1st gen Clutch Kit Recommendations?

Looks like marlin no longer carries the clutch kits for the 1st gen tacomas. I found this at low-range: https://lowrangeoffroad.com/toyota-4runner-1996-2000-tacoma-1995-2004-3-4l-v6.html

Is that pretty comparable to what marlin used to offer? Is there a recommended alternative to what I linked at low range?

 

Wow, that’s weird they stopped selling clutch kits. The marlin kits did have Seco and Aisin parts, can’t remember which was which, think Seco was the clutch plate and Aisin was the pressure plate.

I’ve had good luck with oem parts as well longevity wise

 

Wow that is really Strange I would think the 1st generation market would still be strong .

Just remember web sites can be wrong .

Has Aisin bought SECO as both the disc and clutch plate are marked Aisin

A shame how prices are so inflated !!

I might shop around look for the same kit cheaper !

So many things have changed I always Had Good luck with Aisin and Luk and the Marlin crawler clutches.

All my clutches have been replaced a few years ago. Now all bets are off for quality.

 

I don't think Aisin and Seco are the same company. At least, not from what I can find. I'll have to look at the OEM price for the same parts.. guessing it'll be even more than the TG/LR markup.

 

I have heard good things about the Exedy clutch kits for these trucks.

 

Same here. My '97 V6 Taco 4x4 is a mud machine for hunting, not a rock crawler, so I decided to go with an AISIN CKT-040 kit marked JAPAN off Amazon with the colored clutch disc spring dampers. It's working great for me! But the Exedy disc (and the LUK) is of the same durable captured spring design as the original AISIN disc that was in my '97 Taco. If I was rock crawling, the Exedy cltch kit as recommended by "Showstop" over on TTORA would probably have been a better choice over the current AISIN kit. The Exedy disc looks to be a very strong design and it's inexpensive for the win-win. But bottom line, I think we have some VERY good clutch kit choices listed here in this thread. Just be absolutely sure to use a high-quality pilot bearing and throw-out bearing even if they don't come in the kit you buy. They are very good insurance on a durable clutch installation. IIRC, I used NSK JAPAN parts for both.

The original OEM Toyota disc out of my '97 V6 Taco had fully captured damper springs. This type disc is no longer available from Toyota at least for my 3.4L V6 application. Exedy and LUK both use this original Toyota HD disc design.


Actual aftermarket AISIN JAPAN CKT-040 kit purchased off Amazon is below.

New, not remanufactured, AISIN JAPAN pressure plate was attached with the HD 8.8 bolt kit from Marlin: Heavy Duty Pressure Plate Bolt Kit | Marlin Crawler, Inc.


The new AISIN JAPAN disc looks virtually identical to the remanufactured OEM disc from Toyota. Both have the same colored "plastic" spring dampers. The AISIN CKT-040 kit came with an NSK JAPAN T/O bearing which is same type as OEM Toyota. The KOYO pilot bearing was not marked JAPAN so I picked up an OEM Toyota pilot bearing marked NSK JAPAN for $7 to insure a durable clutch installation.

 

I called this vendor today trying to get part numbers and brands, since the product page is so vague. Low Range told me on the phone that they don't have the part numbers, it ships directly from Aisin. I figure it's their job to know what they are selling, so my order is on hold while they try to figure that out. If it includes substandard parts, I don't feel like paying 20% restocking fees, plus absurdly overpriced shipping. Also, they plan on gouging me $50 for shipping if I do buy it from them.

 

So Don`t buy from them.

just what are we looking for a Clutch kit for??

What kind of use does your clutch see?? Hard core Rock crawling ?? Loaded heavy and Towing?

Daily Driving and some dirt roads.

 

My daily drive involves 6 miles of steep forest service road. Occasional rock crawling, and hauling the trailer when needed.

 

Your talking 4 wheels chained up all the time.

Now what do you need your clutch kit for?

 

Ah, maybe you mean what vehicle then? 2000 3.4L, no turbo. Unlikely to go bigger than 33's. Chains pretty often in the winter.

 

There are many options out there for that package.

Can you not find your correct part #?

Is that your problem

Aisin Clutch kit

$233 CKT-040 OE Matched Clutch Kit - Compatible with Select Toyota 4Runner, T100, Tacoma, Tundra

CKT-040 Master Cylinder

$49 CMT-030 OE Matched Clutch Master Cylinder - Compatible with Select Toyota T100, Tacoma

CMT-030 Slave Cylinder

$28 CRT-014 OE Matched Clutch Slave Cylinder - Compatible with Select Toyota 4Runner, T100, Tacoma, Tundra

CRT-014

Luk is also a good brand

Anymore most anything can be found on Amazon

 

Rockauto had the best prices on clutch kits when I was looking. Just pick one of the well known brands like aisin, luk, etc. and it’ll be fine. My luk has been going strong for 6-7 years now.

 

I was hoping to find a detailed description of a clutch kit before buying, like brand and country of mfg of all components including bearings. Doesn't look like sellers disclose that info though for most of the kits out there

 

If you need that type of information the only place you might find is it at the manufacture .

Then that will only be the parts sold after market.

Never to a manufacture in most cases.

 

You guys running the exedy clutches are you running the 16805 stage 1 kits?
Ive got a heavy LC engineering flywheel Ill be pairing it with.

 

I’m still waiting for an oem parts replacement to die that’s currently at 345,000 miles that I installed at 130,000 miles and I have a Marlin clutch on the shelf waiting to go in. My guess is whatever anyone puts in, it will likely last over 100,000 miles, not so much the parts but the vehicle itself being so dependable.

Exedy supplies a lot of oem clutches, Honda for instance, might be the last clutch you’ll need to buy

 

I've run stock, SPEC Stage 3+ w/ LCE Aluminum Lightweight flywheel, and now I'm on the SPEC Stage 5 w/LCE Lightweight flywheel.

Stage 5 is incredibly aggressive and wouldn't want to daily it. That Stage 3+ though, that was a nice aftermarket clutch with a much increased torque rating. I really liked that Stage 3+ clutch from Spec... I miss it.

 

It all comes down to the driver no matter what brand of heavy duty clutch. Fact is some people just have poor clutch driving skills

Some people can destroy the best clutch in a few weeks or sooner.

I have seen this happen in person to the point I felt sure the clutch disc had the wrong type material installed.

If that was the case it could not have been just one disc.

 

I have been happy with the Exedy clutch I put in 10 years ago. It's survived 50k mi of city driving / stop and go traffic and hard wheeling on oversized tires so far. I even got in a bind on the trail once and heated it to the point it wouldn't grab til it cooled down. That was 5 years ago and it's still going. I have another one on the shelf waiting to go in.

My only complaint is that the throw out bearing squeaks some times but that's not exclusive to Exedy, the marlin clutch kit I replaced did the same