When I bought my clutch the guy in the local shop pulled the disc out of the box and put a "This side to flywheel" sticker on the disc. If anyone has read my other posts they know my car has been on jack stands for six months, I have put my trans in 4 times now. The car will NOT go into gear. If I start the car in gear with the clutch pushed in, it tries to roll out when I take my foot of the brake. My clutch is not fully disengaging. I have tried 3 master cylinders and 4... yes 4 slave cylinders. I have bled them for hours every way imaginable. Is it possible my disc is in backwards?

The disc is kind of "flat" on one side, and on the other side the spring assembly kind of "protrudes" outward. Should the protruding side face the flywheel or the pressure plate? I have tried to find the answer on here, but people are talking about ls1's in the lt1/lt4 section and vice versa. Please help me... which way should it face?

PS: Car is an original motor/trans 2001 LS1 Z28

 

Anyone know which way the disc goes?

 

Is there no stamping for direction at all on the center section of the disk it's self? I think on a ls car the flat section of the disk is the flywheel side. On a lt car the flat section of the disk is the pressure plate side its almost impossible to put a lt disk in wrong. But to ask you has your flywheel been resurfaced? How many times? Was it done on a brake lathe or a flywheel surfacer? When I here about disengagement issues first thing I think of is improper install or flywheel surface.

 

No there is no stamping on the disc itself that I can see. When I bought the clutch, the guy put a sticker on the disc that said "This side to flywheel". I just wonder if maybe he put it on the wrong side of the disc. As it is right now, the flat side is facing the flywheel, but I saw where someone said the flywheel is cupped to fit the expanded part of the disc.... which would mean the expanded part should face the flywheel. Now I am unsure which way it is supposed to go as I can't remember what the old one looked like coming out. I bought it from TN Clutch, and they resurfaced the flywheel for the first time. I assume it is not a brake lathe since all they do is clutches...

 

I just went and checked my old stock clutch and the instructions from my monster clutch. The flat side faces the flywheel, the sprung hub faces the pressure plate. I sounds like you might need to shim your slave cylinder. This thread will show you how. If you need to shim yours I have a Tick Performance Slave Cylinder Shim 3 Pack kit that I'll sell you for $25 plus shipping, I didn't need any of them for my monster clutch install.

 

Is the flywheel finish nice and smooth like polished marble with swirl marks or are the machine marks circular running from outside edge to middle. Reason I ask is a friend had his turned at orileys they used a brake lathe, did not set it up right and cut the flywheel at a angle besides that the surface finish was crap clutch would not disengage.

 

But if your disk is the right way flat side to flywheel and the flywheel was resurfaced correctly and your clutch will still not disengage the shim kit should take care if the problem.

 

Thanks for the help so far. My slave is shimmed already according to that thread you posted. Just to verify.. I put my slave in without the spring. When I dropped my trans the throw out bearing housing was between 1/16 and 1/8" from the base of the slave housing, exactly where it should be. When I got the flywheel back I didn't inspect it close enough to know for sure, but I would assume that if it was "cut" at an angle it would be out of balance, and there is no engine vibration. I can't guarantee it wasn't cut on a brake lathe, but I know the place does about 30 clutches a day and he said he never has problems from resurfacing flywheels... even on LS1's. It is a new master, new slave (both bled and work fine on the bench), resurfaced stock flywheel, and new disc and PP. The flat side of my disc is facing my flywheel, so I guess it is in right.



I guess my next step is a new clutch or a tick master. Until then I'm the guy crying in the corner while everyone rides around with the t-tops down

 

Is the transmission back in the car?

 

No it is not back in the car... I'm trying to decide if it is more likely to need a whole new clutch package or a tick master. It looks like alot of people have similar problems and solve it with a new tick master but it also looks like a lot of people run aftermarket clutches just fine with stock (but new) master and slaves, which would mean something is wrong with either my flywheel, pressure plate, or possibly disc itself. If I pull the bell housing off I am replacing the whole clutch assembly that way there is no question as to whether or not it is an individual part (i.e. flywheel, or disc, or PP).

 

Im just going to be mad when I spend over 400 on a LS7 clutch package and then have to buy a tick master on top because it didn't fix it. Or buy the tick master first and then have to buy the LS7 clutch... I wish there was a better way to isolate the problem but I guess there just simply isn't. I am on a tight budget and I would love to only buy one or the other... instead of both! But regardless, I want my car off jack stands more than anything!

 

I here you, it is infant frustrating. When I helped my friend with his 05 gto and he put the disk in backward it warped/dished the disk, he was just going to turn it around and reuse it but I put it in a surface plate you could clearly see the dish in it. He also on install did not use a jack and let the tranny hang which I feel screws up more clutch installs than anything. Good luck with it if it was me at this point everything would get inspected and a new disk at least.

 

Thanks for your help Rodinator1234... FWIW I have never let my trans hang from the engine... seems dangerous at best, and I could see how this could bind/warp clutch parts. My question now is... you said if it was you that you would inspect everything and a new disc at least. I have inspected everything... and everything seems to be right. What am I looking for on inspection? A warped disc? I just don't know which way to lean and I am 50/50 on the fence for clutch hardware problems vs hydraulic issues. I want to say that I am 100% sure the hydraulics are functioning properly, but there are countless threads on here where others were as equally confident their hydraulics were up to par and finally the tick master solved the problem... I don't know what to do.

 

OMG... JUST LIKE THIS!!!!
https://ls1tech.com/forums/manual-tr...ge-issues.html

 

So the disk was brand new and never previously installed. When you installed it, it was flat side to flywheel, so it could not have ever been installed backward. Pilot bearing new? Have you had it together with the slave shimmed or is that something you have done this time? What sucks is if you had it shimmed before and everything was correct it's not the answer, but if you shimmed it this time and have not installed it and tried it I would put it back in first and see before I threw more money at it.

 

Correct... brand new disc never installed. When I installed it, it was flat side to flywheel. The Pilot bearing is new, I opted for the bushing style instead of the roller bearing style after reading all of the threads on here. I did test fit it on the input shaft before installing it to make sure it fit right. Upon initial installation I did not shim it, but I have tryed 2 more times with the shim and the shim seems to have had zero effect. So does new slave and master... exact same results EVERY time. Thanks for staying with me though and providing suggestions! So would you lean towards tick or towards clutch?

 

PS. when i say "so does new slave and master... exact same results EVERY time" I am referring to an O'Rielly Slave and O'Rielly Master. It is where I purchased them originally so I just keep warrantying them out!

 

Looks like the tick would be what I would do next. You seem to have covered all the possible issues.

 

I just wonder if it has something to do with the pressure plate and disc not being sold as a kit, or maybe my flywheel being resurfaced... or maybe its the wrong pressure plate all together... I just don't know. I am not going to be able to afford a new clutch kit with flywheel AND the master cylinder... I just don't know what to do.

 

Maybe the PP is bad and just isnt working correctly and lifting off the clutch disc enough.