Step-by-step replacement of the clutch on a VAZ 2109 with your own hands

The clutch in a car serves as the connector between the engine and transmission. This unit takes on all the load that occurs when changing gears. Accordingly, the part can rightfully be considered a consumable item, because car owners regularly face the need to replace it or schedule maintenance.

It is almost impossible to influence the degree of wear of this unit. Therefore, after the clutch has exhausted its service life, it must be replaced partially or completely (in case of serious malfunctions).

Signs and causes of clutch failure

The VAZ 2108, 2109, 21099 clutch consists of a basket, a pressure bearing, a drive and driven disk. The main signs of a clutch malfunction are clutch slipping and incomplete disengagement:

• When switching off is incomplete (the pedal is pressed), there is difficulty shifting gears with the engine running, noise and crackling noises when changing gears, and large free play of the clutch pedal.
• When the clutch “slips” (the pedal is released), a burning smell may be felt in the cabin from the burning of the clutch disc linings, the car’s dynamics will deteriorate, the engine may overheat, and fuel consumption will increase.

Most often, the cause of a breakdown of the VAZ 2109 clutch is improper operation of the car. For example, if the car “sits down” in the snow and you continue to accelerate hard, or really like to start with slipping, all this shortens the life of the clutch.
In addition to the clutch disc itself, the release bearing can also fail - it serves to smoothly engage and disengage the clutch. When the release bearing wears out to the limit, you can hear a characteristic squealing sound - this is a sure sign that the bearing needs to be replaced. The cause of clutch failure may also be a breakdown in its drive mechanism, for example, a break or jamming of the clutch drive cable, a breakdown of the lever system, a fluid leak from the hydraulic drive if the clutch is hydraulic, or other similar breakdowns in the drive.

By the way, when replacing the release bearing at a service station, they may advise you to also replace the clutch disc. Usually, if problems begin with the clutch, it is better to replace all these parts, because replacing the clutch is very difficult: you need to remove the gearbox. But if someone wants to save on this, then all clutch parts can be purchased separately.

To work you will need the following:

• wrenches 8, 10, 13, 17 mm;
• torque wrench, 8 mm socket;
• jack;
• container for draining oil;
• inspection hole or lift.
• flat screwdriver, hammer.

When removing or installing the gearbox, do not rest the input shaft of the gearbox on the clutch pressure spring petals, so as not to damage them.

https://youtu.be/https://youtu.be/1858lZXHZ-g
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Tools required for repairs

To replace the VAZ 2109 clutch basket you need to prepare the following tools:

• standard set of keys;
• jack.

Do-it-yourself repairs are quite advisable, since the price for replacing a VAZ 2109 clutch as of March 3, 2022, on average in car services is 3.2 thousand rubles.

But self-repair is quite accessible even without an assistant, and without completely removing the gearbox. The principle of repair and the sequence of work are identical for models 2108-2115, so we suggest you see how such dismantling is performed on a VAZ 2114:

Replacing the clutch on a VAZ 2109/21099 without removing the gearbox

Replacing the VAZ 2109/21099 clutch without removing the gearbox is quite difficult. You will not find instructions or recommendations on this topic in the car's owner's manual. These recommendations are based on the experience of car enthusiasts who share their experience of replacing the clutch.

The main problem when replacing a clutch is that not every motorist has an overpass, a pit, and especially a lift, and it is necessary to make sure that the massive gearbox does not fall to the ground. But lifting it is problematic, since it is impossible to crawl under the car with it.

All steps for removing the gearbox are almost the same as the instructions above, with the exception of some nuances:

1. Purchase two bolts from the upper arm of the classic front suspension from the store. Their threads are exactly the same as those on the bolts that secure the box and the engine block together.
2. Screw them in from above, only after that, with a small crowbar or screwdriver, we begin to disconnect the nodes. After moving away, the rear part of the box will rest on the transverse rod, and a gap of about 15 centimeters will form between the clutch housing and the flywheel.
3. The release bearing is removed through the resulting gap and the bolts on the basket are unscrewed.

