Clutch issues! HELP!
10-16-2010, 01:19 PM
#1
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Clutch issues! HELP! So after 6 months of owning my car and no major issues, here it comes!
After a couple of WOT runs last night, I noticed that on the way home the shifter felt very notchy. Like everytime I changed and went into gears, the shifter would act like it wants to be kicked out.
Well fast forward to yesterday morning. I get in my car and start it up, and a long squealing noise insues, sort of like a belt scream but it was coming from the transmission. I could not get the car to go into gear without extreme force, any gear would not go in and reverse was especially hard.
Already late to work I made due, and went off in first and it seemed to be okay. As soon as I pushed the clutch in to go to second the car lurched and I can not get it into second gear and it does nothing but grind. Third gear seems to go in normal.
After work on the way home the car was even more hard to get into any gear. After I finally get it in first, I'm cruising very slowy down the street and I hear this loud grinding noise coming from the transmission so I push in the clutch and it goes away. After I get moving about 45 or so, 4th gear and 3rd gear act like normal.
I think these are issues of a blown clutch? I'm lost and pretty devasted about my baby breaking down but any input on what to due and where to start troubleshooting would be greatly appreciated.
After a couple of WOT runs last night, I noticed that on the way home the shifter felt very notchy. Like everytime I changed and went into gears, the shifter would act like it wants to be kicked out.
Well fast forward to yesterday morning. I get in my car and start it up, and a long squealing noise insues, sort of like a belt scream but it was coming from the transmission. I could not get the car to go into gear without extreme force, any gear would not go in and reverse was especially hard.
Already late to work I made due, and went off in first and it seemed to be okay. As soon as I pushed the clutch in to go to second the car lurched and I can not get it into second gear and it does nothing but grind. Third gear seems to go in normal.
After work on the way home the car was even more hard to get into any gear. After I finally get it in first, I'm cruising very slowy down the street and I hear this loud grinding noise coming from the transmission so I push in the clutch and it goes away. After I get moving about 45 or so, 4th gear and 3rd gear act like normal.
I think these are issues of a blown clutch? I'm lost and pretty devasted about my baby breaking down but any input on what to due and where to start troubleshooting would be greatly appreciated.
10-17-2010, 09:08 PM
#5
If that was happening to my car I'd first check the fluid level in the master cylinder resavior to make sure it has fluid. If it's empty or very low fill it to the correct level and see if that helps. If the fluid is normal I'd bleed my clutch fluid really good and see if that helps. If it didn't I'd go to LS1howto.com and use the write up to drop my transmission and check out the clutch. If the clutch seems fine I'd think it was the tranny and send it to Tick Performance for a stage 2 rebuild (believe it's 1100 or 1200 dollars including shipping.) If you don't know how to tell if the clutch is ok or not take pictures and post them in a new thread so someone can tell you. Good luck.
Edit* If the clutch is bad my suggestion to you with your mods is upgrading to a LS7 clutch from Tick. Complete kit with flywheel is $499 I think with free shipping. Then buy a new slave from autozone or whatever for $70.
Edit* If the clutch is bad my suggestion to you with your mods is upgrading to a LS7 clutch from Tick. Complete kit with flywheel is $499 I think with free shipping. Then buy a new slave from autozone or whatever for $70.
10-18-2010, 08:08 AM
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It wasn't so much grinding noises. It was a metal on metal hollow ding. Not a normal grinding noise. But it does grind little bit when I put it into certain gears.
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10-18-2010, 10:09 AM
#8
Check the fluid first. Is the level low? If so you may have a leak and should check the firewall (inside and out near the Master cylinder) and under the car for evidence of a leak.
Is the fluid dark or discolored? If so flush and refill it and use a mighty-vac to assist with bleeding. Bleed from the reservoir as well as from the bleeder valve located off the slave cylinder.
If all of the above is fine then it is time to start looking at the clutch assembly and transmisison which means you have to tear the car down for inspection of the parts. Let me know what you find after examining the above to suggestions and I will be happy to assist you further. Thanks!
Is the fluid dark or discolored? If so flush and refill it and use a mighty-vac to assist with bleeding. Bleed from the reservoir as well as from the bleeder valve located off the slave cylinder.
If all of the above is fine then it is time to start looking at the clutch assembly and transmisison which means you have to tear the car down for inspection of the parts. Let me know what you find after examining the above to suggestions and I will be happy to assist you further. Thanks!
10-18-2010, 01:08 PM
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Check the fluid first. Is the level low? If so you may have a leak and should check the firewall (inside and out near the Master cylinder) and under the car for evidence of a leak.
Is the fluid dark or discolored? If so flush and refill it and use a mighty-vac to assist with bleeding. Bleed from the reservoir as well as from the bleeder valve located off the slave cylinder.
If all of the above is fine then it is time to start looking at the clutch assembly and transmisison which means you have to tear the car down for inspection of the parts. Let me know what you find after examining the above to suggestions and I will be happy to assist you further. Thanks!
Is the fluid dark or discolored? If so flush and refill it and use a mighty-vac to assist with bleeding. Bleed from the reservoir as well as from the bleeder valve located off the slave cylinder.
