We got sent a super weird clutch and installed it anyway 

Just so everyone doesn't get too worried about me - the jackstands I have aren't one of the recalled part numbers!

I like how confident he is about everything despite admitting he’s confused as hell

The most realistic part is that he started when the sun was up and was half way through when it got dark.

Watching him laying there with the transmission on his chest was something I felt deep in my soul. I feel like we've all been there

“If you had to get in here just to do a rear main seal.. **sigh** boy, that would be annoying..” “Uh, like I said, we didn’t really *need* to do a clutch in this car, so..” With the way he delivered that first comment, I’m actually starting to think all that really needed to be done was the rear main seal.

Chrisfix: shows us how it's suposed to be done Donut: shows us what it will acualy look like

For someone such as myself who doesn’t understand cars at all, this was actually very informative and entertaining at the same time

It blows my mind the amount of engineering that goes into cars. Crazy to think about how anyone ever invented these parts in the first place. So cool.

i believe the primary advantage of that particular 3 puck is that it won't over heat nearly as easily, because it slips less and has materials that are better suited to functioning in high heat scenarios. a larger stock clutch will develop heat soak in a continuous use situation like the track, and once its fully heat soaked it can't hold as much power and becomes unusable until it cools back down. however the 3 puck design will maintain its performance and function better in a max temp scenario, and at the same time will reach operating temps more quickly due to less surface area, which increases the overall consistency of feel whether your 1 lap in, or 20 laps in, it should feel about the same and maintain performance if you are under the hp rating specs. so reliability and consistency are the key words, versus comfort/ease of use/max hp performance ratings. i could be wrong about some aspects of that for this particular model, but that is usually the case for most clutches like this. it is counter intuitive because you would think the stock clutch would dissipate heat better and hold more power with more surface area, but a lot of it just comes down to the lower friction material not being able to perform in high temps and maintain consistency. but also a higher puck design with more surface area of the same material would hold way more horsepower, but be much much more difficult to drive due to being underpowered, and also adds rotating mass. which then you get into multi disc clutch designs that have the advantages of smooth engagement and high horsepower ratings at the minor cost of rotating mass--- but while this little 3 puck might not hold as much power as a twin disc and also be less comfortable to ride around with, it is considerably lighter and can hang laps and not overheat, so this is really the highest performance option you could possibly get out of a clutch for track use at your power level.

Dude, mad respect to the camera guy sitting on your hood like that while you're driving!!! Such a sick angle!

I've been a mechanic for over 10 years... I literally never thought of doing that with the bolts. In my own defense I haven't had an issue remembering where they go since I was a teenager, but still, that is a remarkably good idea. I personally do that both ways. If you need to replace rear main seal, and it is a manual, replace the clutch. Same if you're doing the clutch, do the seal. Save yourself time and money both ways. To the point where I have bought the seal myself for customer cars when they refused it.

One thing y’all didn’t touch on. When installing a new clutch, there is recommended break in miles. Meaning daily driving and not thrashing on it until those miles are complete. I know some people don’t bother, but the concept is still there.

Never thought I'd be so entertained by watching an angry dude make love to a transmission under a Miata.

Wednesday’s have become my favorite day of the week, I’m always so excited for Money Pit!! 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

"If you had to get in here just to do a rear main seal... ...man that would be annoying". Every XJ owner ever just shuddered 🤣🤣🤣🤣

From an actual mechanic, I can say that this is a Fantastic video for an at home clutch swap. Thank you for mentioning the rear main btw. Good job!

"if you had to get in here just for a rear main seal, that would be annoying" Oh it is. It really really is.

zach: takes starts taking clutch out geese: *quaking intensifies*

Remember: when re-installing a transmission, never underestimate the power of thrusting.

Damn, good memories of the days of Money Pit when Zack used to work on the ol' Miata at home, learning as he goes, mistakes and all. It was very relatable, but looking back it was also probably way more challenging to do lol

Money Pit has been giving me the confidence to start doing some of the basic maintenance work on my car on my own. I have a mechanic friend who’s been making sure I don’t destroy the car, but this show has taught me so much about how to work on my car.

Literally my favorite series on the channel just because I love watching people actually work on cars and I love all the information I've gotten on just all around car maintainence

I had to do a Miata clutch in a parking lot at an Autocross event one time… can confirm that the transmission on your chest bench press using you knee for support is the proper method.

this vid hit home on so many levels of my years messing around with cars in my 20's. The long days that turn into long nights working on the same damn thing because you just don't know how you are supposed to get the thing into the other thing by yourself. And when you do have it in place, you can't put the bolts in because you are using all your limbs to hold the thing in place. lol. true Love/Hate relationship that was. From then on, I vowed that I shall get a home with a big ass garage so I can install a lift and never have to crawl under my cars again! Honorable mentions: busted knuckles from slipping wrenches, broken bolts that ruined a whole day really fast, lost tools, and dropping bolts that you swear hit the ground but can never find.