But the installation is slightly different from the process shown in the instructions:

1. Place the new release valve in its place. Then a disk is installed on the flywheel and a basket on top of it.
2. Just tighten the bolts a couple of turns, but do not overtighten!
3. Carefully begin to slide the input shaft onto the splines in the disc.
4. Then we move the box back and tighten the bolts on the basket. The basket fastening bolts are tightened only after the box is installed in its place.
5. After this, you can install the gearbox and tighten the bolts on it.

When replacing the clutch without removing the gearbox on a VAZ 2109/21099 car, there is no need to center the disc!

Design

The clutch is located between the gearbox and the engine and is bolted to the flywheel. To remove it, you need to disconnect the box from the engine. There is nothing complicated, but the box is quite heavy, so it is better to remove the box together. For convenience, you can use a lift, a hole in the garage, or an overpass, but you can make repairs simply on the ground; you only need a jack to remove the wheels.

The picture shows:

1. Clutch cable bracket
2. Oil level dipstick
3. Box casing for mounting to the engine
4. Rod and fork for pressing the release bearing
5. Primary shaft
6. Release bearing
7. The wheel drive shaft oil seal, behind it there is a differential with which the drive is connected.
8. Gear shift mechanism with protective cover
9. Side cushion
10. Speedometer drive

And to remove the box, you need to disconnect it all. Moreover, this can be done in several ways. For example, the box can not be completely removed, but only moved away from the engine to provide enough space to access the clutch. The wheel drives can be disconnected from the box, or you can remove the box along with the drives by unscrewing them from the wheels. In this case, there will be no need to drain the oil from the box, since the drives will close their mounting holes.

Which clutch bearing should I install?

The original clutch bearing number is 2108 1601182.

Analogues:

• Pilenga PC-P 2108 — 360 rub.
• Luk 500 0439 20 — 1156 rub.
• Fenox TP2116C3 — 345 rub.

1. Remove the “negative” terminal from the battery “4”, remove the connector from the mass air flow sensor (MAF) “2”, loosen the clamp securing the corrugation to the MAF “3”, remove the air filter housing “1” from the car.

2. Remove the clutch cable from the clutch fork. Loosen the two nuts securing the cable to the bracket on the gearbox.

3. Remove the clutch protective cover. Disconnect the ground wire and the top dead center sensor from the clutch housing. Disconnect the wires from the reverse light switch. Drain the oil.

4. Unscrew the 3 bolts securing the bracket to the body. Unscrew the nut securing the arm extension.

5. Jack up the car. We remove two bolts “1” and disconnect the ball joint of the suspension arm from the steering knuckle. Unscrew the nut “2” securing the brace to the suspension arm, and remove the longitudinal brace together with the lever.

6. Remove the wheel, unscrew the hub nut and unscrew the fastening of the ball joint to the steering knuckle, then remove the CV joint from the bearing hole.

7. Having rested the pry bar against the gearbox housing, we press the internal drive joint from the side gear, to do this we sharply hit the body of the internal joint with a hammer. We knock out the hinge from the side gear.

8. Fastening the ball joint without driving the front wheel.

9. Loosen the clamp and disconnect the gear shift rod from the gear selection hinge. It is also necessary to support the engine, otherwise it may drop too low and tear off the interior heater hoses.

10. Having unscrewed the bolts securing the rear suspension support of the power unit, remove the suspension bracket from the eyes of the body spar.

11. Using a 17mm wrench, unscrew the nut and remove the bolt of the left engine mount. Unscrew the three starter mounting nuts and remove the starter.

12. Using a 19mm wrench, unscrew the three bolts and one nut securing the clutch housing to the cylinder block, remove the gearbox from the engine and remove it.

14. Using an “8” spanner, unscrew the six bolts securing the clutch housing to the flywheel. To loosen the bolts easily, tap their heads with a copper hammer. You can also use a 8mm socket to loosen the bolts.

