How To: Clutch Spring Removal in 15 Minutes

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by SLVRSRFR

I did this yesterday, finally, after months of putting it off, and I WISH I HAD DONE IT SOONER!!! Had the car for a year and a half now, and this is the best mod I've done in terms of how much it affects the driveability and enjoyment of the vehicle.

Cue @Ultramaroon saying that "if you replace the master cylinder like I did, the car will be a true joy to drive!"

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by HunterGreene

Cue @Ultramaroon saying that "if you replace the master cylinder like I did, the car will be a true joy to drive!"

Looks like I don't need to anymore.

A little disappointed there's no link, though. We'll have to work on that.

[lonborghini]

Yes, i accomplished the clutch spring removal mod out in the hotel parking lot. I place a medium size crescent wrench behind the spring with my left hand and repeatedly pushed in the clutch pedal with my right hand until the spring and holder came free. A short test drive proved it to be a significant improvement.

[blue cat]

As a RHD owner it makes me sad i can't do this mod unless i had Doctor Manhattan-like powers

[Ingen]

In to do this tonight. Awesome. I was just cursing that darn clutch yesterday morning as all my shifts feel like crap. Whenever I move the drivers seat it takes forever to re learn the shift point, since you can't feel anything.

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by blue cat

As a RHD owner it makes me sad i can't do this mod unless i had Doctor Manhattan-like powers

I'm too lazy to look up the pics that were posted of the RHD setup, but I thought it could be done with a narrow probe and flathead.

Of course, if a friend of yours owns a sawzall, that bracket thats in the way could be dealt with easily

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Ingen

In to do this tonight. Awesome. I was just cursing that darn clutch yesterday morning as all my shifts feel like crap. Whenever I move the drivers seat it takes forever to re learn the shift point, since you can't feel anything.

I need to unsubscribe from this thread but I keep harping away because I really sympathize. The spring removal isn't it. Yes, it feels heavier but it's still vague. You will still struggle with it.

Originally Posted by blue cat

As a RHD owner it makes me sad i can't do this mod unless i had Doctor Manhattan-like powers

Especially for the RHD guys, don't waste your time. If you wish to actually address the issue, swap out the slave cylinder. @jsimon7777, you're the latest one to drive my car. Would you mind sharing your thoughts?

[EAGLE5]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Especially for the RHD guys, don't waste your time. If you wish to actually address the issue, swap out the slave cylinder. @jsimon7777, you're the latest one to drive my car. Would you mind sharing your thoughts?

I drove Ultra's car. The clutch was heavy without the spring and with the cylinder replacement. It was also seriously easy to feel the engagement. Then I went back to my car, which has the engagement lowered and keeps the spring and stock cylinder. It was significantly harder to use the clutch - immediately annoying. It also sucked while on a steep Berkeley hill.

My intention is to replace the cylinder with the one Ultra uses, keep the spring, and lower the engagement point, but put it a little bit higher than Ultra has it.

In other words, the mod is totally worth it. Lowering the pedal is worth it. I have not tried getting rid of the spring alone, but higher effort doesn't translate to feel.

Other notes: Ultra had this huge chunk of Taleggio just sitting there in the car. Who does that? Also, his exhaust was terribly annoying.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

Other notes: Ultra had this huge chunk of Taleggio just sitting there in the car. Who does that? Also, his exhaust was terribly annoying.

That was my signature Berkeley air freshener. Smells like hippie sandals.

The exhaust? Yeah, fair cop.

Anyhoo, thanks. Full disclosure, I've been planning on reinstalling my spring because it really does help with the pedal force and does not affect feel.

[stevesnj]

Everyone has a different clutch feel beyond the mecanical mods. To me this is perfect, I can feel the fork and TOB too. Maybe I have a sensitive foot but the feel is fantastic. I also changed the fluid to the G-four fluid also and that helped feel even more. Go simple and do this mod and flush the fluid with good stuff.

[SLVRSRFR]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

does not affect feel.

No disrespect intended here...

But saying the above is kind of ignorant.

There are hundreds of other posts in this thread that will disagree with you.

