A clutch bellcrank or clutch release bell crank or CRB is a two-armed lever that has a unifying fulcrum at their common junction. It's used to connect the master clutch cylinder and clutch pedal together. It takes about an hour to remove multiple parts of your car in order to access the CRB for inspection, repair, and/or replacement.
To replace it, you'll need a new CRB or a complete CRB replacement kit, jack, screwdrivers, bellcrank pivot stud, various wrenches of differing sizes, and an adjustable rod with nut.
Replacing the Bellcrank 101
- Free Up an Hour of Your Time: Fixing your CRB takes about an hour or more. You need to jack your car up first. From there, remove the throwout level return spring and unscrew the single nut on the clutch wear adjuster in order to loosen it. Afterwards, remove the cotter pins from the clutch arm and adjustable rod then put away the pins at a safe place for later reuse.
- Remove the Mounting Bracket: You can choose between removing the transmission-mounted bracket or the frame-mounted bracket depending on your make and model of car as well as the placement of the car parts. Pick the one that's most convenient for your needs. After bracket removal, go pull the CRB free from either bracket carefully. Be careful not to pull out the nearby cables and wires for good measure.
- Go Under The Car and Remove the Boots: Go under your car. Pry the outer boot out from the transmission-mounted bracket along with the boot retainer clip and pivot bushing. The outer boot goes towards your vehicle's center and the inner boot goes onto the tire side or door. Before replacing the old bellcrank pivot stud with a new stud, take the original and see if you can salvage it as a spare stud just in case. Put together the new parts but clean off the underside parts first.
- Smearing Grease on the New Parts: Smear some grease on the pivot bushing, the stud, and the boot. Slip into the bracket over the stud the inner boot. Put the pivot bushing that's been greased over the same stud. Use a clip to hold everything in place. Replace the adjustable rod as well. Some replacement rods are superior to the old rods, particularly the ones with their own internal bushing. This secures your replacement CRB with some lock washers and nuts versus a cotter pin with a bent piece of mental.
- Put Everything Back in Reverse Order: Go under your car in order to grease the transmission-mounted bushing, outer boot, and pivot bushing for good measure. Pop the frame mount bracket to your greased-up CRB. Essentially, everything you've taken off should be reinstalled in reverse after popping in your CRB unto your transmission-mounted or frame-mounted bracket plus respective studs. Adjust the clutch pedal's freeplay with your clutch wear adjuster and finish up.