15. Remove the driven and driven clutch discs. We check the degree of wear of the friction linings. If the rivet heads are recessed less than 0.2 mm, the surface of the friction linings is oily or the rivet joints are loose, the disc must be replaced. Cracks or mechanical damage to parts of the driven disk are not allowed.

16. If a visual inspection reveals loosening of the rivet joints of the clutch basket parts and the drive disc, then the clutch drive disc assembly should be replaced.

17. Lubricate the release bearing seat on the shaft, as well as the clutch guide forks, then install the bearing.

18. When installing the clutch, we orient the driven disk with its protruding part towards the drive disk and insert the centering mandrel.

19. We insert the mandrel into the hole in the crankshaft and secure the clutch drive disc in this position, tightening the bolts evenly (one turn per pass). We tighten the bolts no more than one turn each so as not to deform the flange of the clutch drive disc. We assemble everything in reverse order.

How to fix the problem

To resolve the problem, perform the following steps:

• in the engine compartment, in the bracket located on the gearbox housing, the drive cable sheath is built in, on which the nuts that regulate the clutch are located. We find this whole thing;
• we found the nuts and do the following - take the already prepared keys for 17 and grab both nuts with these keys;
• loosen the one near the rubber winding (outside the bracket), then you need to turn the second nut (in the bracket), you need to turn it clockwise so that the pedal goes down to the floor or counterclockwise so it rises from the floor. In my case, I turned clockwise, according to the first result I had 25 cm, I needed to lower the pedal to the floor;
• To check the result, tighten the control nut (outside the bracket), press the pedal a couple of times, measure the result, if the pedal is not in place again, then repeat the adjustment until the desired result is obtained. When the desired result is achieved, tighten all the nuts and, just in case, check the pedal again (press several times).

Ready! Not difficult, right? I think any car owner can handle such repairs.

Typical breakdowns

The clutch can fail for several reasons:

• The surfaces of the friction linings on the driven clutch disc have worn out, or defects or cracks have formed on them;
• Diaphragm springs are worn out;
• There is wear on the clutch flywheel;
• The release disc blades are worn out or broken;
• The release bearing is broken or worn.

To find the reasons for the failure of the clutch, you will have to disassemble it. But don't be afraid of this process. Even beginners can disassemble and return the unit to functionality if they study the instructions, design, and watch visual videos.

Let's summarize

If the check shows that the free play is normal, but you doubt your competence in adjusting the unit, contact a service station. Incorrect settings can cause rapid clutch failure. If you want to complete the work yourself, you can find the necessary information on the vehicle manufacturer’s website or in its service book. It is important to complete the work in a timely manner so as not to get into an unpleasant situation on the road. Monitor the service life of clutch parts; for example, the service life of the driven disc is 100 thousand kilometers. But, if a motorist has an aggressive driving style, it can decrease by 2-3 times. How to replace a VAZ 21099 clutch, watch this video:

Source

Clutch selection

When choosing a clutch kit, you should focus not only on your available budget. By saving or buying a fake, you risk getting even more problems in the future.

Today there are several main manufacturers whose clutches should be purchased for the VAZ 2109.

Regardless of the quality of the selected kit, if it is installed incorrectly or due to rough operation of the vehicle, the life of the clutch will not be able to reach those declared by the manufacturer. Therefore, drive your car accordingly.

Installation of new spare parts, disk alignment

The new disk is installed in the same way as the old one, and is clamped by the basket, only before screwing the basket all the way, the driven disk must be centered, otherwise the input shaft of the box will not fit into it. The easiest way to center it is with a special mandrel, but if you can’t get one, you can do everything by touch. We screw the basket onto all the bolts, having previously pushed the driven disk under it, but we do not screw it all the way, but so that the disk moves under it. We need to align it in the center, this can be done by touch by sticking your finger into the middle hole, by touch we align everything in the center and only after that we tighten the bolts. We check whether everything is in the center, if so, then tighten the bolts, first locking the flywheel. The clutch is in place. If it is not positioned in the center, then if you put the box on, it won’t fit. Well, then we put the box on, if it doesn’t want to sit down, you can shake it, twist the drive so that the input shaft rotates and takes the desired position, everything should jump up quite easily. After that, we fasten everything that was unscrewed, see if there are any extra parts left on the sides, if there are any, then we screw them where necessary.