Zach is a boss for throwing that transmission back up there by himself!

That intro though, “it doesn’t make sense let’s instal it”

I'm not a car guy but seeing builds like these is somehow really therapeutic

I just want to take a minute and thank you all for what you are doing and how you break all this down. I have always felt like a complete idiot when it comes to cars, and most people I know that know car stuff were pretty elitist about the knowledge of how things worked, then the older I got the more I distanced myself from cars in general... im almost 33 now and just got my first car a few months ago, and found your channel shortly after. I can honestly say that I have a bit of confidence thinking about what is going on in a car, doing basic stuff and even doing a few mods, all thanks to your videos. Thank you so so much and please keep up the great work!

You literally just taught me about transmissions, i knew nothing about them, thanks dad.

I'm so glad that they showed him fighting with it and struggling. Bc other channels edit that out. I have not worked on one car where I did not struggle at one point during the build

This reminds me so much of that time I changed the transmission on my R32. I had lifted the car over a depression in the ground to give myself more room to maneuver the tranny. Removal went super well, and then right before I got to reinstall the new transmission, it started raining. That depression in the ground filled with water. I used a motorcycle jack to lower the transmission, and of course it was too high for the install, so once the weather got a bit better, I had no choice but to lay in that nice big puddle and lift with my belly. Fun times. Still, the moment that shaft got in felt like I had landed on the moon.

Imagine needing to wait a week for a video when I’m just binge watching 10 months later after release

Can we take a moment to appretiate the fact that he put a seatbelt to his camera at 15:59

Zach is like the Dad I never had teaching me about how to work on cars

Thanks It was like re-living my younger days as an Auto mechanic. Also worked at AAmco for years and installed untold amount of clutches. Everything was still familiar to me. Looks like parts have changed very little in last 50 years. Clutch parts anyway. That was a great presentation of covering about everything with that job you did. Very Professional.

I've never seen someone replace a clutch while being so calm.

😂 the story of every backyard mechanic, early morning “it only took 8 minutes to pull it out” and then several hours later “it’s dark it’s late I’m tired, I’ll finish it in the morning”

"Listen, its no good to rely on your brain to remember stuff. Trust me" - Zach, 2020 Exactly what I needed before an exam..

Great demonstration of what it's actually like trying to install/reinstall a clutch and gearbox in the comfort of your own home (or driveway in this case). Getting that gearbox installed again without a jack was very reminiscent of when I had to change my clutch on my 200SX; such a pain getting everything lined up with the weight of the thing and you end up having to bench press it multiple times, along with a lot of swearing. Keep up the good work, guys :)

My Grandma had a Pontiac sedan in 1972 (I was just learning to drive stick shift) that she had them put a tractor clutch in. The engagement was about a half-inch - it was literally an on/off switch and the disk pushed back so hard I couldn't tell when it was starting to engage. My Mom had a Subaru in 73 that was also a stick, and when I tried to shift - it was like a miracle, I could tell instantly when it was starting to engage. Your fears for drivability were like a flashback for me :)

10:01 that’s a OHSA approved technique right there!

Zach’s doing a great job with this series, been following (almost) every mod with my own miata. Keep up the great work, this series has been on of the best on Donut

3:40 this is such a good tip. I've been restoring a 1993 Honda CN250 (big boy scooter) and find it hard to keep organized with this stuff since I don't have much mechanical experience at all. Good stuff. Also very cool to learn some stuff about the mysterious world of clutches/transmissions. I know how to drive with them but I sure haven't understood them well until recently.

I've done a clutch replacement with my dad on my Saab do to a malfunction with the shifter linkage it was a great learning experience and thanks to you even though this videos been out for a while I definitely felt more comfortable doing a clutch replacement so THANK YOU!

9:51 I love the hard cut from not wanting to put it on his belly to just him struggling underneath it lmao

The real test is when you're stuck in traffic for hours.

Great video thanks for sharing. You fellas just bought back some real memories. My worst gearbox job was on my 1980 ZJ Ford Fairlane (Aussie model) which I did a manual conversion on as Fairlanes here were auto only from the factory. The job took 2 days I reversed out of the shed and the box dropped its guts all over the driveway. The fact the box was out of another one of my cars and worked great our guess was the new setup was way to much for it.

