Ram Clutch Nightmare
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i JUST HAD BOUGHT THIS T/A IN AUGUST AND HAD BEEN DRIVING IT FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS WHEN MY SLAVE CYL. BLEW AND TOOK OUT MY RAM VDS CLUTCH,THE CLUTCH HAD ONLY 4500 MILES ON IT.I TRIED JUST REPLACING THE SLAVE BUT THE CLUTCH WOULD STILL SLIP UNDER PRESSURE.SO I CALLED RAM AND FOUND OUT THE CAR I BOUGHT WAS ONCE USED AS THE GUNIEA PIG FOR THE VDS SYSTEM,THE CAR WAS ON THERE WEBSITE AND EVERYTHING.THEY SAID THEY WOULD REBUILD THE CLUTCH AND RESURFACE THE BILLET STEEL FLYWHEEL FOR 150 BUCKS SO I CALLED
TTP[THE BEST SPONSER ON HERE AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED] AND BROUGHT THE CAR TO THEM FOR THE SWAP.IN THE WEEK BEFORE I BROUGHT IT IN I WAS STILL DRIVING THE CAR WITH THE SLIPING CLUTCH I HAD ALSO MANAGED TO BLOW A COMPUTER FUSE SO THE CAR WAS RUNNING LIKE **** NOT IDLING AND REALLY RICH,BUT I STILL COULD NOT HELP MYSELF FROM RACING A "MODDED"STI SUBARU COMPLETE WITH SOUP CAN,STICKERS,AND LOWERING SPRINGS.......HE HAD IT COMING.WHILE I WAS STOMPING HIM FOR THE THIRD TIME ON RT.80 I WAS GOING HARD FOR FIFTH AND ENDED UP IN REVERSE!!!THE FUSE HAD TAKEN OUT THE REVERSE LOCK OUT SOLINOID.WHEN I GOT HOME THE CAR WOULD NOT GO IN REVERSE,GREAT MORE BAD LUCK.TTP SAID WE WOULD SEE WHATS UP AFTER THEY PUT THE CLUTCH BACK IN.THEY HAD MY CLUTCH THE NEXT DAY AND I SENT IT TO RAM.IT TOOK THEM TWO WEEKS WHEN THEY SAID 3 DAYS AND IT COST ME ALMOST 300 WHEN I WAS TOLD 150,RAM SAID IT WAS WORSE THEN THEY THOUGHT. SO I PAID FOR IT AND DROPED IT OFF AT TTP.THE CLUTCH WAS INSTALLED IN A FEW DAYS AS WAS THE BLOWN FUSE BUT AS MY LUCK GOS THE TRANS STILL WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE.TTP TOOK APART THE TRANS AND FOUND THE REVERSE GEAR AND SEVERAL OTHER PARTS WERE GONE OR ON THERE WAY OUT BUT THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD REBUILD IT TO RACE SPEC[CARBON BLOCKER RINGS,STEEL SHIFT FORKS...SO ON AND SO ON]AT A GREAT PRICE
[CALL THEM AND ASK]AFTER EVERYTHING WAS DONE THEY TOOK THE CAR OUT AND THE CLUTCH WAS SLIPPING AFTER 2000 RPM!!!!THEY TOOK IT BACK APART AND RE SHIMED IT AND RE- ADJUSTED THE MASTER CYLINDER AND ONCE IT HEATED UP IT WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR!!!!NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM EXTREMLY PISSED AT RAM AND AM GOING TO TRY ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING TO GET MY MONEY BACK ONCE THEY REMOVED AND MEASURED THE CLUTCH THEY FOUND IT WAS DELIVERED WITH ABOUT A 1/4 OF IT'S LIFE LEFT FROM THE START. IT WAS TO BE COMPLETLY REBULIT.THANKS TO MATT AND GEORGE AT TTP FOR COMING TO THE RESCUE WITH A BRAND NEW SPEC 3 CLUTCH AND FLYWHEEL FOR A HEAVY DISCOUNT.THEY HAVE BEEN REALLY GREAT AND KEPT ME INFORMED BOTH VERBALLY AND VISUALLY,I RECOMENED THEM FOR ANY JOB AND CONDEM RAM AND THERE PIECE OF **** CLUTCH.I'LL KEEP EVERY ONE INFORMED ON HOW THE TRANS PROFORMS WHEN I GET THE CAR BACK...WISH ME LUCK
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I'm interested in what you think the problem was. You mention your slave blew? Is this due to the fact that it couldn't take the stress of the increased pressure plate finger force? Did you make measurements of the distance from the face of the slave bearing when collapsed to the pressure plate fingers? I'm dealing with a different RAM clutch, the Powergrip, and I am having problems with my brand new slave. I have never been able to make the clutch work correctly. I'm installing a new McLeod 1373 slave today to hopefully correct my problem. I've already ruled out the McLeod Master and air as my problem. I'll keep you posted on the sucess. There is a theory, just a theory, that the aftermarket clutch with it's increased pressure plate finger stress and incresed distance that the slave must travel causes slave failure. I really wonder when people shorten their rods on their adjustable masters that what they are doing is compensating for the fact that the slave is inadequate for these aftermarket clutches.
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Iv had my vds 910 w/ adjustable master cylinder for about a month or so now. i love it. i havent had any probs with it and i installed it myself. Sux that you have to deal with the prob.
Kyle
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Thanks for the good word.
