Original DIY instructions by SAVwKO with my photos added. My comments are in italics. Anything overly important has been bolded. I really had no idea what I was doing most of the time and it took me far longer than someone who is more experienced. This DIY is geared towards those who are a little reluctant about doing a clutch install themselves. But remember, you wrench at your own risk. You could cause some serious damage by screwing this up.

Tools List:
T25 and T30 Torx
13mm deep socket
16mm deep socket
18mm deep socket
10mm triple square
12mm triple square
1/2” deep socket (to carry the triple square bolts)
Stock lug wrench (dual use as a small torque bar)
Larger torque bar
9mm socket
High temp grease
2 floor jacks
2-4 jack stands
Range of socket extenders (I used a 4, 8, and 12”)
Flat head screwdriver
17mm allen wrench

You're gonna need another set of hands for sure. Lemme try and play this out in my mind, as I've done quite a few clutch installs but on the O2J IN the car. The O2M is like 30lbs heavier than the 5spd and thus, I chose to replace the clutch when I tore the engine out.

First thing before the first thing is to remove the front bumper for more working room. First thing to do would be the axles. Take off your driver side wheel. Have someone step on the brakes, and you'll need one of those triple square bits (I purchased a three pack from O’Reilly). 6 bolts per axle on the tranny. Once those are out zip tie em up out of the way. I also had to remove some plastic liners under the oil pan and around the driver’s side. I also recommend using several plastic zip bags to keep like parts together and to make sure you don’t lose anything.

Before continuing on, remove the Airbox. Next, start removing visual parts up top. Disconnect the shifter cables from the weight, and then take out the 3 13mm bolts holding the shifter cable bracket to the tranny case. The third bolt you will need a deep socket for. Also, remove the transmission ground wire.

Unbolt the hard power steering line from it's brackets which are also on the tranny. Pull the clip out of the clutch slave line and remove it form it's hole. If you have something to plug the line with, have it ready. Otherwise, have a small bucket below as fluid leaks out. Zip tie up and out of the way.

Unclip the final drive sensor in the back of the tranny (I didnt get a pic of it, but its not hard to find), the starter harness, the reverse gear sensor close by. Get a jack next with some wood blocks and support the oil pan. Start unbolting all the bolts all the way around the tranny. Take the 2 starter bolts completely out (you'll have to move that wiring harness bundle out of the way). Starter can be removed.

Then you have 2 bolts up top (the transmission ground and the hard to reach shift cable bracket bolt), 2 on the bottom, one in the front, and one in the back. Should be a total of 8 bolts (including starter) that hold the tranny to the block. Get em all cracked so they can be turned easily. There are at least 4 different shapes/sizes of bolts so it may be worth your while to label which bolt came out of where to make it easier later.

At this point I would also recommend removing the driver’s side axle. It may not be required but the damn thing kept getting in the way. Have someone step on the brakes and use a 17mm allen wrench (purchased at Sears) with a large torque bar (make sure they brake hard… it took a lot of torque to get that bolt out and I ended up shearing off that little screw that goes through the rotor. I also disconnected one of the bolts for the stock front sway bar. In addition I removed 3 bolts underneath holding the rotor assembly in. There may be other ways to do this. I was told this particular method may necessitate a realignment! Once all that is done the axle can be taken out.

Take dogbone off, and undo driver side mount. get another jack under the tranny and undo all the bolts holding it to the block.

Start lowering the engine b/c you'll need an angle to get the tranny straight off the block without bending the input shaft. You kinda have to have someone on their back and pushing UP and over on the back of the tranny to get it off the flywheel and past the K-frame. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do while working on my car. It was incredibly frustrating and requires lots of patience. I had to play with lowering and raising the engine with jack to find an angle where I could get it out. Extra hands, jacks are needed to keep the transmission supported so it isn’t just hanging there. The two places I ran into trouble were the passenger side axle flange hitting the flywheel, and getting the tranny over the K-frame.

Once off, remove old pressure plate clutch (6mm hex) and flywheel (12mm triple square). Bolt on new flywheel, I believe 45ftlbs for the torque specs but double check with bentley OR 1.8T forums. I just tighten the pressure plate bolts till they're tight tight. I don’t have torque specs for the pressure plate bolts, but I just did those two hands tight whereas I did the flywheel bolts torque bar tight. I think it is recommended that you replace your flywheel and pressure plate bolts with new ones but I only replaced the flywheel bolts. I didn’t use a flywheel locking tool, but look into one so you don’t have to rig something like I did to keep the flywheel from turning. The clutch alignment tool should just be called a clutch holding tool. Do not blindly rely on it. Use your eyes to make sure the clutch is as centered as possible. Also, make sure you double check which side of the clutch is the gearbox side.

If your clutch disintegrated like mine you will have a lot of bits of clutch to clean out. Use a shop vac if possible. The clutch fibers are like fiberglass insulation and really irritate the skin. Don’t forget to install a new slave cylinder as well. This comes out with three 9mm bolts.

Getting the tranny back on is a little tougher, but reverse the process. The instructions that came with my clutch recommended lightly greasing the input shaft of the transmission with some high temp grease. I used brake caliper grease for this. I had a friend who just he-man’d the tranny in from underneath. Went in a lot faster than taking it out.

Once you are ALL done, you'll have to bleed your clutch line.
Once it's driveable, take it VERY easy for the first 450 miles or so. No neutral drops, no hard pulls, seriously try to get the best gas mileage out of your tank of gas.

After 500 miles, everything should be kosher and let er rip. I reset my trip odometer so I could count down to it
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please PM me to add corrections or additional info but I may not be the best resource for answering technical questions . Special thanks to Savwko and Adam@unitronic for their help.

Thank you sooo much

EDIT: I vote this be added to the FAQ

Found out to make it easier you can remove both of the axle flanges on the trans and you won't run into clearance issues with the flywheel. It's an allen bolt going thru each flange directly in the center so once those are off the trans can slide literally straight off without hitting the flywheel.

Keep in mind though that removing those will open up the trans, literally, and fluid will come out. Better off draining it first out the drain plug.

For the O2M it's the same procedure as was just posted minus the pressure plate/clutch stuff. You have to drop the trans to get the slave in/out.

Can't you just plug it? I did a clutch on a 5spd 2.0 and I'm pretty sure we just left the tranny fluid in there. Although it wouldn't be a badd idea to change the fluid.

Anyway this is a great DIY write-up

comin up dual stage boost controller from The man Sav himself http://HStuning.net

this should help

Great write up man!

that' for a 12v vr6 with the 5sp o2j...i havea 24v with the o2m. just wondering what differences there are in removing the trans from the engine??

Modified by JAPANDO at 7:42 PM 7-6-2009

turns out the housing to the spider gears inside had been broken for awhile, (there was alot of crud in the bearings) and that was why the gears fell down into the tranny.

Modified by JAPANDO at 11:56 PM 7-28-2009

Thanks

a note to all those who are doing this diy. If you dont think that you need to take the driver-side axel out. just do it anyway. it wakes a huge difference, and had i done it in the first place would have saved about an hour. to the op. great diy

http://www.andysautosport.com/volkswagen/

My timing hole plug is missing, and it looks like I have a leak from the valve cover or by the camshaft. Oil made it's way into the timing hole (dripped just perfect off a hose and into the hole) and is pretty bad inside the bellhousing. I would bet that's why I am replacing the flywheel in the first place.
Edit: My issue was that two of the flywheel bolts were loose.

Thanks again for the write up! Much better than looking at the bentley, as it refers to a bunch of special jack stands and tools that we don't have to do this job.

Modified by SB_GLI at 5:46 PM 11-12-2009