What a great video, informational and to the point. Couldn't ask for a more straight forward video. Great Job!

11:05 😂😂 I like how he hits his head or knee or any part of his body almost in every video he makes. My favorite part LOL.

Do more videos with this guy, my ADHD makes it hard to focus on “long” videos like this but he kept my attention, didnt even wanna stop the video to leave this comment.

I was a vehicle mechanic for over thirty years , working for main agents and independent workshops . Just yesterday I was under my daughters car to change a starter motor lying on my yard , ouch what a struggle I do not miss that kind of job . You advised to grease the gearbox spline and release bearing , I would never do this but ensure they were cleaned and dry ,as clutch dust would gather in the grease and possibly cause binding over time resulting in stiff pedal action and possibly clutch slip . Another tip would be to check a new clutch disc on the gearbox spline before assembly to ensure when you are lifting the transmission it will enter the spline nicely .

I swear at stuff on a lift enough that my boss has labeled me not family friendly. I give you credit for doing this on jacks. I would have to just throw out all the audio if that was me.

10:01 this got intimate.

it is like when in Forza sometimes where an upgrade statistically makes your car worse but it is still technically an upgrade.

Well I wish I would have seen this video when doing my Miata's clutch! Original purpose of the video aside, you show so much more so much more clearly than most other miata specific clutch replacement videos.

Dude this video was so real I can’t explain how accurate this shit was.

This gives me flashbacks to dropping my transmission 12 times on my back

Weird story time: I have had a new in box “performance” clutch for a late 90’s (I think) Dodge Neon for YEARS. My former college roommate’s ex-boyfriend randomly left it in her room one day. After a while, she just let me have it since she didn’t know what it was, or why he left it there in the first place. The weird part is: he didn’t drive a Dodge Neon. My guess is that he ordered the wrong clutch (probably from eBay) and just didn’t want to deal with trying to return or exchange it. If anyone reads this and has any use for it, let me know and I’ll give you more details on the part! I’ll probably let you have it for free fifty, or for the cost of shipping!

Car: [High-pitched whirring] Jobe: "No weird noises"

Putting thats trans in reminded me of putting my gas tank back in my jeep without draining the 15 gallons it had in it 🙃

The sound everyone hates 10:46 😂

"Putting this stuff back is basically like taking it off....but in reverse" big brainnn

Ones I made this work on a Ford Escord without having a centering tool for the clutch. So I had to use the spindle of the gearbox and tighten the screws each by each through the clutch lever window. After each screw I had to rotate the fan a little bit until I found the right position of the next screw . This procedure was very time consuming because I did it all alone without anyone telling me to stop rotating the fan on the right position. But finally it worked.

Brought back memories of replacing gearboxes in the old Ford mk3 zephyr and Cortina without a gearbox jack and using knees to lift rear of gearbox. Must have done it hundreds of times. Best wishes to you all, from, Auckland, New Zealand. 👑🏅⭐👍✅💯%❤

F for Zach and anyone who's had to do a transmission without a jack. There's a lot more cussing that probably got edited out lol.

9:51 (stutters) (mutters) _"I don't really want to"_ Yeaa, we can see why. 😂

I think the main point of the ceramic clutch is that it wont warp under abusive use (lots of slipping) along with the more aggressive grab. When my dad was using a 2wd 1984 F250 diesel to pull a 8000 lb fuel trailer he switched to a ceramic clutch because there was a lot of backing up to tractors on the farm in fields (lots of clutch feathering) and the fiber clutches were ruined fairly quickly. I have no idea how many miles that clutch lasted, but when I was driving it in high school it worked fine, until one day the clutch started slipping climbing a hill. Pulled the clutch and replaced it with a fiber one (we have heavier 1 ton trucks with 4L to move that same fuel trailer most of the time) The ceramic clutch pads were in good shape when we pulled it, but there was a serious trench made in the flywheel where the ceramic pads had wore it down until the clutch no longer had enough movement to clamp the clutch with enough force.

Quite a few years back, I needed a new clutch in my 83 Nissan Sentra wagon. I think a quote to get it done was under $200. I decided to do it myself. It went well. Front wheel drive; rip one wheel off and get that half-shaft out of the way. Trans out, pressure plate off, old clutch isn't any good as a Frisbee either. The new clutch was (if I remember correctly) less than $50ish. Started putting it all back. As I was going around the pressure plate with that one final click, the wrench slipped and I sliced the back of one finger along the edge of the engine. So, after a trip to urgent care for stitches, and a case of beer for my neighbor who helped me put it all back together, I saved about $2.00 on the job. Success!

