in the housing it would also be possible directly to use a different spring and release lever at this point the pressure plate unit is connected together with a conventional clutch disc 3 which is clamped with its friction linings between a flywheel 4 and the pressing plate 13 to the flywheel 4 and this module is screwed in the fitted state on a carrier plate 5 fastened on a crankshaft 6 of the internal combustion engine the use of a clutch module is advantageous in that it can be preassembled and balanced as a complete unit and then merely has to be screwed on the carrier plate 5 the friction clutch is assembled as follows in the present case the pressure plate unit 2 is preassembled as a sub unit and together with the clutch disc 3 is attached to the flywheel 4 the diaphragm spring 8 is in its relaxed position the clutch housing 10 is introduced by means of an assembly device with its cylindrical end portion 15 into an internal annular face 16 of the flywheel 4 and is loaded against the axially supported flywheel 4 the diaphragm spring 8 is thus brought into its operating position during insertion of the clutch housing 10 into the flywheel 4 the force required for this purpose is measured and as the desired spring tension is known precisely the connection between clutch housing 10 and flywheel 4 can be made by welding the two parts together once this spring tension is attained this method of assembly ensures that independently of tolerances of the individual parts the diaphragm spring 8 is brought into its exactly correct position and the necessary spring force characteristic can be maintained based on.