Well I searched and found nothing... there is a bit on Briskoda; maybe this will help someone else.
2005 Cupra tdi needing Sach sports/organic clutch from JBS fitted (after 18k miles on stock with 312 ftlbs from Star Performance on stock car)... doing a DIY clutch;
Not the easiest clutch by a long way .. that gearbox/engine is too wide for the engine bay but you cannot drop the engine far enough plus you need to twist the gearbox as you drop it. Getting gearbox back on took 3 hours or so
as I was being careful and trying to do it right .. in the end a G clamp popped the splines in (you cannot actually get gearbox to come in striaght to the engine and you cannot get a few bolts started to help you as you need to twist the gearbox). I removed the engine side drive shaft cup into the gearbox which you offically do not need to do. Oh and the gearbox housing is magnesium!
Odd requirements
Need an 18mm ring spanner... not many folk have them
Need a 9mm 12 point socket to get clutch cover plate off
Need T55 Torx for driveshafts
Offically need pressure bleed kit for bleeding clutch.
I used;
Engine hoist (but Strut to Strut support bar is far better)
2 axle stands
trolley jack
siczor jack (old car jack)
12mm shackle to put into front of cylinder head where the cover post bolt mounts to make support level for engine at flywheel end
1/2" with T55 Torx,7mm,16mm,3mm, 9mm(12 point)
3/8" with 13mm deep socket, 2" flex extention, ratchet
1/4" with 10mm, 9mm
T2.5 for liners/covers
Spanners, 18mm ring, 16mm combi, 17mm open, 9mm open, 13mm combi
Scribe or paint pen to mark drive shafts
50.1mm cap to plug engine drive shaft seal (anti freeze cap + tape)
Brake fluid, clutch pressure plate, cover and slave/release bearing.
short 6mm Allen key = drive shaft cup
6mm allen key for anti roll bars
Pressure wash under car and both front wheel arches. Jack up so wheels are just off ground, remove undershield and both front wheels plus gearbox side wing liner. Remove air filter and battery box, remove gear change completely (leave cables on bracket), unclip front exhaust hangers, undo driveshafts after marking; I used wheel nuts and a long bar to stop the shafts turning. remove anti roll bar ends and swivel it up and out of the way, Remove 3 bolts on gearbox side strut's lower swivel so it can pivot outwards with driveshaft. Put hose clamp or blunt mole grips on the feed to the clutch master cylinder, unclip the clutch hose at gearbox end and then tie it up so it is higher than the reservoir. Support engine at flywheel end with existing point and shackle into other side of head at cover support point. Remove rear/lower mount completely. Remove starter motor. Remove all but 2 bolts gearbox/engine and leave them loose. Remove little cover over engine driveshaft to expose back of flywheel (one 10mm bolt) Split gearbox mount and then remove lower section from gearbox; have to pry the gearbox over to get front bolt out. Support gearbox with trolley jack. Lower gearbox and allow it to twist so back lifts. Remove the driveshaft cup on the engine side from gearbox; reinsert 2 bolts use with bar to stop it turning. Fit a 50mm plug in to stop oil/dirt leaks. Slowly drop engine and gearbox and allow it to come out.. you will need to take it off the trolley jack to get it out.. or lift the car higher to start with (but then you cannot reach in to lift gearbox later). Redo clutch and thrust bearing/slave. I aligned plate just by nipping plate with cover bolts and then using a screwdriver to centralise it at the bolting points.
Putting 'box back..
Get it back in with the twisting action, once nearly on refit the engine side driveshaft cup; note the gearbox has to twist on input shaft so that this cup can miss the engine block; that is what the little cover plate with 10mm bolt is for. I could only get it to line up to the engine side of the starting ring on the flywheel at the rear .. it would not go in at the front... in the end I used a G clamp to pull this edge together and it popped in. Normally you can rotate the wheels while in gear, start a couple of bolts and it pops the clutch plate but on this car you cannot really get the driveshafts back on and you need to have the gearbox twisted so no bolts line up. Once back together (humm.. some once!!) then put the gearbox mount lower section back on and then jack up to meet the rest of that mount and bolt up.. then reassemble. To bleed clutch.. I removed inlet pipe and small pipe manifold above the master cylinder reservoir (brake one feeds clutch) so I could fill the reservoir. Then allowed gravity bleed at nipple. Lock off. Pump pedal 20 times (you need to pull the pedal up!). Another gravity bleed with a couple of pumps. Lock off. Pump pedal 20 times again (this mixes air into the fluid and encourages it to rise up from slave piston which is blind
). Then just crack bleed nipple about 1/16 to 1/8 turn so it is nearly closed and do another 10 pumps while bleeding; this pressure bleeds the fluid, Finally open nipple 1/4 turn and allow gravity bleed. Lock up. Clean up; brake fluid is very aggresive to paint and plastics. Water is best thing, lots of it.. I used WD40 as it was freezing and water inside shed is a right pain.
All seems to work .. no miles done but it changes gear, moves and runs so no reason why all should not be well. I took a day plus 3 hours to do this solo but I like to move steadily and would never make money as a mechanic!
I do have photos on my camera... but they don't show that much more. Method/tips are far more important. I did read Erwin 3 hours in last night but not much to learn from there except torques which actually are not that relevant; feel is far more important than a torque wrench most of the time.
Oh happy Christmas in 10 minutes!
Extra point.. pressure plate should have sticking out part of spline engagement in centre facing the pressure plate. The old one is symetrical so is no help following it. Plate has no springs which is odd but drives fine. It seems the bite point has risen with driving (self bleeding?) and now a little higher than the old OEM but it is still perfectly stock in feel.
