How to Fix a Hyundai Accent Clutch

The manual transmission in your Hyundai Accent uses a clutch to engage and disengage the power from the engine to the transmission. The clutch disc is sandwiched between the engine flywheel and the transmission pressure plate. When you switch gears and let off the clutch pedal, there is a short period during which the clutch is slipping to transmit the power in a controlled way. This causes wear on the clutch; over time it will require replacement.

Things You'll Need

  • Jack
  • Jack stands
  • Basic tools--ratchet, sockets
  • Catch pan
  • Transmission lift attachment for jack stand
  • New clutch kit
  • Flywheel, resurfaced or new
  • Jack the Hyundai Accent and place on jack stands.

  • Drain the transmission gear oil into a catch pan. To drain the gear oil, loosen the drain bolt with a ratchet. Before the drain bolt unscrews completely, use your hand to unscrew it so that it doesn't fall into the drain pan.

  • Disconnect both drive axles (half shafts) from the transmission. To do this, use a ratchet to remove the two bolts that hold the steering knuckle to the strut. Once those are out, you can easily pull the axles out of the transmission. The steering knuckle is the component that the wheel and strut attach to. You can locate the two bolts that you are to remove by following the strut down from where it's bolted in the engine bay. Removing those two bolts allows you to pull the steering knuckle outward so you can pull the drive axle out of the transmission.

  • Remove the exhaust downpipe from the rest of the exhaust. It will be held on with two bolts at both ends and can be removed with a ratchet. Removing this piece is necessary to gain access to the transmission.

  • Disconnect any wiring connected to the transmission and remember where all the wires go.

  • Disconnect the shifter cables connected to the transmission. Use a ratchet to remove each shifter cable and its housing.

  • Remove the bolts holding the transmission to the engine block (there will be about seven or eight bolts). Place a transmission lift underneath the transmission to hold the transmission and lower it down. If you don't have a transmission lift, you can use a transmission attachment for your jack.

  • Shift the transmission back and forth until it drops onto the jack. Pull the transmission straight back, ensuring that no pressure is put on the input shaft, and lower the transmission to the ground.

  • Remove the pressure plate and clutch disc from the flywheel with a ratchet tool. Then remove the flywheel with a ratchet tool and replace it with a new flywheel. Alternatively, have your flywheel professionally machined at a machine shop, and then replace it in your car. Torque the flywheel down to the manufacturer's specification.

  • Place the clutch disc on the clutch disc alignment tool and insert the tool in the flywheel input shaft hole. Connect the new pressure plate to the flywheel and torque the bolts. Once the pressure plate is torqued down, then remove the clutch alignment tool.

  • Grease the new throw-out bearing and place it on the input shaft of the transmission. Once the transmission is installed, it will push against the pressure plate.

  • Jack the transmission back into place, push the input shaft straight into the flywheel hole, push the transmission into place and bolt it down to specification.

  • Reinstall the drive axles by pushing them into the transmission, and reconnect the steering knuckle to the strut, tightening the two bolts that were removed previously.

  • With a ratchet, reconnect the shifter cables to the transmission.

  • Reconnect the exhaust downpipe and wiring.

  • Add transmission gear oil to the transmission through the transmission fill plug until the fill plug begins to drip. Wait until the oil stops leaking out, then tighten the plug.

  • Lower the Hyundai Accent to the ground.