We feel bad for 1SickBird since his car has been layed up with all these clutch problems. I won't go into all the problems on the public forum but anyone that is interested in what we have found out about these clutches can email me I'll be happy to discuss.
As he said about RAM. They promised it would be a few days and became weeks. I don't mind keeping the car here but it was a long time before we even saw the clutch and now we've had all these problems.
The SPEC's have worked perfect for us. No need to play with shims, no need for adj. master cylinders, etc. SPEC stands behind their product and have warranteed any clutch we've ever had a problem with a brand new unit. Can't beat that.
We gave 1sickbird a great deal on a SPEC that will work correctly the first time it's put in the car. He also has our new Stage 3 A-K Trans build so he can put that power down.
We feel bad for 1SickBird since his car has been layed up with all these clutch problems. I won't go into all the problems on the public forum but anyone that is interested in what we have found out about these clutches can email me I'll be happy to discuss.
As he said about RAM. They promised it would be a few days and became weeks. I don't mind keeping the car here but it was a long time before we even saw the clutch and now we've had all these problems.
The SPEC's have worked perfect for us. No need to play with shims, no need for adj. master cylinders, etc. SPEC stands behind their product and have warranteed any clutch we've ever had a problem with a brand new unit. Can't beat that.
We gave 1sickbird a great deal on a SPEC that will work correctly the first time it's put in the car. He also has our new Stage 3 A-K Trans build so he can put that power down.
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Originally Posted by LSs1Power
This is crazy.... I was going with RAM 910 HD since i blew two SPEC 3's and the Mcloed is on the way out because its slipping. What clutch should i get now?!!!!
The Spec stage 3-f will hold all the power your blower can throw at it let me know i have 2 in stock ready to ship.
george
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Originally Posted by TTPMatt
The Spec stage 3-f will hold all the power your blower can throw at it let me know i have 2 in stock ready to ship.
george
george
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1SickBird, and Matt, is it possible that the damage to the clutch pieces is so severe because he raced the car even when he knew the clutch was slipping? I have seen cars at the drag strip have a clutch blow up because the driver kept his foot planted in the throttle even though the clutch was slipping. I think he is lucky that his clutch and pressure plate didn't come through the tranny tunnel and take his foot off.
Hope you get the answers you are looking for. Next time I think you should just park it untill you can get new parts
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Hope you get the answers you are looking for. Next time I think you should just park it untill you can get new parts
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Originally Posted by LSs1Power
If the SPEC 3F blew up like the previous two SPEC 3 Carbon/Carbon would u refund me my money plus the 300 bucks installation fee that i pay for every damn clutch that goes in?
thats my thought man..... I dont wanna be doin 3 installs on a clutch, sure they warranty the clutch... wonderful. clutches dont install themselves, it costs money. For me.. it costs me a bunch of time and 5 bucks an hour to rent a lift.
I've heard a LOT of good reviews on the RAM clutches.. so i took the chance.. heard too many bad things about the specs other than they warranty their ****.
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1SickBird, and Matt, is it possible that the damage to the clutch pieces is so severe because he raced the car even when he knew the clutch was slipping?
If the SPEC 3F blew up like the previous two SPEC 3 Carbon/Carbon would u refund me my money plus the 300 bucks installation fee that i pay for every damn clutch that goes in?
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Originally Posted by TTPMatt
We have used the X-Pads/F-discs for a while now. If you had me do the installation and it blew up under normal driving I would pull the clutch for free... When you add in hard track launches no one is going to warranty anything.
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Originally Posted by TTPMatt
The clutch was brand new just rebuilt by RAM and it was slipping.
IN THE WEEK BEFORE I BROUGHT IT IN I WAS STILL DRIVING THE CAR WITH THE SLIPING CLUTCH I HAD ALSO MANAGED TO BLOW A COMPUTER FUSE SO THE CAR WAS RUNNING LIKE **** NOT IDLING AND REALLY RICH,BUT I STILL COULD NOT HELP MYSELF FROM RACING A "MODDED"STI SUBARU COMPLETE WITH SOUP CAN,STICKERS,AND LOWERING SPRINGS.......HE HAD IT COMING.WHILE I WAS STOMPING HIM FOR THE THIRD TIME....
I just think it might have been poor judgement to race with a slipping clutch. Perhaps that was the first step in a downward spiral.
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I know several "quick" cars running ram clutch (including myself) without incident.
I've always had a problem with the idea of the shims in a vds system. I built my own clutch using a 910 disk, the ram pp and a hayes SFI flywheel. NO SHIMS. Using a modified stock master (made it adjustable) I haven't had any problems for the 2 years its been in the car![Nod](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/smilies/LS1Tech/gr_nod.gif)
LOTS of 1/4 mile passes
I've always had a problem with the idea of the shims in a vds system. I built my own clutch using a 910 disk, the ram pp and a hayes SFI flywheel. NO SHIMS. Using a modified stock master (made it adjustable) I haven't had any problems for the 2 years its been in the car
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LOTS of 1/4 mile passes
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sorry about your bad luck,i hope it gets better. i have been using the ram clutch for two years. cut 1.5 60's on it and pushed my car into the 10's with it. i would say there is something causing the problem,its not the clutch alone.my first ram clutch lasted only 800mi,it was not installed proper,causing me problems. i have added all the upgraded parts and had a pro shop that works on race cars install it. it has been a fine clutch now taking massive punishment. i really do hope you find the fix,i have been in your shoes before and know the **** your going through. GOODLUCK TO YA BRO. mike c.