Clutch R&R on the 1982 240D (OM616 with 716 transmission) Mercedes

How to replace a clutch in a 240D - Pictorial


I replaced the clutch in my 240 and took some pictures along the way. The following is not designed to be a step by step guide, but rather to highlight some of the main points and hopefully give someone confidence to do the job themselves who is debating whether or not to perform this task. It is fairly straightforward but does require some mechanical skills as you will have to do some "figuring" to get everything right. The whole job took me about 6.5 -7 hours though I didn't do it all in one sitting. I've never changed a clutch before so maybe others can do it much faster. Just be patient and give yourself plenty of time and you should have no problems.

1. The first thing is to disconnect everything from the tranny - slave cylinder, speedo cable, shift linkage, etc.

2. Mark the position of the drive shaft to the flex disc. I used leftover paint I had from painting my gauges.
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3. Remove the cross bar supporting the bottom of the tranny. Here you see the tranny mount exposed.
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4. This is the cross bar removed.
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5. Remove the bolts holding the driveshaft to the flex disc.
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6. Pry the drive shaft back from the flex disc using a screw driver. It simply retracts back.
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7. Remove the other support bracket which is also attached to your exhaust pipe.
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8. Unbolt your transmission bolts. Don't forget the starter bolts too. Remove the tranny.
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9. This is what it looks like with the tranny removed. You are looking at the old clutch.
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10. Note the release bearing on the input shaft with the fork behind it.
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11. I went ahead and removed the flywheel. Note that I have already removed the pressure plate and clutch disc. Removing the flywheel is probably not necessary for removing the pilot bearing but I did anyhow. If you remove the flywheel, mark its position just like you did the driveshaft. Clean the flywheel with some sandpaper and then brake or carb cleaner. Don't clean off the mark you made with the cleaner . Note the pilot bearing sits inside part of the crank.
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12. You will need to put a 27mm socket on your crank pulley with a long extension that hits the floor to keep the engine from turning while you are loosening bolts on the flywheel or pressure plate.
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13. You will need to rent a pilot bearing removal tool. I got mine at Autozone. You will also need to rent a slide hammer which attaches to the end of the tool. Note that the pilot bearing has a cover on it which will be removed first.
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14. This is the pilot bearing cap removed and still on the end of the tool.
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15. This is the pilot bearing still in place. My tool was too small to squeeze through the hole in the pilot bearing. I ended up using two coat hangers that I normally use for removing the instrument cluster to fit behind it and yank it out. Its in there TIGHT.
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Installation is reverse of removal. Make sure you have the proper clutch alignment tool for centering the clutch disc. The Haynes manual gives you the torque values and some other good info. I also went ahead and replaced the slave cylinder. I didn't even have to bleed it. Brake fluid just started pouring in and that was that. Don't ask me why or how because I don't understand it but its working just fine.

If any more experienced board members have helpful comments, please feel free to add them. I would like this post to be the one people can use if they decide to replace their clutch

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