@10:00, I felt the struggle, y’all captured that “garage-built” jack stand struggle perfectly

This series is the best part of my week

Watching this process makes me appreciate the Triumph Spitfire even more. I used to own a 1974 Spitfire 1500 and one day when I went to go home from work I noticed a puddle of fluid under the car. It was fluid from the hydraulic clutch (the clutch pedal was on the floor). After power shifting all the way home I set about replacing the slave cylinder which was the source of the leak, requiring removing the transmission (put a new clutch in just for fun). In the Spitfire the transmission is removed from the top, you literally get to sit in the driver and passenger seat while doing all of the work. It isn't even possible to take the transmission out the bottom because the classic hard frame that the Spitfire has is in the way.

wow u do a awesome job man ! and i mean ur teaching is 5 start.. cameraman 5 star .. job done 5 start u have nice light evrywhere for us to see propely ... the quality of work here is insane good job ! - i dont even own a miata and learn so much from this video

“No weird noises” BEEEEEEEEEEE BEEEEB EEEEEEPPP BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

Exedy rates their torque numbers at the wheels so it easier to determine which clutch you probably need instead of guessing what crank torque is from a wheel torque rating.

One of the beauties of a motorbike, swapping the clutch for most involves - (drain oil, or if in a rush just lean the bike over)remove crank case cover,remove clutch basket,replace friction pads+spacers,put basket and cover back on. First time I ever did one it was 2 hours and that was just through being cautious.

“If you had to get in here just to do a rear main seal, that would be annoying” that hit hard at home for me

When you're bench pressing your transmission, and you hear your Harbor freight jackstand starting to creak...

i would just like to say thank you for actually showing the way the clutch operates. i understood it in principal but seeing that visuals with the arm in the trans finally made sense.

I work at railyards we use moly grease also. I've never heard about that until 2019. Im 39 now, you are the only other person i have use that outside of this last job. They want it used on mostly cylinder pins. It looks green and comes in 5 gallon buckets. INTERESTING 👍🏻

This one was fun. One of my faves- more like this please!

Honestly I have learned so many things from this series's and I'm just looking for each episode so that I learn more 💙 I hope also hope the HI LOW series continues cause i really loved it❤

16:33 GTR spotted.. Love the videos! You have a great personality :)

thanks for showing me what happens when I'm pressing down on the clutch pedal in my car. great explanation!

Reminded me of changing the transmission on my 1988 GMC Jimmy. I rode that "struggle bus", 😁 3 times in a row, underneath the truck, I felt like a contortionist, bench pressing the transmission with my knees assisting, albeit I had more room than you, I did have a transfer case for 4 wheel drive attached. I can totally relate. 😉

"You saw me ride that struggle bus." - Zach 2020

I love how the editor has a sense of humor. Camera: *presses into the rug* Editor: *adds explosion sound*

Looking at him struggle made me realize how strong my dad and grandpa are

I am a qualified mechanic, I have changed so many clutches, There is a trick of the trade "use the clutch centring tool but slightly lift the tool 1 or 2 mm just as you FIRST slightly tighten the pressure plate... mechanics talk just slightly nip it up " (I find the weight if the clutch plate on the centring tool slightly pulls the clutch tool down and still keeps the clutch plate to spigot bearing it slightly out of alignment) I have done this on all my clutches "in line and transverse engines and have NEVER had any alignment issues they all slide on so easy first time!

“Content is *king” 😂😂😂😂

The usage captions to display figures on correct units (metric) was perfect, everyone should do that

You had me at “be sure not to help your friend, content is king.” I love it.

Content is key... definitely kept me interested lol my favorite part

8:19 Me everytime I see Zach working on that sweet Miata.

This was randomly recommended to me but I was too captivated by those ocean eyes that I forgot I don't even own a car.

Loved this video reminded me of doing the same thing on various cars in my youth. Transmission on the chest and all. One note should be that a brand new clutch and plates are going grab more aggressively before they are broken in say 500 miles depending on the type of driving.

You’re a boss for muscling that transmission around. 💪🏼

I absolutely love this show, it’s probably my favorite out of all of the Donut shows

Fidget spinners, so yesterday

This is really well explained, good video

Should have explained and shown that an OEM clutch have wavy flat springs between the friction plates that make the engagement smoother and your new street clutch didn’t have those springs. Then there are the hub springs that soften the impact on fast shifting.