Please help. Clutch not fully engaging
01-10-2009, 11:16 PM
#1
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Please help. Clutch not fully engaging Ok so a while back (Sept 08) I replace my clutch with a South Bend unit. It was a full faced clutch and new pressure plate. When i installed it, the Clutch fork was hitting the pressure plate and caused it to grind the outer edge of the PP when starting the car or when the clutch pedal was fully depressed.
To solve that problem, I ground down a little on the clutch fork and just a little on the "t" bolt that holds the clutch fork onto the transmission.
Problem Solved.
Well after break-in and after driving it on the street for a while, the clutch felt fantastic. Engaged great and felt like a stock clutch. So I tried some WOT runs in mulitple gears and even in an OD gear to check for slippage. NONE. So the car ran fine.
I take the car to the track with some drag radials and everything seemed okay. I did a nice little burnout, heated up the tires and everything was great. On the first run down the track. I thought I was either breaking the tires loose on shifts or the clutch was shipping.
Well on the way home I put it in 6th and gave it the wood. No slippage. But, when I put it to the floor AND THEN hit the clutch pedal and released it really fast, the clutch will not fully disengage and the RPMS rev high and take forever to come back down. Almost like the clutch is slipping.
Well I took out the master cylinder and replaced it with a McLeod adjustable unit. I just finished it up today and the clutch pedal feels A LOT stiffer. It engages kinda high but I just figured I could adjust it later.
Tonight I take it out and test the line lock. It worked great and I left a good 1/4 mile of black marks and everything was fine.
On my way back into town I tried to go WOT and shift into 3rd and it seemed like the tires broke lose. Well I put it in 5th and do the same thing (wot, drop the clutch) and the ******* thing does it again. Just revs to redline and does not grab. I can actually hear the clutch slipping.
So what should I do? Send the clutch back and tell them there is something wrong with it? Try to re-bleed the master? And how exactly should I bleed the master? I tried doing the Mighty Vac way and got no bubbles.
Basically, what the **** should I do? I'm not too happy right now.
To solve that problem, I ground down a little on the clutch fork and just a little on the "t" bolt that holds the clutch fork onto the transmission.
Problem Solved.
Well after break-in and after driving it on the street for a while, the clutch felt fantastic. Engaged great and felt like a stock clutch. So I tried some WOT runs in mulitple gears and even in an OD gear to check for slippage. NONE. So the car ran fine.
I take the car to the track with some drag radials and everything seemed okay. I did a nice little burnout, heated up the tires and everything was great. On the first run down the track. I thought I was either breaking the tires loose on shifts or the clutch was shipping.
Well on the way home I put it in 6th and gave it the wood. No slippage. But, when I put it to the floor AND THEN hit the clutch pedal and released it really fast, the clutch will not fully disengage and the RPMS rev high and take forever to come back down. Almost like the clutch is slipping.
Well I took out the master cylinder and replaced it with a McLeod adjustable unit. I just finished it up today and the clutch pedal feels A LOT stiffer. It engages kinda high but I just figured I could adjust it later.
Tonight I take it out and test the line lock. It worked great and I left a good 1/4 mile of black marks and everything was fine.
On my way back into town I tried to go WOT and shift into 3rd and it seemed like the tires broke lose. Well I put it in 5th and do the same thing (wot, drop the clutch) and the ******* thing does it again. Just revs to redline and does not grab. I can actually hear the clutch slipping.
So what should I do? Send the clutch back and tell them there is something wrong with it? Try to re-bleed the master? And how exactly should I bleed the master? I tried doing the Mighty Vac way and got no bubbles.
Basically, what the **** should I do? I'm not too happy right now.
01-11-2009, 05:03 PM
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Almost sounds like your powering thru that clutch.
A misadjusted master will not help though either.
So basically if you drive it normal no problem. But when pushed it slips & hangs up then? Sure that fork is not tweeking from beeing ground on?
Not liking the fact you had to gring the fork to make it fit. It sounds like it could be the wrong pressure plate?????
A misadjusted master will not help though either.
So basically if you drive it normal no problem. But when pushed it slips & hangs up then? Sure that fork is not tweeking from beeing ground on?
Not liking the fact you had to gring the fork to make it fit. It sounds like it could be the wrong pressure plate?????
01-11-2009, 06:11 PM
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Almost sounds like your powering thru that clutch.
A misadjusted master will not help though either.
So basically if you drive it normal no problem. But when pushed it slips & hangs up then? Sure that fork is not tweeking from beeing ground on?
Not liking the fact you had to gring the fork to make it fit. It sounds like it could be the wrong pressure plate?????
A misadjusted master will not help though either.
So basically if you drive it normal no problem. But when pushed it slips & hangs up then? Sure that fork is not tweeking from beeing ground on?
Not liking the fact you had to gring the fork to make it fit. It sounds like it could be the wrong pressure plate?????
01-11-2009, 07:58 PM
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Could the flywheel need to be shimmed? I had it turned when I put this clutch in and the car had a Spec 2 in it, so I know it was turned at least once but I don't know how much was taken off.
Could that be the problem?
Could that be the problem?
01-12-2009, 12:41 AM
#6
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I am confused as to what you mean though by a fork, it should have a concentric slave if it is an LSx motor.
There is a sticky thread at the top of the forum explaining the procedure to determine if you need a shim. But I am gonna bet it's not your problem.
There is a sticky thread at the top of the forum explaining the procedure to determine if you need a shim. But I am gonna bet it's not your problem.
01-12-2009, 08:58 AM
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Well the car is an LT1. I just got off the phone with South Bend and they said that the clutch is made to have some slip to it. He said it sounds like I may just need to break it in a little more or that it could be that I am getting crank walk and that is causing it to not fully engage.
He told me to just drive it some more and then let them know what it does. Not exactly what I wanted to hear but I haven't talked to these guys in months and he still remembered me and told me if I still have problems after putting some miles on it they will switch out the clutch and try something different.
He told me to just drive it some more and then let them know what it does. Not exactly what I wanted to hear but I haven't talked to these guys in months and he still remembered me and told me if I still have problems after putting some miles on it they will switch out the clutch and try something different.