We get it; you want us all to change our clutch slave. You've said it probably every other post in this thread. And maybe it does make a bigger difference than simply removing the spring.

But saying that removing the spring does NOT affect feel is your opinion and your opinion alone. I'm not arguing with your claim that changing the clutch slave helps, because I have not driven a vehicle with that mod so I have no proof to go on.

BUT, I DO have proof that removing the spring ABSOLUTELY, 100% affects the feel. If it didn't, why would there be a 7-page long, almost-year-old thread that is still very active, with new users posting glowing feedback about this mod every other day?

Just sayin'...

[Agent 86]

Just finished removing the spring about an hour ago. The E-clip was very cooperative. Came of in less than a 30 seconds using a small flat blade screw driver. Removing the pin took another 3 minutes. It's just a snug fit, with little room to navigate. Removing the clevis took about 10 minutes as it has a pretty snug fit. It's a relatively easy part to access and not really challenging at my size 6', 205 lbs. The time consuming part as others have said, was removing the clevis. I ended up placing the head of a rubber mallet behind the spring with the pin removed, then pushed down on the clutch pedal. This forced the clevis forward, but not completely. I then inserted a large nail through the eye of the clevis grabbed the nail with a pair of pliers and pulled it off. I used a couple of heavy cloths around the assembly to prevent parts from flying away.

I never really had problems with the clutch the way it was before. Think i only stalled once or twice in my year of ownership. However, I admit getting out of 1st required more attention than on all other cars I have driven.

After removing the spring, i immediately noticed that the pedal feel was heavier, but not uncomfortable or the heaviest i have ever experienced. I do like the feel of it without the spring more than with the spring installed.

I don't even notice the slack at the top of the pedal travel.

I did order an Mtec Industries replacement spring, though, just to compare the 2 springs. Installing the Mtec spring will give me an opportunity to see how difficult installation will be. I think that it won't be to difficult. We'll see.

IMO, the difference in feel is worth the time it takes to remove the spring and it's free.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by SLVRSRFR

No disrespect intended here...

But saying the above is ... ignorant.

Looks like I've struck a chord.

Originally Posted by SLVRSRFR

We get it; you want us all to change our clutch slave. You've said it probably every other post in this thread. And maybe it does make a bigger difference than simply removing the spring.

I think if you read the thread again you might see how that statement is a bit hyperbolic. The only thing I want to do is help those who share in our dissatisfaction with the clutch. If I had to pick one issue with the car, this would be it by a long shot.

Originally Posted by SLVRSRFR

But saying that removing the spring does NOT affect feel is your opinion and your opinion alone. I'm not arguing with your claim that changing the clutch slave helps, because I have not driven a vehicle with that mod so I have no proof to go on.

If I could, I would happily let you take my car out for a spin. I'm truly bummed that I can't share it with everyone reading this.

Now, on to the "feel" issue. I think it might help to make a distinction between feel and feedback. I mentioned to @HunterGreene that removing the spring is a distant second but I didn't explain why. Let me try to correct that.

There are 2 things which you "feel" in the clutch pedal. You feel the action of the spring which helps push the clutch, and you feel feedback from the pressure plate. The latter is key. We are struggling with the clutch because too much mechanical advantage isolates our foot from what's going on under the bell housing.

Ok, so the clutch "feels" different because the helper spring is removed. It has zero effect on "feedback" from the clutch itself.

Originally Posted by SLVRSRFR

BUT, I DO have proof that removing the spring ABSOLUTELY, 100% affects the feel. If it didn't, why would there be a 7-page long, almost-year-old thread that is still very active, with new users posting glowing feedback about this mod every other day?

Just sayin'...

This is not proof. What we have here is a collection of frustrated people searching for a solution and, truly unfortunately, are being fooled by a placebo effect.

I get no pleasure out of sitting here reading this thread. I'm not patting myself on the back for anything. When I started looking for a way to lose some mechanical advantage I thought it was going to be a crazy process making adapters and such. I was thrilled to discover such an easy fix and am eager to share it.

[Who8myrice]

I played around with it.
How do I removed the e-pin ? I don't it