clutch exploded!
clutch exploded! (pic) update What the title says. It was my friends car, not mine and he wasnt hurt thank god. But it was a 2000 SS making 398rwhp and had a spec stage 3. It was not slipping nor has it been. It happened on a top end run in the top of fourth gear on the south side of Houston. There is no bellhousing left at all, we picked up more than you can carry off the interstate, which included pieces of the pressure plate and bellhousing and a few bellhousing bolts out of the block. Intestingly enough the disk is intact, and so is the flywheel, the pressure plate just grenanded at 7k rpm. There are aluminum pieces that shot inside the car as well.... Very lucky. :O
Anyone else done this to a spec 3I?
Here is a pic with my cellphone under the car before the tranny was removed. The transmission was just held on by the crossmember, one it was unbolted it fell right out.
Damage so far.
-both o2's
-Cut One Lt Header in half (passenger)
-dented in the frame rail pretty good
-blocks cracked around a few bellhousing bolt holes
-piece severed the wiring loom in half
-a piece ripped thru the heater box up into the dash
-oil pan's cracked
-huge gash in floor pan
-input shaft appears bent but we have not checked the run-out on it yet
-flywheel
-clutch
-bellhousing
-slave/To assembly
-starter assembly shattered as well
most of the damage is on the passenger side of the car.
Anyone else done this to a spec 3I?
Here is a pic with my cellphone under the car before the tranny was removed. The transmission was just held on by the crossmember, one it was unbolted it fell right out.
Damage so far.
-both o2's
-Cut One Lt Header in half (passenger)
-dented in the frame rail pretty good
-blocks cracked around a few bellhousing bolt holes
-piece severed the wiring loom in half
-a piece ripped thru the heater box up into the dash
-oil pan's cracked
-huge gash in floor pan
-input shaft appears bent but we have not checked the run-out on it yet
-flywheel
-clutch
-bellhousing
-slave/To assembly
-starter assembly shattered as well
most of the damage is on the passenger side of the car.
Last edited by turbodiesel; Apr 29, 2005 at 01:34 AM. Reason: pics
TECH Veteran
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,954
Likes: 1
From: Kent WA
Originally Posted by Fireball
THIS IS WHY PEOPLE SHOULD INVEST IN SFI BELLHOUSINGS
Glad to hear nobody got hurt
Glad to hear nobody got hurt
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 8,484
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From: Cecil County Raceway!!!
Originally Posted by Tranzor_Z28
No kidding... the McLeod Bellhousing is right up there as one of the next things I'm investing in. When a clutch comes apart at high rpms, it's like a grenade going off right under your feet.
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Teching In
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Santa Clara, CA
Something must seriously be wrong with these clutches if this keeps happening. Tell your buddy he's not alone, I have included pictures of what happend to me after my SPEC 3 exploded. I was pushing a little bit more power though (575rwhp/630rwtq). You figure since the clutch was rated at 700tq this wouldn't happen... WRONG! After speaking with a tech over at spec, I was told that THERE CLUTCHES ARE RATED AT THE MOTOR!!!!! Strange, there website never specifically states where they are rated.
I did all the same damage as your buddy to include cracking my block along one of the ears where the bellhousing connects and shattering each of my headers in two. I also had nearly half of my pressure plate embedded into my floor pan. All in all, nearly $7000 in damage.
Spec was good about taking care of me when it came to the clutch, but since I was pushing the limits on it I have to take on some of the fault. Your buddy should have no problem asking them to pay for at least a portion if not all of the damage, being that he had tq within the advertised range. They ended up sending me a brand new SC095 Spec 5 clutch and billet flywheel for free!
Feel fee to PM me if you have any questions about what happend.
Good luck,
John
WRONG! After speaking with a tech over at spec, I was told that THERE CLUTCHES ARE RATED AT THE MOTOR!!!!! Strange, there website never specifically states where they are rated. I did all the same damage as your buddy to include cracking my block along one of the ears where the bellhousing connects and shattering each of my headers in two. I also had nearly half of my pressure plate embedded into my floor pan. All in all, nearly $7000 in damage.
