all bolts were torqued to 60 ft/lbs and the starter was also reinstalled as the two bolts holding the starter on thread into the bellhousing (one is a stud) .

I did wish I had the time/energy/equipment to clear powdercoat the bellhousing like @DanS HJ-45 does with his incredible builds.

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Clutch master reinstalled. the retaining wire on the throwout bearing is stiff so it doesn't align perfectly with the fingers of the clutch, but I know that when I stab the tranny back in, it will be aligned by the input shaft.

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So here is a fun one... Since this combo is installed in a 1981 BJ44, I still have the 4 speed inspection cover which has the t-case shifter in-line horizontally with the tranny shift tower. Notice that I do have the elusive 40 series h55 top cover so the transmission lines up perfectly. The t-case however presents two issues. The first is that the correct shift lever for the h55 4 series is unobtanium, and the second is that even if I could find one. it would not perfectly align with the 4 speed inspection cover hole. The 40 series 5 speed inspection cover has the t-case shift cutout about an inch to inch and a half aft of the transmission tower.

So with the help of John @pardion and @Living in the Past I was able to source a different 4 wheel drive bracket that angles the shifter forward, this will allow for the lever to be aligned with much less bending. I will need to mod the linkage for the H - N - L action as the side to side is not as smooth with the odd angles. I could retain the original bracket, but then I'd have to heavily bend this lever to align correctly... Still deciding what route to go to keep the interior as stock as possible.

For a little more background, my original 4 speed, and then an h55 (40 series for the B engine - where I got the top cover) I had behind my 2B engine before this swap were both vacuum front drive. When I first did the HZ swap the h55 was also vacuum so there was little mod to the t case lever as it only moved front to back. When Georg rebuilt the tranny and t case we deleted the vacuum front drive and went back to mechanical shift. I like this as it is less stuff that needs the vacuum system. I'd prefer the boosted brakes not be at the mercy of the health of the front drive system.

I'm still not sure of exactly how to proceed, but once I start bending the lever a course should present itself.

In this picture you can see the levers aligning fairly well. I need to make sure the t case shifter is forward enough to not interfere with the right side mounted prking brake lever in my RHD truck...

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Cleaned up the tranny crossmember (custom) and replacing the tranny isolator with new. This is the 70 series which has a flat bottom compared to the 40 series version (possibly 60 series as well) which is all curvy and tough to fabricate a crossmember for. You can't see it in this picture, but the transmission is clocked a few degrees and does not sit perfectly vertical compared to the engine. FYI: Isolator to tranny torque is 53 ft/lbs

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Cleaned up and new filter and gaskets for the Racor I want to use as a prefilter and water separator. My rig did not have a sedimenter so this is an addition to the system. This is mounted together with my rear suspension crossmember so it was a must do while I had it out.

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Showing how I use my hoist to get the tranny positioned.

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In preparation for hanging with the chain attached to the tranny.

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Hooked up and ready to lift

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and the tranny is hung

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Tranny jack under the T case for getting the correct angle to stab without any effort.

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Swung the tranny back and then got the input shaft into the throwout bearing. Once sitting in there, I jacked up the tcase/tranny jack to get the input shaft aligned with the clutch disk. This was just a lot fo back and forth between lifting and adjusting the hoist and jack. Otherwise, all the weight and stabilization is with the hoist and jack.

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Little better angle and the input about to go into the clutch disk splines.

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More jack and hoist adjustment to get the best alignment.

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and closer!

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Almost home! this is from directly under the bellhousing looking straight up.

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Okay I was stuck here for a while and it took a bit for my brain to catch up. I was this close and was under the truck rocking and pushing and sweating and grunting and could not get the transmission to go that last inch to seat fully. I was able to thread all 4 bolts on after much work and then started to slowly tighten them one by one and rotating around the four.

I kept worrying that I was just cranking the input shaft into the race of the pilot and just pushing it in. The bolts were slowly snugging without much resistance but I just felt like it should have just slammed home by this point with a good push.