Repair work

If you decide to do everything yourself, follow the following sequence of actions.

1. Drive onto an overpass or pit. This will make it more convenient for you to work.
2. Raise the front of the car using a reliable jack and securely fix the nine.
3. Remove the wheels.
4. Disconnect the clutch housing ground and clutch cable. Next you will have to remove the transmission.
5. To do this, remove the starter by disconnecting the wires, terminals and unscrewing the three mounting nuts.
6. Disconnect the speedometer cable and reverse cable.
7. Remove the brace fastenings to the suspension arms and move them to the sides.
8. Disconnect the ball joints from the swing arms. To do this, you need to remove the cotter pin, unscrew the nut, and knock out the support pin. Then the two nuts are unscrewed and the hinge is disconnected.
9. Using a pry bar, press out the tip of the inner CV joint. Be sure to plug the hole formed in the gearbox using improvised means, otherwise oil will begin to pour out of the gearbox.
10. Remove the lower clutch housing protection. There are only 3 bolts holding it in place.
11. Make supports from bars, bricks for the box and engine.
12. Remove the rear supports.
13. Unscrew the remaining fasteners and pull the gearbox horizontally. Be careful not to deform the pressure spring lobes with the input shaft.

Removal and inspection

1. When unscrewing the mounting bolts, it is better to secure the driven disk with something. A regular large screwdriver will do.
2. Be careful not to give out the driven disc and remove the clutch assembly.
3. Examine the current condition of the parts. If mechanical damage is noticed on them, we recommend replacing them immediately.

The next step is to check the condition of the parts.

It is quite rare that individual components of the clutch change independently of the others. Mostly repairs involve replacing the assembly, which includes the pressure plate, release bearing and clutch driven disc.

Assembly of the unit is performed in reverse order. Just make sure that you choose really high-quality parts for replacement. For example, a normal quality clutch disc will cost about 1,000 rubles today. We do not recommend taking cheaper options.

Order of Operations

To carry out repair work, you need to place the car on an inspection hole, put it on the handbrake, disconnect the negative terminal to de-energize the on-board network, and remove the engine mudguard. Now you can start disassembling:

1. Install a jack that will temporarily replace the front pair of wheels. You need to unscrew the nuts on them, remove the chassis and put them aside.
2. To remove the contact part of the ball joint from the hub, you need to unscrew the bolts.
3. Instead of the 2 upper conventional bolts, you need to install cylinder head fasteners.

Now you can remove the starter; it is attached to three nuts that need to be unscrewed.

At this stage it is necessary to install a jack under the engine. After this, the side motor support is detached.

After this, you can disconnect the rear engine mount and unscrew the gearshift linkage.

The protective cover must be removed from the clutch.

• The box is secured with several bolts; first you need to unscrew the front one.
• Now the transmission is accessible, the rear nut is unscrewed first.
  The gearbox bolts are located on the left wing side; they need to be unscrewed until they stop and the gearbox should be removed. It is important to ensure that the end of the assembly rests on the lever extension. This will create a gap that will allow you to remove the clutch.

  Disassembly is complete. At this point, the guide for the clutch remains. It needs to be thoroughly lubricated. After this, you can put the release bearing on the guide.

• Subsequent operations are performed in the reverse order of the above steps. Important! There is no need to rush while completing the work. All operations are performed consistently and calmly. Make sure that after assembly there are no “extra” spare parts left.

When is it necessary to change the unit?

The mechanism requires servicing in the following situations:

1. The clutch "drives". Motor power drops.
2. The unit slips or incomplete activation occurs.
3. Clicking noises are heard when changing gears.
4. The clutch disengages automatically.
5. Vibration is noticed when the clutch pedal is pressed.

In each of the above cases, it is recommended to carry out partial maintenance or replace the unit in question.