[MatosMiata]

Well, I headed down the highway toward the in-laws and the truck would not exceed 60 mph in 5th. I pulled over and called a tow truck, but it took so long I called it off and just drove in 4th till I got home. It worked just fine in 4th, heck I even stopped to eat at a restaurant as the wife was starving. No matter how I slice it, my clutch is on its way out. As I remember it, one of the pressure plate bolts damaged the threads in the aluminum flywheel back when I redid the clutch, so I will also need a new flywheel. Man has this truck turned into a money pit lol. I wish I had put all that money in bitcoin, I would be replacing the clutch on a Ferrari instead rofl.

 

[MatosMiata]

The question now is, LC Engineering clutch combo or Spec Clutch? The reality is that they are all the same 11 lb aluminum flywheel and LC offers a better price. However, are the Spec clutches better than the LCE? Will it even matter with the power goals I have for the near future lol?

 

[MatosMiata]

Well, I ended up going with the LC combo. It included the aluminum (11 lb) flywheel, clutch, pilot and throw-out bearings, all bolts, and the rear main seal for less than it would have been to get it through Spec. This clutch is only rated for 300 hp, but that is more than I plan to make for a while- especially with these gas prices!!!

Here is the flywheel
IMG_20220303_193613104 by Jose, on Flickr

Here is the clutch
IMG_20220303_193702369 by Jose, on Flickr

 

[MatosMiata]

Well, the transmission is out and I will be installing the clutch. Check out the process below:

 

[MatosMiata]

Well, I got the clutch in last night. It was a long process since I took the time to film it for youtube. That should be of use to anyone who takes this on afterward, you can learn from my mistakes.

Here's the transmission on the ground
IMG_20220311_111339512 by Jose, on Flickr

That Competition Clutch smoked itself and dirtied the bellhousing pretty good
IMG_20220311_133842988_HDR by Jose, on Flickr

It also managed to crack the clutch fork
IMG_20220315_105233099 by Jose, on Flickr

No biggie, it's under $30 at Toyota
IMG_20220315_113239640 by Jose, on Flickr

 

[MatosMiata]

It's always fun to look in here with the transmission out
IMG_20220315_200822877 by Jose, on Flickr

This process is currently making my garage into a big mess lol
IMG_20220311_144850499 by Jose, on Flickr

Old flywheel vs new. The wear surface was mostly gone, one of the bolts that holds the wear surface was already being shaved down
IMG_20220315_201744131 by Jose, on Flickr

New Hotness from LCE
IMG_20220315_201806149_HDR by Jose, on Flickr

Old Fidanza
IMG_20220315_201817536 by Jose, on Flickr

The designs are slightly different.

 

[MatosMiata]

Here is the flywheel once installed
IMG_20220315_213209233_HDR by Jose, on Flickr

I used brake cleaner to clean the flywheel and the pressure plate (surface that contacts the clutch disk only). The cleaner that dripped off caused some of the paint to come off the front. That paint is not really adhered all that well. Not like anyone will see it I suppose.
IMG_20220315_215226421 by Jose, on Flickr

The paint process is kind of sloppy, I found some oversprayed on the clutch fingers
IMG_20220315_221448944 by Jose, on Flickr

Here it is in the truck
IMG_20220315_230732508_HDR by Jose, on Flickr

Now I just need to put everything back together and take it for a spin

 

[MatosMiata]

Disregard the numbers on the flywheel. I did not tighten them in that order.

 

[MatosMiata]

Here is the installation of the clutch and flywheel

 

[MatosMiata]

Here is the latest on the clutch/transmission series. Unfortunately, I have not been able to finish it due to a broken pivot bolt for the clutch release lever.

I actually ended up ordering the same bolt on eBay from a Toyota dealership in California since it was taking my local place too long to get it. They ended up getting it just before the eBay one arrived, so I picked the local one up yesterday and the eBay one came in today. Hard to believe the entire truck is useless without this one, tiny bolt
IMG_20220402_173414536_HDR by Jose, on Flickr

 

[MatosMiata]

In the interim, I have devoted more focus to my steering wheel wrap. I think this one came out quite good. I started stitching it, but I decided the string was too thin for my liking. I am awaiting the arrival of some proper steering wheel thread I ordered so I can finish it.

