First Line highlights importance of quality clutch replacement and best practices

First Line Ltd. is emphasising the critical importance of using high-quality replacement parts for manual transmission clutches over cheaper or remanufactured alternatives.

Kelvin Olds, Product Director at First Line Ltd., said: “Borg & Beck clutches are crafted from premium materials, particularly high-quality friction materials, ensuring longer life and better performance. Our clutches undergo rigorous in-house testing and batch approvals to guarantee the utmost quality, providing reliability that technicians and customers can trust.”

To ensure a comprehensive and reliable repair, First Line advocates for several best-practice operations that might increase the job cost but result in a significantly more dependable outcome.

The aftermarket specialist stresses the importance of using the correct tooling and equipment such as lifting jacks. Olds warns: “Failure to use the correct lifting equipment can result in misalignment or a hung gearbox, leading to premature clutch failures.”

Recognising the crucial role of technician skill in achieving a good quality repair, First Line provides extensive support.​

Each Borg & Beck clutch kit includes a detailed leaflet outlining best practices for fitting the clutch such as the bolt tightening sequence and correct grease application points and quantities.

Additionally, a dedicated technical team is available to assist customers with any vehicle-specific issues or queries they might encounter.

Despite these measures, there are common errors that technicians make with manual transmission clutches, leading to warranty claims being dismissed and First Line is pointing to five key mistakes that technicians often make when installing manual transmission clutches.

The first is misalignment, which occurs when the spline is not correctly aligned with the drive plate during gearbox installation.

The second mistake is contamination, where excessive or incorrect grease is used on the splines, causing it to spill onto the friction material.

The third issue is a hung gearbox, resulting from not fully installing and supporting the gearbox; proper use of lifting jacks is essential to avoid this, advises First Line.  

The fourth common error is the incorrect installation of the clutch driven plate; the drive plate must be fitted correctly, and First Line plates are clearly marked to specify the correct orientation (i.e., gearbox side). Incorrect fitting can cause release issues or complete failure.

Finally, handling damage is another critical mistake; clutches should be inspected prior to installation for any damage, as damaged clutches can lead to expensive repairs.