If all of the above is fine then it is time to start looking at the clutch assembly and transmisison which means you have to tear the car down for inspection of the parts. Let me know what you find after examining the above to suggestions and I will be happy to assist you further. Thanks!
Checked the fluid, it was full but blacker than Satan's heart. I have never actually bled the clutch before but I understand how to, with both the mighty vac and the bleeder screw.
Is there any thread or anything with detailed pics so I can find the bleeder screw exactly? I know it is on top of the bellhousing but I don't want to just go tearing into something that I don't know.
Also is there any way to fully drain the system? Like a drain plug, then just add new fluid and repeat till the entire system is flushed. Instead of having to bleed from the bleeder screw.
10-18-2010, 01:15 PM
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Also I took the car for a drive. Everything was completely normal, went into gears fine and all... For about 5 minutes. There was ABSOLUTELY no gear grinding this time. Instead it was more like a whirring noise, like two pieces of dense metal rubbing against each other. This would never happen in first, but second and third would and I did not go any higher. Even when I pushed in the clutch and came to a stop, the car would continue to whir and rattle the shifter insanely until I let the clutch out.
Another thing I have noticed recently and that has gotten progressively worse, is a popping noise that I hear when I release the clutch. It only happens after I put the car in gear, sitting still, take the car out of gear, the let the clutch out and I hear a loud pop and the clutch pedal will shudder a bit.
This even happens when the car is off. I can push the clutch in, put it in first gear, take the car out of gear, let the clutch out and then pop and a shudder happens in the pedal. Happens EVERY single time.
Any ideas?
Another thing I have noticed recently and that has gotten progressively worse, is a popping noise that I hear when I release the clutch. It only happens after I put the car in gear, sitting still, take the car out of gear, the let the clutch out and I hear a loud pop and the clutch pedal will shudder a bit.
This even happens when the car is off. I can push the clutch in, put it in first gear, take the car out of gear, let the clutch out and then pop and a shudder happens in the pedal. Happens EVERY single time.
Any ideas?
10-18-2010, 02:08 PM
#12
The way I bleed it is take the cap off the master cylinder resavior and pump the clutch pedal a few times and hold it to the floor, crack the bleeder for a couple seconds, then close the bleeder and pull the clutch pedal off the floor. I think you can do it about 3 maybe 4 times before the fluid gets to low in the resavior, don't let it go empty or your screwed! It will suck in a bunch of air. Next, fill the fluid resavior back up. (I usually fill it up to almost the very top because it's going to go almost all the way empty anyway. No need to keep filling it to the fill line at that point.) Then pump clutch pedal a couple times, hold to floor, crack bleeder, tighten bleeder, pull pedal off floor...ect...
I usually end up filling the fluid resavior about 3-5 times or until the clutch pedal feels nice and stiff again. After I'm done with that I take a mityvac and stick it into the fluid resavior hole and put it up to I think 12-15 pressure or something on the gauge and let it sit there a couple min. and wait to see if bubbles start coming up the line. I'll even pump the clutch pedal a few times to see if it frees up any bubbles. If there are bubble or not I overfill the resavior just a bit with the mityvac still holding fluid in its line and quickly pull it out of the hole in the bottom of the resavior all the way out of the fluid. Then the vacuum it has created in the system will suck down fresh fluid from the resavior.
If you do all that and your still having trouble it's time to drop the tranny and check out the clutch assembly.
I usually end up filling the fluid resavior about 3-5 times or until the clutch pedal feels nice and stiff again. After I'm done with that I take a mityvac and stick it into the fluid resavior hole and put it up to I think 12-15 pressure or something on the gauge and let it sit there a couple min. and wait to see if bubbles start coming up the line. I'll even pump the clutch pedal a few times to see if it frees up any bubbles. If there are bubble or not I overfill the resavior just a bit with the mityvac still holding fluid in its line and quickly pull it out of the hole in the bottom of the resavior all the way out of the fluid. Then the vacuum it has created in the system will suck down fresh fluid from the resavior.
If you do all that and your still having trouble it's time to drop the tranny and check out the clutch assembly.
10-18-2010, 02:37 PM
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Got any pictures of the actual bleeder screw? I know its on top of the bellhousing, but I don't want to crack or unscrew anything that im not positive on what it is.
10-18-2010, 03:07 PM
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Much appreciated, you've helped alot.
But I dont think dirty fluid would be enough to really mess stuff up inside of the tranny? Especially the popping when I let off the clutch?
I have no idea.
But I dont think dirty fluid would be enough to really mess stuff up inside of the tranny? Especially the popping when I let off the clutch?
I have no idea.
10-18-2010, 04:46 PM
#16
It's not the dirty fluid, it could be air in the lines that is causing the clutch to be engaged and disengaged incorrectly causing the grinding when trying to go into a gear. Again, most likely it is an issue with the tranny or clutch assembly. But in the off chance it is the hydraulics, it is worth it to spend 15 minutes bleeding the hydraulics vs. spending 2 days dropping your transmission.