Spec was good about taking care of me when it came to the clutch, but since I was pushing the limits on it I have to take on some of the fault. Your buddy should have no problem asking them to pay for at least a portion if not all of the damage, being that he had tq within the advertised range. They ended up sending me a brand new SC095 Spec 5 clutch and billet flywheel for free!
Feel fee to PM me if you have any questions about what happend.
Good luck,
John
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: NW Houston, Tx
new damage report i'll post more detailed pics of it after we get them downloaded but it's bad.
- only 1 o2 sensor
-1 bellhousing bolt broke off in block
- the bolt hole ear on the oil pan is broke off
-everything else turbodiesel said
-and more probibly... i havent taken the dash out yet(i"m dreading that)
and just for the record i was only spinning it 5500-6k at the time the bomb went off ....lol
- only 1 o2 sensor
-1 bellhousing bolt broke off in block
- the bolt hole ear on the oil pan is broke off
-everything else turbodiesel said
-and more probibly... i havent taken the dash out yet(i"m dreading that)
and just for the record i was only spinning it 5500-6k at the time the bomb went off ....lol
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Seatlle, WA
ok now im scared. I just got my car back today with a recent spec 3 install with aluminum flywheel ect. My trany was just built up with a bunch of goodies too. Should i worry about mine? My car is stock besides catback so as far as power its no where near the limit of the spec 3.
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: NW Houston, Tx
at least get a blowproof bellhousing just in case... i also had a spec aluminum fly wheel and i think that it may have had something to do with the problem. it looks like the pp to flywhl bolts got loose due to stress on them and it all went down hill from there (the bolts go into alu. not steel what a bad idea huh) i was stressing it a little more than u will be (400HP 390tq at tires,suspention,gears,ect..)but still well within the limits of what the clutch is rated to. all i can say is i hope u have better luck than i did man
Last edited by SilverFox_SS; May 2, 2005 at 06:45 PM.
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Seatlle, WA
My mechanic did tell me to come back after a week so he could check to see if the bolts on the bellhousing are still tight and also to do a quick inspection.
On a side not this breakin period sucks! My car keeps agin me on to drive her hard but have to take it easy for a good 500miles :-(
On a side not this breakin period sucks! My car keeps agin me on to drive her hard but have to take it easy for a good 500miles :-(
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 8,484
Likes: 0
From: Cecil County Raceway!!!
Originally Posted by SilverFox_SS
by the way a S.F.I bellhousing will be installed upon rebuild. any sugestions on what one to go with would be helpfull
I have it in mine...can't find the thread...search is not working
here are some pics though
http://home.comcast.net/~bkrzewinski/bh_compare.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~bkrzewinski/sfi.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~bkrzewinski/plate.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~bkrzewinski/installed.jpg
the back of the oil pan and some other areas have to be ground down some since SFI requires the steel plate between the bellhousing and the block (which would protect the block if the clutch explodes). Can't blame Mcleod on this since the LS1 is a messed up design that has areas of the block protuding past the mounting flange. Also with the bellhousing you don't get direct access to the slave bleeding screw so you have to either get the bleeder relocation kit they sell or hope you have it bled when you get it back together (thats what I did)
Bellhousing is 30 lbs heavier than stock
Damn that makes me scared, I would be flaming and under the circumstances I would demand Spec compensate me. This car is making nowhere near the power to cause that kind of failure!!!!!
TECH Veteran
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,954
Likes: 1
From: Kent WA
It can happen to just about any clutch though... lots of traction + high RPMs, and you can lose a clutch no matter what its rated at.
That's why NHRA rules say an SFI bellhousing is necessary for 11.99 and quicker... but they don't check for one because it isn't something that they can do easily.
That's why NHRA rules say an SFI bellhousing is necessary for 11.99 and quicker... but they don't check for one because it isn't something that they can do easily.
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 8,484
Likes: 0
From: Cecil County Raceway!!!
here was my original SFI bellhousing install thread 
https://ls1tech.com/forums/manual-transmission/258875-mcleod-sfi-bellhousing-installed-pics-info-within.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/manual-transmission/258875-mcleod-sfi-bellhousing-installed-pics-info-within.html