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Clutch problem, what the hell.???

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Old Aug 25, 2009 | 06:00 PM
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Default Clutch problem, what the hell.???

Im working on a 2001 WS6 Trans Am with 29K miles on it, I just installed a new Monster Clutch, and new Slave. Im very mechanicaly inclined but Ill admit Ive never done a clutch. The problem Im having is when I first installed the clutch, I couldnt get the car into reverse at all. With the car off I could muscle it into reverse, but it sure didnt just fall into gear. I bled the clutch, and nothing. The issue persisted. I had a tranny shop bleed it and then I could get into reverse. It wasnt 100%, but it was 100 times better then it was. I drove the care for a week, and the issue came back. It was VERY difficult to get the car into reverse. I had it bled again, and then it was good again, but within a couple of hours It was bad. I was told to replace the master, but thats $350.00 That I just dont have. And Im concerned that if I did replace the master and it didnt fix my problem then Im just chasing parts. Any ideas guys.
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Old Aug 25, 2009 | 07:12 PM
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What are the odds that the new slave is bad, or that the master just isnt good enough. It worked fine with my old performance clutch.
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Old Aug 25, 2009 | 07:48 PM
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Here is the big question...is reverse the ONLY gear thats hard to get into?? Meaning do all the other gears engage fine, with little effort and without resistance??

If you put it in neutral and release the clutch, and then try and engage reverse, is it still hard to get into??

If all the other gears engage fine, it sounds like you may have a bad reverse lockout solenoid.
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Old Aug 25, 2009 | 09:09 PM
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exact same problem i just put my tick m/c in.monster should make it very clear that you will probley need the tick unit because i was upset when i didnt have a ride for over a week and 340 dollars poorer now.
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Old Aug 26, 2009 | 03:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Wesmanw02
Here is the big question...is reverse the ONLY gear thats hard to get into?? Meaning do all the other gears engage fine, with little effort and without resistance??

If you put it in neutral and release the clutch, and then try and engage reverse, is it still hard to get into??

If all the other gears engage fine, it sounds like you may have a bad reverse lockout solenoid.

Well, its crazy, because I'll get the clutch bled and reverse works a little better, then I drive for a few days and reverse is hard to get into again. I do notice the fluid level drop a very little. But no fluid is seen on the ground. Monsterr clutch reccomends me getting a new master cylinder from Tick. Im just wondering why my stock m/c worked fine with my last performance clutch.
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Old Aug 26, 2009 | 04:38 PM
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Well, while the Tick MC is a superior product over the stock MC, I just do not feel it is necessary in this case. If you are only having problems with reverse, than really the only thing it can be is the lockout solenoid. Have you checked all teh wires and connections?

Also, try this:

Put it in first or second, roll forward a few inches/foot and while it is still rolling forward ever so slowly, clutch it and put it in reverse.

On my old Mustang T5 I use to have, and my NV5600 in my Cummins 1 ton I drive now, I have to do that (if not, it either grinds or is real hard to get into reverse)


It CAN be other things, but when you isolate one gear like that, it is NORMALLY NOT clutch or hydraulic related.
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Old Aug 26, 2009 | 05:05 PM
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Well, I do have issues getting into 1st, It does go, but it takes a bit of effort, unles Im rolling, and how do I explain this, it hits or hesitates then goes into gear. And it wont let me speedshift. The master sounds logical to me, I just dont wanna chase parts. You know.
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Old Aug 30, 2009 | 08:18 AM
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Im right there and so close to just buying a Tick MC, but I hate chasing parts, and just wish there was some way of making sure that a new master would fix my issue.
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Old Aug 30, 2009 | 08:46 AM
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IMO the $$ is worth the tick either way. The clutch could be dragging as well. If u say it's hard to go into 1st as well, and won't go into reverse really at all. Which Monster did u get? Even if the tick dosen't solve the problem it will def. be worth the $$, especially when pwr shifts come into Q; it MOVES some damn fluid.
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Old Aug 30, 2009 | 09:15 AM
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Hey man, I had the same issues after I installed a Textralia clutch in my car. Two issues I had, one, the slave cylinder I bought with the kit was OEM and cracked from the factory. Second, after I replaced the slave with a beefier unit, the O ring on the slave had gotten pinched and was letting fluid escape and air into the hydraulics. Here's what I did...

Drop the tranny (i could HEAR you cringing!) and remove the slave. Check all of your connections and make sure the little O ring inside the slave-to-master line is installed correctly. Then hook the slave back into the master, bleed the system and install the tranny with the slave still hooked up. It takes a little bit of juggling, but with a buddy you can do it. That fixed my issues. Hope it helps.

Nick
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Old Aug 30, 2009 | 09:18 AM
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Oh yeah, and while you are at it, if you haven't done the drill mod, do that. And I never saw hydro fluid while I was troubleshooting my issue. I did the same thing you are doing. I replaced the Master, the slave, and bled my system about 600 times...not kidding either, I used about 3 gallons of hydro fluid because everyone I talked to said it was a hydro issue...Good luck man!
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Old Aug 30, 2009 | 09:38 AM
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IDK if its ur slave or master I had a similar prob & I blead the **** out of mine down @ the trans & it did the same. so I went to napa & got a MIGHTY VAC & what do know stuck it in the resivore & pulled out a huge air bubble out of the line & haven't had a problem since. these cars are very hard 2 get all of the air out unless u use a MIGHTY VAC or a REMOTE BLEEDER. this is a little cheaper & less painful than pulling the trans again. hit me up & let me know if it works
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Old Aug 30, 2009 | 06:11 PM
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Originally Posted by nickspeece
Hey man, I had the same issues after I installed a Textralia clutch in my car. Two issues I had, one, the slave cylinder I bought with the kit was OEM and cracked from the factory. Second, after I replaced the slave with a beefier unit, the O ring on the slave had gotten pinched and was letting fluid escape and air into the hydraulics. Here's what I did...

Drop the tranny (i could HEAR you cringing!) and remove the slave. Check all of your connections and make sure the little O ring inside the slave-to-master line is installed correctly. Then hook the slave back into the master, bleed the system and install the tranny with the slave still hooked up. It takes a little bit of juggling, but with a buddy you can do it. That fixed my issues. Hope it helps.

Nick


Man, you said it... CRINGING as I type. I love woring on my rides, but theres some jobs that make me cring. Ive heard nothing but great things about Monster and so far there customer service is bar none the best Ive dealt with. I keep thinking it might be an issue with the slave. Im just not sure as to how to check. I was told that if the slave was bad, the pedal would either be way to mushy or to damn hard. And my pedal feels fine. My question on the Mighty Vac, is, whats keeping the vac from sucking the system dry, its a vaccum, it sucks, I dont get the concept of how it gets air and not all of your fluid out..
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Old Aug 31, 2009 | 12:12 AM
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the vac comes with these pointy rubber things that stick into one end of the vac. then u stick that end into the the resivore where the hydo line meet the rez. then hold the hose while u pump the vac 5-7 times & u should see the bubbles come up the hose. then u can release the pressure on the vac. go pump ur pedal & do it all over again mayb 2-3 times should do it
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Old Aug 31, 2009 | 01:26 AM
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I am having the exact same problems with my new stage 3 monster, i bought a mighty vac, bled and bled. didnt fix it so i replaced the slave. It was better but not perfect. the day i replaced the slave i took it to the track after some tuning on it. on my third pass i went to nail 4th and the clutch stuck to the floor and almost made me put it in second. the pedal felt a tad softer after the run but it was engaging fine so i went to run it again. i just rolled into the throttle off the line and it seemed the clutch started slipping and it kicked the car out of gear. well today i pulled the tranny and clutch out, clutch looks fine and so does the fly wheel, wtf is the deal. why will it slip under power? but its not normal slip cause its not wearing down the clutch or hot spottibg the flywheel, someone please help.
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Old Aug 31, 2009 | 01:42 AM
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Originally Posted by nickspeece
Hey man, I had the same issues after I installed a Textralia clutch in my car. Two issues I had, one, the slave cylinder I bought with the kit was OEM and cracked from the factory. Second, after I replaced the slave with a beefier unit, the O ring on the slave had gotten pinched and was letting fluid escape and air into the hydraulics. Here's what I did...

Drop the tranny (i could HEAR you cringing!) and remove the slave. Check all of your connections and make sure the little O ring inside the slave-to-master line is installed correctly. Then hook the slave back into the master, bleed the system and install the tranny with the slave still hooked up. It takes a little bit of juggling, but with a buddy you can do it. That fixed my issues. Hope it helps.

Nick


What was cracked on your slave. When I was going to hook the hydrolic line to the slave, I remember how hard it was to get it connected. Im wondering if I didnt hurt, bend or break something in the connection. Id imagine had I broken it, then Id have a leak at the connection. Right.??
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Old Aug 31, 2009 | 05:56 AM
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I will say that when I adjust mast pedal down (Tick master) and you go far enough to cause the clutch to not disengage full, making it hard to go into gear, reverse is the first one that it's hard to get it into and you have to adjust it lower for it to hapen to the forward gears. Reverse being the only gear doesn't necessarily make me think it's a trans specific problem.

Originally Posted by nickspeece
Second, after I replaced the slave with a beefier unit, the O ring on the slave had gotten pinched and was letting fluid escape and air into the hydraulics.
I wonder if I'm having a similar problem. When I bleed mine with the mighty vac, it seems to get air bubbles continuously without letting up. Seems that most people stop getting air after a while. Could that cause a sticking pedal on hard upshifts?
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Old Aug 31, 2009 | 08:09 AM
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Originally Posted by ScreaminRedZ

I When I bleed mine with the mighty vac, it seems to get air bubbles continuously without letting up. ?

If you continue to get air, you are not getting it all out, and your setup will not be right.
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Old Aug 31, 2009 | 08:28 AM
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the line should be extreamly hard if not imposible 2 get on the slave if u don't crack the bleeder screw so maybe u damaged the o-ring or something. pull the line & check
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Old Aug 31, 2009 | 09:07 AM
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Originally Posted by Gen414
If you continue to get air, you are not getting it all out, and your setup will not be right.
Yeah, but if he continues to get air, then there IS a problem, the system should only have so much air, any more then its coming from a leak somwhere and just sucking in air.
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