2005 Cupra tdi needing Sach sports/organic clutch from JBS fitted (after 18k miles on stock with 312 ftlbs from Star Performance on stock car)... doing a DIY clutch;
Not the easiest clutch by a long way .. that gearbox/engine is too wide for the engine bay but you cannot drop the engine far enough plus you need to twist the gearbox as you drop it. Getting gearbox back on took 3 hours or so
as I was being careful and trying to do it right .. in the end a G clamp popped the splines in (you cannot actually get gearbox to come in striaght to the engine and you cannot get a few bolts started to help you as you need to twist the gearbox). I removed the engine side drive shaft cup into the gearbox which you offically do not need to do. Oh and the gearbox housing is magnesium!Odd requirements
Need an 18mm ring spanner... not many folk have them
Need a 9mm 12 point socket to get clutch cover plate off
Need T55 Torx for driveshafts
Offically need pressure bleed kit for bleeding clutch.
I used;
Engine hoist (but Strut to Strut support bar is far better)
2 axle stands
trolley jack
siczor jack (old car jack)
12mm shackle to put into front of cylinder head where the cover post bolt mounts to make support level for engine at flywheel end
1/2" with T55 Torx,7mm,16mm,3mm, 9mm(12 point)
3/8" with 13mm deep socket, 2" flex extention, ratchet
1/4" with 10mm, 9mm
T2.5 for liners/covers
Spanners, 18mm ring, 16mm combi, 17mm open, 9mm open, 13mm combi
Scribe or paint pen to mark drive shafts
50.1mm cap to plug engine drive shaft seal (anti freeze cap + tape)
Brake fluid, clutch pressure plate, cover and slave/release bearing.
short 6mm Allen key = drive shaft cup
6mm allen key for anti roll bars
Pressure wash under car and both front wheel arches. Jack up so wheels are just off ground, remove undershield and both front wheels plus gearbox side wing liner. Remove air filter and battery box, remove gear change completely (leave cables on bracket), unclip front exhaust hangers, undo driveshafts after marking; I used wheel nuts and a long bar to stop the shafts turning. remove anti roll bar ends and swivel it up and out of the way, Remove 3 bolts on gearbox side strut's lower swivel so it can pivot outwards with driveshaft. Put hose clamp or blunt mole grips on the feed to the clutch master cylinder, unclip the clutch hose at gearbox end and then tie it up so it is higher than the reservoir. Support engine at flywheel end with existing point and shackle into other side of head at cover support point. Remove rear/lower mount completely. Remove starter motor. Remove all but 2 bolts gearbox/engine and leave them loose. Remove little cover over engine driveshaft to expose back of flywheel (one 10mm bolt) Split gearbox mount and then remove lower section from gearbox; have to pry the gearbox over to get front bolt out. Support gearbox with trolley jack. Lower gearbox and allow it to twist so back lifts. Remove the driveshaft cup on the engine side from gearbox; reinsert 2 bolts use with bar to stop it turning. Fit a 50mm plug in to stop oil/dirt leaks. Slowly drop engine and gearbox and allow it to come out.. you will need to take it off the trolley jack to get it out.. or lift the car higher to start with (but then you cannot reach in to lift gearbox later). Redo clutch and thrust bearing/slave. I aligned plate just by nipping plate with cover bolts and then using a screwdriver to centralise it at the bolting points.
Putting 'box back..
Get it back in with the twisting action, once nearly on refit the engine side driveshaft cup; note the gearbox has to twist on input shaft so that this cup can miss the engine block; that is what the little cover plate with 10mm bolt is for. I could only get it to line up to the engine side of the starting ring on the flywheel at the rear .. it would not go in at the front... in the end I used a G clamp to pull this edge together and it popped in. Normally you can rotate the wheels while in gear, start a couple of bolts and it pops the clutch plate but on this car you cannot really get the driveshafts back on and you need to have the gearbox twisted so no bolts line up. Once back together (humm.. some once!!) then put the gearbox mount lower section back on and then jack up to meet the rest of that mount and bolt up.. then reassemble. To bleed clutch.. I removed inlet pipe and small pipe manifold above the master cylinder reservoir (brake one feeds clutch) so I could fill the reservoir. Then allowed gravity bleed at nipple. Lock off. Pump pedal 20 times (you need to pull the pedal up!). Another gravity bleed with a couple of pumps. Lock off. Pump pedal 20 times again (this mixes air into the fluid and encourages it to rise up from slave piston which is blind
). Then just crack bleed nipple about 1/16 to 1/8 turn so it is nearly closed and do another 10 pumps while bleeding; this pressure bleeds the fluid, Finally open nipple 1/4 turn and allow gravity bleed. Lock up. Clean up; brake fluid is very aggresive to paint and plastics. Water is best thing, lots of it.. I used WD40 as it was freezing and water inside shed is a right pain.All seems to work .. no miles done but it changes gear, moves and runs so no reason why all should not be well. I took a day plus 3 hours to do this solo but I like to move steadily and would never make money as a mechanic!
I do have photos on my camera... but they don't show that much more. Method/tips are far more important. I did read Erwin 3 hours in last night but not much to learn from there except torques which actually are not that relevant; feel is far more important than a torque wrench most of the time.
Oh happy Christmas in 10 minutes!
Extra point.. pressure plate should have sticking out part of spline engagement in centre facing the pressure plate. The old one is symetrical so is no help following it. Plate has no springs which is odd but drives fine. It seems the bite point has risen with driving (self bleeding?) and now a little higher than the old OEM but it is still perfectly stock in feel.
Last edited:
