[Byron8805]

I wanna thank Supermassive for writing a great DIY that I followed nearly to the letter, catsspat for the torque specs, and rev3la7ion for reposting the photos. You all made this job much easier than it would have been trying to just follow the service manual. I took an embarrassingly long time to do this job but I went very slow and tried to ensure I didn’t screw up any steps. I have other vehicles so finishing the job in time to commute was not an issue for me. I have a few pointers that applied to my job that may help others in trying to accomplish this:


For limited BRZ's or anyone with the push button they will need to pull off the passenger kick panel and push the usb port out from behind to be able to get enough purchase on the coin slot panel to remove it.


The driveshaft to differential bolts are torqued on there something fierce, be prepared to figure out how to get those off without freaking out.


The plate where the differential meets the driveshaft was rusty and made it quite difficult to get the driveshaft off, had to give the drive shaft knuckles several solid taps with the hammer (upward) to get it loose.


I would recommend, rather than trying to disconnect the driveshaft from the differential completely before removing the driveshaft cradle bolts, that you tap the knuckles on the driveshaft->Differential connection until you can see that the driveshaft “plate” is loose from the differential. Then carefully disconnect the driveshaft cradle bolts. Also note the red paint on the diff used to indicate the appropriate way to reattach the driveshaft when it comes time to reinstall.


When removing the transmission I waited until I had the transmission jack supporting the transmission before I removed the rear transmission cradle. I removed the four bolts connecting the cradle to the car and the two nuts/washers connecting the cradle to the transmission bushing.



Also, something that I (stupidly) struggled with for about an hour while removing the transmission was that there’s one step missing in the instructions. When removing the trans you need to remember to unbolt the rear transmission bushing! I was under there yanking and prying on the damn thing, cursing, until I realized my folly. It slid out easily after I removed the two bolts. Funny thing to forget as installing a polyurethane rear bushing was part of this job for me.


When reinstalling the transmission it seemed best to me to reinstall the four bolts of the cradle first, and loosely tighten the two nuts/washers. Then, carefully, lower the transmission jack with the two nuts loose enough that the transmission can “center” itself in the cradle before you crank down on the nuts to their proper torque. My thinking on this was to attempt to keep the transmission as perfectly aligned as possible.


When reinstalling the driveshaft I found that it would not spin! Just about shat a brick, had a mental breakdown, and visions of pulling the trans down all over again to figure out if something was binding up. Turns out the trans had somehow popped into third gear during the removal. I climbed in the car and reinstalled the shifter enough to check what gear it was in and, sure enough, when I shifted to neutral the driveshaft spun just fine.


I disconnected my shifter (not necessary), but when reinstalling I found a suggestion on another post about installing the reverse lockout plate so that it is barely touching the shifter as you shift from 1st to 2nd. Works for me. I’ve also had some shifter rattle that’s gotten appreciably worse since I bought the car and I’d read in another thread that the thin washer securing the shift linkage can be the culprit here. Some people have replaced it with a thicker washer, but try as I might I couldn’t get the pin back in with a hardware store washer. I ended up electrical taping the stock washer on both sides and xacto knifing out the original washer shape. We will see how it holds up and whether it helps with the rattle.


If you are mechanically inclined and have the tools I would definitely recommend attempting this job, but be prepared to set aside some time if you’ve never replaced a clutch before and you’re trying to make sure everything’s perfect.