replace clutch bolts?

[spencerxog]

so im waiting on my stage 3 ebay clutch kit and my car buddy was saying i should replace my clutch bolts because they get stripped? the kit i ordered didnt come with any, would i be screwed if i dont replace them?

[Seerlah]

Always replace your clutch component bolts. They are stretch bolts and one time use.

[Rodgman15]

Oof, eBay clutch kit. You are a brave soul.

[Seerlah]

Wow, don't know how I really missed that part. Saw Spec or SB when I read it. Valeo singly mass replacement kit is favored for OEM replacement with a little more grab than stock. What brand name ebay kit? They do have reliable kits on there.

[Davdraco1]

I've read those bolts can be had from the dealer for a few dollars each.

[spencerxog]

okay sweet thats what i thought, my mechanic told me to buy it so im trusting his word even tho hes more of a subaru guy

[Rodgman15]

When I see "ebay clutch kit" together I assume the worst lol. A Valeo kit would be a fine replacement.

[walky_talky20]

I'm rocking all re-used fasteners on my clutch. (I 'rock' all my fasteners, btw.) I think the flywheel bolts are actually on their 3rd go-round.

But my car makes like 8 horsepowers, so it's all good.

[BaseDrifter]

The cost-benefit analysis is pretty simple to me.

What do you gain by not replacing the flywheel and pressure plate bolts?

- You save $25 by not buying new hardware.

- You save time by not waiting for the hardware to arrive (this can be completely negated by ordering new hardware with the clutch.)

What do you potentially lose by not replacing the flywheel and pressure plate bolts?

- At a minimum, if there is a problem with the bolts backing out or breaking you have to pull the transmission (or motor) to address the issue. This alone is enough reason for me to spend the $25 on new hardware to eliminate this concern.

- If the flywheel bolts back out they could end up ruining the flywheel (egged holes) or the clutch.

- If the pressure plate bolts back out it could cause a misalignment with the throwout bearing or pressure plate fingers.

Now, the $25 savings are guaranteed by not replacing the bolts. And as Walky has shown, having a problem with the bolts is not guaranteed. So now it becomes a risk profile question. How risky do you want to be? What is the percent chance that something will go wrong? Unfortunately that question is impossible to answer, every car is different (and so are the bolts.)

In any case, if there is ever a problem with the bolts, you're gonna have to open it up again. Spend the $25 on new hardware and eliminate a costly and time consuming potential failure point.

[walky_talky20]

From experience, I know I won't have problems. I don't really recommend it to other people though. If something happens, I can just fix it. That may not be their situation.

The benefit is that I get to tell people that 5-speed swapping my A4 "only cost me 100 bucks". 125 just doesn't sound as cool.

[A4ski]

I'd totally go new hardware. 1) It looks better 2) The Haynes manual pretty much says to replace every bolt in the damn car whenever you so much as adjust the mirror. 3) You always put new gas in the car, right? Why should nuts and bolts be any different?
Any bolts I do reuse always get wire wheeled to a mirror shine.

[BaseDrifter]

If something happens, I can just fix it.

Of course you can, but the point is that for a measly $25 you should never have to.

We're not talking about dropping $500 on a maintenance item that doesn't need to be replaced, nor are we talking about bolts that are easy to get to. It's 25 bucks to NOT have to go back in to fix a problem if one occurs because you reused the bolts.

Ask Grapebandit about when someone reused old flywheel bolts on his car.

It's really a no-brainer to me. But to each their own, some people are masochists. ;)

[vrmm]

Make sure you torque them bitches correctly! 18ft lb's is what the manual states. None of this 15 ft lb's bs some s4 owners are spewing. I torqued mine to 25ft lbs after they backed out with blue loctite. Why do you need a stage 3 clutch?

[GrapeBandit]

clutch bolts? you mean flywheel or pressure plate bolts? you can reuse flywheel bolts even though they are stretch, many ppl have will no ill effects. I have done so myself when I needed to get a car back together. audi dealership never puts new flywheel bolts.

[walky_talky20]

Indeed. They do not generally hit their stretch limit after just one use. The same with head bolts, too. Some manufacturers actually give a spec so you can check the bolt length to make sure they are good to use again. Most would rather not publish the spec and just sell you new bolts every time.