If you have never done a clutch before I wouldn't recommend it.. It is a simple install if you understand what needs to be done. Shouldn't take more then 5 hours..

Dan

 

I would'nt recommend doing it yourself. Replacing the clutch requires removing the transmission, and in order to do that the car has be lifted <i> at least </i> 3 or 4 feet in the air, as well, you'd need to rent a tranmission jack.

Other mechanics (not dealerships), could offer you a better price.
My mechanic has a $60/hour labor rate. He did the clutch in my CRX for less than $600 altogether. Although, both my CRX and my Rio (2002) are cable type clutchs... a hydraulic type clutch could be more expensive to replace (though I'm not sure.) '03 and newer Rios have hydraulic clutchs I believe...?

 

No they are cable.. Why does the car need to be atleast 4 feet in the air.. You can easily drop a tranny laying on a creeper under a car on jackstands.

Dan

 

Maybe... but I was just stating what I believed to be the standard way, the eaiser or even safer way, if you will.

Cable?, Even 2g and 3g Rios are still cable? Kia must really be lagging behind if that's the case.

 

what is wrong with cable clutch? i had a saturn with hydraulic clutch, and it cost me an extra $300 for the stupid 'sealed at factory' hydraulic assembly (a.k.a. no bleeder screws) it didnt feel any better/smoother. as for how light the pedal would feel, add a spring to help you!

as for changing the clutch...
you might need a clutch alignment tool, two floor jacks(if no hoist), and plenty of time on your hands, cuz first time around is a PITA!!
what will you be replacing? only the friction plate? or everything(flywheel resurfaced, not necessary to replace at 36,000 miles)
if you do remove the flywheel, ask KIA if those bolts are reusable, sometimes they are not!
use brake cleaner on brand new pressure plate, cuz the grease/oil/anti-rust will gum up your friction plate and stink for a while.

if you can, show us a few pics of it apart... and have fun

 

The flywheel on a Rio cannot be resurfaced, You'll run into issues.. I've seen 3 poeple go down that road allready.. It has to be replaced or the clutch will not seat properly.. And if that is not feasable then make sure the flywheel surface is in reasonable shape.. I replaced the clutch in my Rio at 26K Km it wasn't excessivly work but it was slipping like crazy.

Dan

 

i know, thread from the dead.... but...

Question for you Dan, as i prep to do a clutch swap in a 04 Kia Rio

You say the flywheel cannot be resurfaced. Why is that? The local part stores do not have a flywheel in stock.

and only 5 hours labor? thats not bad compared to other cars i have worked on where you drop everything from the car, including engine

 

I dunno if hydraulic is superior to cable or not. I didn't notice much difference, although only one car I've owned was a hydraulic clutch ('94 Integra.) Cable seems much more simple, especially to adjust and replace (at least on my CRX it was cake, on my Rio it looks like it's kinda hard to get to, probably have to take out the battery to get some room to work.)

 

I actually removed a hydraulic clutch from a toyota and replaced it with a cable because I kept getting the same little valve crapping out in my hydraulic clutch. after that, problems all gone. nothing wrong with cable in regular cars.
bm

 

... and I didn't mean to imply there was, just kinda thought it was "behind the times", that's at least the overall impression most give off.

By the way, how does a hydraulic clutch work?
Brake fluid powers the release lever?
A cable is simple to see and understand, the pedal pulls the cable which moves the release lever/fork, etc.
just curious.

 

yeah, I hear the same thing all the time, and technically they are correct. hydraulics are smoother, especially if you are speed shifting or racing, but on the street, there is very little difference once you get used to the change and I like the "less to go wrong" thing about cable clutches. hydraulics can be a real pain in hot climates because you will get the problem I mentioned in the first post quite often due to the hydraulic fluid heating up and causing or allowing failures to take place. at least with a cable, you can usually just tighten it up and go, when hydraulics fail, the car stops until you replace the faulty component. Hydraulics work basically the same as a cable, just using a hydraulic line and fluid with portioning type valves directing fluid where it is needed. I know someone else out there can explain it better than I can, but thats basically it.

sorry for the double post, the first one I added didnt show up until after I finished re writing it the second time. time lag at the server or something.
bm