Hey all, today was the day for my bhr flywheel/clutch install. Total time 5.3 hours. I did have use of a lift at the shop i work at so that helped especially since this was my first clutch job ever. Following the mazda manual i got off of mitchell, i took everything out in order. All went well. the install then was alittle tricky then. The old pilot bearing did not want to come out and the wires on top of the tranny that i disconnected should have been labeled by me because when i went to reconnect them they were interchangeable. i should have marked them. oh well i got it figured out. rest of the install went well after that.

So far impressions are good. clutch engagement is very smooth. i will wait the 500 mile break in period until i post real thoughts. I did after driving it for sometime start to hear a snapping noise. not all the time but on hard right turns or some bumps. anyone else experience this? I will lift the car tomorrow and retighten/check everything again. I had no "bonus parts" so not sure what the problem could be. its also a front end noise. Other then that. I am very happy with everything. I would have posted pics but we all have seen them before.

 

Congrats on your install.
It took me about the same amount of time (with a beer and pizza break).
I unfortunately didn't have a lift when I did mine.

If you're referring to the two black and two white harnesses on top of the tranny, I was told it doesn't matter if you swap them (but staying with the same color).
When I did it, I actually marked them with a sharpie so I didn't mix them, but Kevin (teknics) told me later on that it wouldn't have mattered.
So I guess you should be OK.

 

Awesome! Does the car feel any faster or rev much faster than before?

 

Congrat's on the smooth install.

 

I'm surprised you don't use Poka-yoke too
Or maybe its because "idiot-proofing" is hard to archive because there is always someone to prove it wrong.

 

No i did not remove any wheels during the install. I believe i did tighten everything properly. I also noticed today that when in 6th gear and i put on the gas i can hear sorta a bearing type noise. when i let off the gas then it goes away or switch out of 6th. the car runs very smooth so i can't figure out what it is. of course worst case senerio i will have to do it all over again and recheck. Not that i reallly want to do that. I did lose some fluid during the install...would that cause the noise at all? thanks everyone.

 

i must also add that while under the car i sprayed everything bit of rust i could with a antirust spray. someone told me that the snapping noise could be from all the joints coming free of rust. any truth to this. the sounds do seem to be suspension related.

 

It all depends on how much fluid. Losing about a quart of tranny fluid will result in increased transmission noise. Don't ask me how I know. I'm positive you would notice that much fluid being lost. If you're uncertain then I'd suggest doing a transmission fluid change. It's a $20 piece of mind.

 

I just put in my BHR SPEC flywheel yesterday and loving it with my 4.777 gear. Thx Ray!

 

ok dumb question but what does the ppf stand for?

 

where can i get the 4.77 gearing from?

 

charles how can i reach you. are you at the number on the box from the clutch?

 

That buzzing noise you get in 6th...do you get it in other gears around 2.5-4k?

 

um alittle maybe.........i don't have my car right now to try it out. its funny but i honestly got paranoid so i think i hear all kinds of sounds now that have probably always been there.......lol.

 

well just talked to charles on the phone and i will try the correct pattern of putting in the ppf. i just wanted to add that charles obvioulsy has extensive knowledge on the rx8 and i will continue to trust his and the entire BHR team with products and questions for my car. thanks.

 

charles is the man

 

Charles PWNS.

 

well sunday will be the day that i am going to try to put the ppf back in correctly. i am keeping my fingers crossed that the noises will go away. i am now getting new noises coming from the car so something it def not right. hey give me a break it was my first time with no help.

 

Keep us posted.

 

ok got to work early today and redid the ppf in the right way. not sure if it fixed the snapping noise i was hearing because i didn't get to drive it long before my shift started. however it did not solve the new new noise i started hearing two days ago. i don't know even how to describe it. ( high pitched squeeling noise while the clutch is starting to engage. def noticeable in first gear starting out. UGH. Then to top it off i was playing some more with the clutch pedal adjustment and when i put the clutch in i hear a snap and brake fluid starting coming in the car from under the dash. I guess i must have broken the seal on the clutch master cylinder maybe? 75 bucks for the that part from mazda. UGH again. oh well i guess these things happen when your new. i just learned the hard way.

 

 

Oh ****! That sucks man... Maybe you just broke the line! That's pretty astonoshing, I would've never thought that fluid would just all fall in.

Goodluck, just take it to a garage and figure it out by them...

 

That really sucks dreamtheatermetallica.
Did you replace the release bearing too?
If so, did you lubricate the spline?
I'm just thinking how pressure in the hydraulic line built-up enough to blow your master cylinder.
Maybe the release bearing seized on the spline which prevented the release fork from traveling?

I'm just throwing the idea out, but you may want to remove the tranny again to inspect everything.
Move the release fork back and forth to verify that it moves smoothly.
Then check the pressure plate and disk alignment.
With you hearing strange noises, it might be best to do this.

What adjustment were you messing with on the pedal? Pedal stroke or play (or both).

 

i was messing with both. I think you are right about taking the tranny back out. something is obviously not right. i don't want to keep driving and damage parts or something. Nor do i want to put the new clutch master cylinder in and the same thing happen. its hard to imagine that i would have missed something but oh well. I did put a new release bearing in and did NOT lubricate it. Was i suppose to? another mechanic told me not to because it would through fluid onto other parts. It did move freely when i was testing it. If it were seized wouldn't the clutch have felt still? looks like friday the tranny is coming back out.

 

Grease where the manual specifies, there is a reason it tells you to.


Keep us updated on what you find.
Good luck!