Complete clutch job for the NV3500 behind the 4.3L V6 in S10, Blazer, Jimmy and Sonoma: pressure plate, disc, pilot bearing and slave cylinder.
A Chevy S10, Blazer, GMC Sonoma or Jimmy with the 4.3L V6 and the NV3500 five-speed eventually wears out its clutch, and the job is big enough that you only want to do it once. This kit packs the whole clutch side of the job in one box: an 11.02 inch 10-spline disc, a pressure plate measuring 13.58 inches across the cover, a pilot bearing, a concentric slave cylinder and a plastic alignment tool. It supersedes reference numbers 04-153, L04153, 04153NB and 04153ST1, and suits the truck that slips on hills, smells hot after towing a light trailer, or has a pedal that sinks.
The NV3500 is a five-speed manual that GM bolted behind the 4.3L Vortec in its compact trucks. The pressure plate clamps the disc against the flywheel so engine torque reaches the 1.14 inch input shaft through the disc's 10-spline hub, and four damper springs in that hub soak up driveline shock. On these trucks the clutch is released hydraulically. GM's owner's manuals describe the hydraulic clutch linkage as self-adjusting, so there is no pedal free-play to set: as the disc wears, the slave simply sits further back. The slave here is a concentric unit that rides on the transmission's input shaft snout inside the bellhousing, which is why it belongs in the same job as the disc.
For slip, pick a quiet road, settle into fourth at low rpm and roll into full throttle. If the tachometer rises faster than road speed, the disc is slipping. For a hydraulic fault, check the clutch master reservoir. GM's manual for these trucks is blunt: a fluid loss in the hydraulic clutch system could indicate a problem, and adding fluid will not correct a leak. Low fluid with no visible external leak usually means the concentric slave is leaking inside the bellhousing, and that alone justifies pulling the transmission and doing the full kit. Our guide to manual and automatic repair costs explains why the labor on a clutch job outweighs the parts.
Listed applications, all with the 4.3L V6 and manual transmission: Chevrolet Blazer 1996-2005, S10 1996-2004, C1500 and K1500 1996-1998, P30 1996-1999; GMC Jimmy 1996-2005, Sonoma 1996-2004, C1500 and K1500 1996-1998, P3500 1996-1999; and the Isuzu Hombre 1997-2000. Before ordering, measure the old disc and count its splines; it should be 11.02 inches with 10 splines. The 2.2L four-cylinder trucks run a smaller clutch and a different gearbox, and need the S10 2.2L clutch kit with slave cylinder instead. If anything does not match, send us the year and VIN and we will check it.
| Reference Numbers | |
| Pressure Plate Diameter | |
| Clutch Disc Diameter | |
| Disc Spline Count | |
| Input Shaft Diameter | |
| Damper Springs | |
| Kit Contents | |
| Engine | |
| Fitment |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
No. This kit is for the 4.3L V6 trucks with the NV3500. The 2.2L uses a smaller clutch and a different transmission, so order the S10 2.2L clutch kit instead.
On these trucks the slave is a concentric unit inside the bellhousing, only reachable with the transmission out. A high-mileage slave that starts leaking later means pulling the transmission a second time.
GM specifies its hydraulic clutch fluid or an equivalent DOT 3 brake fluid for the S10 and Blazer hydraulic clutch system.
No. GM describes the hydraulic clutch linkage on these trucks as self-adjusting. Once the system is bled, the pedal sets itself as the disc wears.
The kit disc is 11.02 inches across with 10 splines for the 1.14 inch NV3500 input shaft, and the pressure plate measures 13.58 inches across the cover. Compare those numbers with the parts you remove.