Then my brain decided to come out come and help out. I wonndered if there was just a lot of resistance based on the clutch disk being slightly misaligned. The plastic alignment tool that came with the kit was not exactly a precision instrument. If you read/pay attention to one thing in this whole thread... this is it: The input was stabbed and clearly through the throwout, through the splines of the clutch disk and probably knocking on the door or "just the tip"-ing the pilot bearing. I went to the topside and pushed the cluthc in all the way twice... Then went back under and with a tiny bump, the transmission slammed home flush to the bellhousing.

Moral of the story: Once you are really close and you know you have it almost there... push the clutch in to release any tension/misalignment in the system.

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And here she is flush to the bellhousing. Torqued the bolts to the 47 ft/lbs and moved on...

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another shot from the other side and below.

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isolator installed: 53 ft/lbs


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Crossmember installed. I'm skipping a lot of steps as this is custom and no help documenting the minutiae for anyone but me...


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I forgot to mention before... to help stabilize the engine and take some stress off the front engine mounts. I strapped the engine under the oil pan to keep the negine from tilting backwards too much when the tranny was out.

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Rear double cardan driveshaft installed.

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issue with that t case shifter I showed earlier so I swapped it with an earlier version

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and that aligned much better.

Not perfect. But good enough to drive it for a bit and then get the shifter bent correctly when I have time.

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Front driveshaft installed. Eventually I'll get a DC to match the rear (the front axle was cut and turned so that geometry is better)

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Rear suspension crossmember and lower arms installed. You can see the crappy little inline filter I've been running while waiting to hook up the Racor. I may keep one inline as it is nice to see if you get a bunch of crap to know when you may want to change the filters sooner.

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The Racor with it's bracket mated to the suspension crossmember. It's high enough to be protected but eventually I may build a skid to protect it and the vacuum tank to the left.

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interior getting ready to drive. I was doing some digging behind the dash while waiting on some steps in preparation of installing one of the @thecrazygreek 's knob style bluetooth amplifiers.

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Test drive tomorrow after reassembling the dash and going over the install one last time to make sure I didn't forget anything.

More coming tomorrow, plus a review of the Terrain Tamer Heavy Duty Clutch for the 1HZ/ h55 combo as well as the gearing changes made by @orangefj45 . I never really got to see how the gears perform since the clutch was already slipping when I first reinstalled the setup. Very excited ! :bounce2:
 
Oh, and to document the specs in one place:

Torque specs:

Rear main retainer (if Removed): 56 IN/lbs
Rear plate bolt: 13 ft/lbs
Flywheel bolts: 94 ft/lbs (opposite star pattern - multi pass)
Clutch cover/pressure plate: 14 ft/lbs (opposite star pattern - multi pass)
Bellhousing to engine: 57 ft/lbs
Clutch release to bellhousing: 9 ft/lbs
Tranny to bellhousing: 47 ft/lbs
Isolator to transmission: 53 ft/lbs
 
Nice writeup - one addition I would suggest is to use four "guide" bolts to align tranny as its going in... you can make guide bolts by cutting the heads off of bolts that match the four that hold the tranny to the bellhousing, then cutting a slot in the "head" end so they can be turned with a blade screwdriver. Screw the four guide bolts into the bellhousing and then let them guide the tranny alignment as it goes in. Once its close to seated you can individually remove each guide bolt and replace with the proper one to torque down. I find ths geatly simplifies all the alignment tweaking required, and is particularly useful if the tranny is not as well supported/balanced as yours was.
 
Update:

Truck drives great! Took her out for a few spins and it's nice to actually be able to use the length of each gear!

So now that I know I'm not slipping or burning or heat soaking my transmission input, I can tune my HZ with a little more fuel and a more appropriate aneroid pin diaphragm preload. Right now I can feel the engine start to cut fuel when the boost gets above 13 or 14. With the GTurbo grunter, I get pressure off the line (I'd say around 1000 rpm) so build pressure pretty quickly and get to that cutoff in mid range. I am looking to install a tiny tach to get accurate RPMs for tuning
 

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