IMG_20220402_205316985 by Jose, on Flickr
IMG_20220402_205324971_HDR by Jose, on Flickr

I'm beside myself with joy at how well this thing fits. If you want it done right, clearly, you have to do it yourself!

 

[MatosMiata]

Well, my transmission is back in and the new clutch is nice and soft. It is rated for less than the previous clutch (300 vs 350) yet it feels way softer. I'm talking factory clutch pedal softness vs the other one where I was doing an awkward leg press every shift lol. Unfortunately, my ECU did not like being disconnected this whole time and now struggles to fuel the truck on startup. It normalizes once the truck is warm, but will struggle to start and struggle to idle once it cools down again... the eternal battle smh. Check out the video below:

 

[MatosMiata]

On another note, I discovered that my Brake Booster pin was not adjusted correctly. I had not set a sufficient gap between it and the master cylinder. While driving, the truck struggled to move forward and I thought the new clutch was already bad. Turns out that the brakes were engaging once the brake fluid warmed up. I ended up resetting the gap and driving the truck three times before I got it right, but it's finally acting right. Now, if I can just figure out the starting issue, this thing should finally be road worthy once more!

 

[MatosMiata]

Thanks to Enola Gaia (Customtacos forum moderator) I was able to figure out why my truck had trouble starting. Turns out, I broke my coolant temperature sensor or ECT that feeds a temperature signal from the back of the head over to the ECU. Without this signal, the ECU attempts to start the motor as if it were warm and those fuel trims clearly don't work on a cold motor. This is why it runs and starts perfectly once the motor is warm. The sensor is between the head and firewall, on the passenger's side, just above the bellhousing. It is easy to find because there is an electrical connector coming off the main harness that goes straight to it. In order to remove it, unplug the connector. From there, you will need a rig consisting of a couple of extensions and a flex joint. A deep 19 MM socket is the size you will need for the sensor itself. It goes without saying, there is coolant on the other side of that so it should only be changed when the motor is cold... and with the motor off...

My setup
IMG_20220418_181142440_HDR by Jose, on Flickr
IMG_20220418_181148720_HDR by Jose, on Flickr

Here is the broken sensor, I probably broke this while tightening down the bolts on the upper bellhousing
IMG_20220418_181325478_HDR by Jose, on Flickr
IMG_20220418_181640989 by Jose, on Flickr

I ordered two OEM replacements just in case one comes in first. One on eBay for ~$35 (38.52 after tax) and one off Toyota for $24.35($26.05 after tax). It is part number 8942235010.

 

[MatosMiata]

I ended up with the wrong part from Toyota, as I had ordered the wrong part number. I corrected the number in my post above. In any case, I was able to get a sensor that works at my local Autozone. It is part SU4007, I chose the Duralast one. I am happy to report that the truck is now working beautifully! Check out the how to below:

 

[MatosMiata]

I finished my extra steering wheel project a while back and I forgot to post it on here. As you know from following this thread, I made the leather wrap from scratch; fitting, cutting and stitching it all myself. The airbag cover is also lightly customized. It started as an IS cover but I've added a 3D printed and resin filled Toyota emblem and blacked out the lower strip (originally silver). This has to be the best fitting wrap I have had on a three spoke to date and the leather also feels fantastic in the hands! I've posted this one for sale on Offerup, but can sell it here as well if anyone is interested.

IMG_20220418_193133028_HDR by Jose, on Flickr
[ Jose, on Flickr
IMG_20220418_193053628_HDR by Jose, on Flickr

 

[MatosMiata]

Got another steering wheel done. This one with red stitching
IMG_20220727_173122302_HDR by Jose, on Flickr
IMG_20220727_173142612_HDR by Jose, on Flickr
IMG_20220727_173205383_HDR by Jose, on Flickr

IMG_20220801_211803044_HDR by Jose, on Flickr
Disregard the silver marks, that's left over leather pen which I remove with a q-tip afterward.