yes, that lever. Mine broke off at the weld. I have not seen it in person because I'm at work. My sister took it to the nearest place she could find and they were going to weld it back. But now say that they have to pull the transmission out at $400-$500. They said that he has welded it several times and it keeps breaking off. I believe he's lying or he's a bad welder. I'm hoping to see it in person tomorrow. your post is the only picture i could find of that piece. I found it on google images. I'm guessing it a factory weld that got corroded and eventually failed. Just was trying to see if I could locate that piece so I could buy it or see where on the transmission it goes on. maybe I'll try to get one at a pick and pull. If you have any advice on why it would of broken other than my theory, I'd appreciate your imput. It looks like an elusive part, since its not sold.
It's possible he's not using the right material to weld it, but I'm pretty sure it's just mild steel, so it's likely he's just having trouble welding it properly. On mine, the arm is welded to a rod that protrudes through the transmission. There's a hole in the arm, and the weld just fills in that hole. It would be difficult to get in there and get the surface properly cleaned, not to mention maneuvering the welding gun/electrode without moving some stuff. Then there's the issue of clamping the ground. I'm not sure clamping anywhere but on the arm will give a good enough connection for a solid weld, but that makes the tight spacing even more awkward. It's probably best to remove the arm, grind down the residual metal on the rod, and then try to reproduce the original weld. It takes a fair amount of torque, so it needs to be a very solid weld because the rod is a pretty small diameter.
It's not necessary to pull the whole transmission to get at it to weld the piece, but it would be necessary in my opinion to move the parts that are in the way. At minimum, I would remove the battery tray, wiring harness connectors, and the coolant hose that are blocking access and then pull the clutch slave cylinder to relieve any pressure on the part while welding it.
On the other hand, if you were to buy one/salvage one, you do need to pull the transmission to replace it. Same goes for taking it off a donor transmission. It looks like you can buy the part, depending on what year, from wholesalegmpartsonline.com.
As for why it failed, I can't imagine why that spot would be corroded unless the whole area is corroded.
How did you get bolt 9 out I’m having a hell of a time getting anything on it
It sucked. There was enough room for a standard socket to fit over the bolt, but I couldn't get it in there with the wrench attached. I don't remember which combination of adapters I used, but I know it was messy. You could probably remove the coolant tube, but I didn't want to drain the collant.
I vaguely remember starting with a 1/2" drive socket and then reducing it to 3/8 drive, and using a pipe on my ratchet to break it free, but it was a long time ago. I definitely started by putting the socket on first and then attaching the wrench, and when I actually got the bolt loose I couldn't get the wrench off so I just left it until I got the transmission out.
Matt
Hi there I am doing my clutch right now. Thanks for this complete write up. I was wondering if anybody knows the correct torque spec for the flywheel bolts. Thanks
Hi
I am in the process of replacing my clutch also. (thanks for this)
The linkage pics you show is that the correct sort of lay out for them? Mine seems to be upside down. Just can seem to get it to fit properly from under the car.
thanks
Nick