Do I need to replace the bearing retainer when replacing the clutch?
 

I've been having an ugly sound for a while now that I'm almost certain is my clutch fork or TOB and I think it's gotten worse in the last couple of weeks. I'm about to pull the trigger on the Exedy OEM clutch kit and just replace everything since it's a used car and had 28k miles when I got it and I have no idea how the previous owner treated it.

I read on 86speed that you should replace the bearing retainer whenever you replace your TOB. I can't seem to find that recommendation here or anywhere else after searching.

Is this really necessary?


Also, does the clutch kit only include the clutch and pressure plate? I have to buy the flywheel separately, correct?

By the "bearing retainer" I'm guessing you're talking about the spring clips that hold in the TOB? If so, just reuse the old ones.They really don't do anything once the clutch is put back together
I don't know about the Exedy OEM kit but I know the stage one comes with a new TOB, clutch, pressure plate and a small bearing for the flywheel. And the alignment tool.
With only 28K miles on it, I doubt the flywheel is damaged at all. If it looks good, I wouldn't even touch it. I'm fact you would have to be a very bad driver to even wear out the clutch in such a short amount of time.

God that thing has so many different names!
I would replace it if you are hearing noises beyond the normal "squeak". Mine was chewed to crap but that was because I waited too long and the bearing disintegrated.

I was referring to this part. My car is at 35,900 miles now.

I actually just came across your thread while waiting for a reply to mine and it answered a lot of questions I had and has me wondering whether I should replace the clutch at all now. I don't think mine is messed up tbh, I was just worried that it could be in bad shape because I don't know how the car was treated previously. But other than the pedal feel changing ever so slightly in the last few days, everything else seems fine. I'm thinking I should just get the TOB and clutch fork replaced for now.

But that still leaves me with the question of whether or not the retainer needs to be swapped. After seeing yours, I'm thinking the answer is only if the thing melts and the housing breaks, damaging everything around it.

Yup, that lines up with what I gathered from the other thread. I'm gonna order the TOB and fork.

That is the part I was showing. It is also called the bearing housing, horn, slider, and about 10 more names depending on who you talk too. It is probably fine by the symptoms you describe. You would have zero doubt if the TOB was totally gone. If you never had any issue with the clutch slipping then I wouldn't worry about it. My clutch would have been fine if the bearing hadn't taken out everything with it.

That's reassuring, thanks guys.

Small flywheel bearing = pilot bearing

I think it is good practice to have the flywheel resurfaced if you are changing the clutch so the two halves mate well.

You can change it for a peace of mind, but you won't know until it's cracked open. Look for scoring or grooving, if its smooth you are in the clear.

Correct, flywheel is not included in the exedy OEM clutch kit. My TOB was starting to squeal when pressing the clutch and I also went with the exedy OEM (includes the clutch, pressure plate, TOB, and pilot bearing) @ 71k miles. I opted for flywheel resurfacing rather than a new one, but also changed to a forged clutch fork & pivot, and rear main seal. In hindsight I should have also changed the bearing retainer or whatever name you want to go by. I prefer to have the trans cracked open once and change everything preemptively.

If you're going to drop the transmission to change the TOB, I think you may as well change the clutch while you're at it. Taking down the trans and replacing it isn't terribly difficult but it is a bit a PITA. Once you have the trans out it's really easy to do the rest. You can use the DIY as a guide, but I would totally disregard the first section about disconnecting the shifter. Just disconnect it from underneath. You will need to cut off the rubber boot but you would probably destroy it anyway.
The biggest mystery for me was how to disconnect the shifter thing from the trans. In the manual it cryptically shows the two tabs on each side of the shifter thing have to be rotated up and then the two pins can be removed. It's a tight fit and you have to wiggle it around a bit to get them off. And don't lose the bushings. There are 4 of them.
The other important thing is...
Don't forget to jack up the front of the engine!

I just picked up my car, I went ahead and had the clutch replaced with the Exedy OE kit, the bearing with the updated Toyota bearing, and a new OE clutch fork installed. First off, I cannot believe how smooth the clutch pedal feels, even when I first got the car it didn't feel this good. But it was my first manual so I had no idea what I was missing. I also had them replace the tranny and rear diff fluids with Motul Gear 300 I bought some time ago but never got around to putting in the car and the shifter feels like butter.

In my excitement, I forgot to take pictures of the old fork and clutch. The fork had a bunch of metal shavings and the bearing was leaving a print of itself on the clutch. It probably would have totally failed in another month or so.

The bearing retainer/housing/slider/blah blah blah was fine so my gamble with not ordering a new one was a success.

The only thing now is that 1st and 2nd gear feel different, and now I am having to relearn how to get the car moving smoothly and when to shift to second. It feels like I have to rev the engine slightly harder than I used to.

I would hope the throwout bearing prints itself on the clutch pressure plate, that's what it's supposed to do.

Oh, how bad though? It looked like it was burning itself in there.