weaponZ

iTrader: (11)

just put a ram vds clutch in.bled everything down,but when i go to crank the car in gear its rolling a little.it wont go into reverse at all.if i shim the slave will the clutch properly disinguage?

what size shims?do i shim the bolts or buy a big shim for the whole slave?


i have some shims leftover from the clutch should i use it?

CW00BlackTA

iTrader: (31)

In my experience swapping out several clutches, what you describe isn't unusual. Drive it for a few miles and it will start to break in by smoothing out the high spots. After that, it shouldn't do that anymore. If it does, then you have an issue. Try that first. As you break it in, your engagement point will slowly move up and away from the floor.

Spec clutch kits come with shims that go behind the slave (a big donut shaped piece about 1/8th inch thick if I remember.

HeapaShifter

iTrader: (2)

Don't the ram clutches come with the required shim? Any instructions with it?

weaponZ

iTrader: (11)

to me it seems like the slave needs to be shimed,so it will disinguage right.

the ram vds came out a buddys wrecked car.he had it shimmed with 2 shims.i noticed it had wear on the flywheel and clutch disk,so not taking any chances i bought a new disk and had the flywheel turned.

what i plan on doing is ordering a new 01-02 slave,throwout bearing and shim.just to be on the safe side.

next weekend i will drop the transmission again and install the slave,shim and throwout bearing.i will also try driving it a few miles to see if it helps.

sound like the right plan?

quiksilver9531

My ram powergrip needed a shim, I installed it without the shim and the clutch engaged at the bottom, definatly need to shim it. It just sucks when you have it all together and then find out that it should have been shimmed.

weaponZ

iTrader: (11)

did you shim the slave or clutch?

1998z28ss

I just installed a RAM HD powergrip and the package came with a shim that goes behind the slave cylinder and in front of the transmission. It was about 1/4 of an inch thick. When I first bought my car I was told it had a ram HD clutch. It wore out in 8k miles BECAUSE the shim wasnt installed. The entire time I had the car first and reverse were a PITA to get it in (sometimes but usually very notchy). Now its installed with the proper shim (came with the PP and disc) and it shifts like a dream! I'm hoping its gonna hang in there for a long time too. Clutch jobs suck!

I dont know anything about the VDS disc but I would suggest talking to ram tech support maybe you can purchase a shim from them. But then again what kind of pressure plate are you using? stock one? And ram says that their clutch doesnt require a breakin. My powergrip has worked FLAWLESSLY ever since its been installed and the hydraulics were properly bled with a mityvac. Which I might add is a MUST BY for anyone doing clutch work. Bleed it first! We were underneath the car bleeding it that way for 20 minutes untill I said screw this lets get a mityvac. 5 minutes after we started using that I had all my clutch feel back...

Also the reason our clutches require a shim is because they arent adjustable. If improperly shimmed they do not fully engage and thereby have issues shifting! The install university mcleod install speaks of a shim behind the TOB. But ram included a shim that actually bolts behind the slave...

Hope it helps and sorry if you end up having to drop the tranny. But try getting a mityvac and bleeding it good first.

weaponZ

iTrader: (11)

very good advice.we bleed it a few times with the mighty vac.i tried contacting ram a few times before with no luck,but ill try again.

maybe if i can find the size of the shim,i can find one local to me.

AtlantaRTA

If you are interested in what you are doing when you shim a slave read the attachment about "SETUP DISTANCE". I also included the notes about an installation of all McLeod hydraulics with a SPEC3. What you are doing when you shim under the base of the slave cylinder is moving the slave closer to the pressure plate fingers. This is because aftermarket clutches have different pressure plate finger heights. The hydraulic system on the LS1 is "Self adjusting", meaning the piston recenters as the clutch disc wears. You are just pushing the piston farther down in its bore with the shim. You are keeping it from overextending and reducing the amount of fluid in the slave. This does actually change the way the clutch engages but because of the fact that there is mechanical slop. You are trying to reach pressure the plate fingers and overextending the slave. The GM "AP" slave is sloppy. That's one reason I switched to a McLeod Slave instead of the GM slave. If anyone has ever tried the second generation McLeod slave you would know that the clutch action is much more precise than GM hydraulics. Make sure the VDS is setup right also. I remenber they had some specific shim or something with their clutch. I'm only addressing the slave shim here not the clutch. The comments about air in the hydraulics are right on. If you have air you will limit the travel and have the exact problem that you describe. It is VERY hard to bleed the LS1 hydraulics correctly. The comment about the disc wearing in is very true that the engagement will be quicker, (higher up on the pedal after breakin). You must have all air out of the system.

weaponZ

iTrader: (11)

thanks for the info.im gonna try emailing ram again and ask about the shim i need.im also gonna look into the mcloed slave.it just seems like shimming the slave will fix all this.

agree?

weaponZ

iTrader: (11)

update

i drove it 5 miles today to test it.the clutch is enguaging right off the floor(adjusting the master might help that)and the pedal is really hard to push down compared to stock.

i have a buddy that has a ram HD and it came with a shim for the slave.im wondering if it will work.

i could also smell the clutch.i havent had a chance to call ram,but im gonna shoot the a email tonite.

weaponZ

iTrader: (11)

WTF

i got the shim in weds and put it in today.the damn clutch wont move at all.this ram VDS clutch is not worth all this

i guess the shim is to thick,but why would ram tell me thats what i need

EDIT
everything is fine.the master cylinder line poped out the transmission for some reason.

rudyzturbota

iTrader: (13)

call the guys up at mcleod, ask for fred, he can tell you what exactly what is wrong an what to do now
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AtlantaRTA

I can't tell you how much trouble I had with my RAM Powergrip, (different clutch). It nearly broke my AP slave and yes it barely disengaged. I became an expert on bleeding the master and slave. The best you can do is make sure the air is all out. As long as you are disengaging properly you should be fine. The best way to bleed the hydraulics is to bench bleed the master. Then reverse bleed from the slave with a reverse injector such as the Phoenix injector. Take the bolts out of the Mcleod master and pull it away from the firewall but leave it hooked up. You will be able to get it level. Then reverse bleed the system. There are many other ways people bleed the clutch that seem to work. I prefer Reverse bleeding though.

ls1amit

Hey when you installed your spec 3 did you have to use the shim on your stock slave or did you do it with the mcleod slave.