Misaligned pilot shaft?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 122
Likes: 0
From: New Haven MI
Misaligned pilot shaft? Just turned a tick over 800 miles on the new Spec II clutch, grabs like crazy, no chatter, good pedal feel and pressure. However, shifting now has begun to worry me. Every gear is binding when trying to engage it; reverse from a standstill is hard as hell to get into! Also, I got some "clutch creep" when engaging any gear from standstill; I get full clutch release, but just before the lever engages the gear, the car will "creep" ever so slightly. That condition made me think I didn't have the clutch bled, but 20 mins with the Mityvac convinced me otherwise.
Could I somehow have misaligned the pilot shaft into the pilot bearing? Could it be binding on the bearing? Mind you, I didn't have a pilot bearing when I took the old clutch out. I did have the clutch plate slightly misaligned when I bolted up the tranny, but I knew it would straighten out once I got the shaft lined up right, and it did.
Any help/suggestions/guesses would be appreciated, I don't want to keep benching my tranny off my chest, it tends to get heavy!
Could I somehow have misaligned the pilot shaft into the pilot bearing? Could it be binding on the bearing? Mind you, I didn't have a pilot bearing when I took the old clutch out. I did have the clutch plate slightly misaligned when I bolted up the tranny, but I knew it would straighten out once I got the shaft lined up right, and it did.
Any help/suggestions/guesses would be appreciated, I don't want to keep benching my tranny off my chest, it tends to get heavy!
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,586
Likes: 0
From: Columbus, OH
To me it sounds like the clutch isn't releasing fully. That creep is coming from trying to force the syncros together and they're pushing the car along. I'm not an expert on the subject, but that's my take. I'm not sure if any shims are required or if your hydraulics are screwed up, maybe someone will take a look in here who has a bit more knowledge...
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 122
Likes: 0
From: New Haven MI
I have a new slave cylinder and updated master with no leaks and Mityvac bleed, so I'm confident my hydraulics are up to snuff. Clutch plate was never taken off the second time around either. If the pilot shaft was hanging up on the pilot bearing, could that be the problem? I know I have adequate clutch plate clearance, because I can shift the car while moving no problem. It's sitting still, and going into first and reverse that takes considerable effort.
