Hello, all

I'm nearing the end of a long-term project - a major refresh on a 1983 240D. At the moment, I'm replacing the clutch.

Now, I've previously done a one-for-one transmission replacement on a 1994 5-speed Subaru (didn't touch the clutch) and an engine replacement on a 1991 VW Vanagon. On the Vanagon, I swapped the (good) used clutch from my old engine over to the new one (the "new" engine was sourced from an automatic).

I mention all this just so you know that I'm not completely alien to the job. But, this is my first 240D clutch replacment, and the first time I'm actually replacing a worn-out clutch with a new one.

I noticed a difference between the old pressure plate and the new one. I bought a LUK clutch kit and I believe the pressure plate is marked as a Sachs part. Anyway, the new one has, for lack of a better term, a ring in the center. New and old next to each other:


The "ring" looks like it's part of the pressure plate assembly, but I've never seen anything like it (I haven't seen a lot of clutches with my own eyes). I just wanted to make sure it's SUPPOSED to be there, and that it's not just a piece put there for shipping that I need to remove. It certainly looks like it's supposed to be there. So, that's question #1.

The new clutch disc next to the old one:





Next question - I had the transmission out to clean it up a little bit:


While looking it over, I noticed I have a bit of side to side play at the input shaft. Is this something I need to be concerned about? If so, what's the next step - replacing the input shaft bearing?

I can't find anything in the factory CD ROM manual about the transmission, no matter how hard I look (if anyone knows if/where it is in there, please let me know). But, from what parts diagrams I can find, it looks like I might be able to remove the front seal cover and replace the input shaft bearing without doing anything else.

Does that sound about right? Or, am I way off on that?


I also have a 4-speed out of a '79 parts car I had a couple of years back. I haven't removed it from the '79 engine yet, but I presume it's in better shape than the '83 transmission. Would it be worth just installing the '79 transmission?

Thanks