:sigh: I'm throwing in the towel

[my_precious]

I hate to give up but this car has me beat. When I bought it, there was no turbo, the engine had never been started since the previous owner had it, the tranny was from a different car and there were bits and pieces that needed to be put together. Since then, I've gotten the car running, and then the ACT2600 with 0 miles it came with started giving me problems. It wouldnt disengage like everyone else on here as experienced.

So I go through the system, new fork, new pivot ball, new slave cyl, flex line, mastercyl, removed one of two washers under the pivot ball (like RRE suggests), adjusted the shifter cables correctly, replaced the axle seal on the driver's side (had to take off the t-case to get to it for pry...

Now, I have driven the car for about 150 miles total around my block, but the thing shifts poorly and now worse than ever. Putting it into gear is hard as hell and it grinds. Somebody said I should use what shep uses in his trannys and another guy said i should use syncromesh in the t-case so I looked it up and shep recomended pennzoil syncromesh for lower powered DSMs. Well since mine is mostly stock I did just that, bought 4 bottles which came out to like 44 bucks, was all excited and put it in after draining the old stuff, started it and it would shift. So I adjusted the cables again, this time according to my haynes manual. When the car is off, I can shift it just fine, but when the car is on, you have to push HARD into first, HARD into second, HARD in 3rd, etc and reverse will grind, then if you try to put it in first right after that it'll grind too, and then its just all screwed up after that. Also, if you shift in say 3rd and then fourth some what slowly, its fine, but if you try the same thing again only fast, as if you would at WOT it will grind. I did that to see if it'd grind on me when i take it out, and sure enough it would have. This is all done with the clutch in at idle in my garage, but its so weird, once you turn the car off its hard to shift in one or two gears but then it becomes super easy again. This is the biggest WTF moment in history. Also, that 44 dollar pennzoil syncromesh is leaking all over my f*** floor. what a waste. I'm calling TRE tomorrow anybody have any ideas as to what to do till then? I cant spot where the leak is coming from either.

Oh and i forgot, now when you push the clutch it it makes a noise as if you had rusty brakes and started braking...that rubbing sound. I think its just the flywheel is a little rusty but it does it when its fully depressed which makes me think maybe my cltuch isnt fully releasing. I'm done, I throw in the towel and I pray to god somebody can explain some sense to me, PLEASE TRE!!!

 

[Dream On]

Check the freeplay of the pedal assembly? Are you sure it isn't your slave cylinder leaking? That would explain the crappy disengagement and the fluid. Pull the boot back and look for fluid. Don't put syncromesh in the T-case. Get redline Heavy Shockproof.

 

[slipstream808]

Synchros anyone? How old/beaten is that transmission?

 

[my_precious]

Exactly...if I only knew. All I know is it worked fine when the previous owner bought it and it had 80k on it and since then ive driven the car 150 miles...

I could always buy the syncrows from TRE and take the trans apart myself. Manual trannys are suposed to be easy.

 

[1glaserturbo]

Here is something for you to give a try and it's been working for me for the last couple months!

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That is the little retaining clip that the master cylinder rod is threaded into. This will give you a ton of extra throw letting you engage basically whever in the stroke you want it to.

Before you do this thow, how far out is the master cylinder rod threaded out? If it's all the way, I'd give this a try. If it isn't, thread it out a bit and test out your release point.

Good luck!

 

[my_precious]

its all the way out, along with the clutch sensor all the way extended (cant remmeber if you screw it in for more reach or not)

 

[1glaserturbo]

All the way out will give you a higher release point in the clutch pedal. Give what I showed you a try, I've been told nothing but good things about this and there is actually a write up somewhere around here I think.

 

[4pistons]

The BIGGEST improvement I made to shifting my GSX was pulling the pedal assembly and reworking it. It's a pain in the ass but but worth it. I have a Fidanza Aluminum Flywheel, ACT2600 w/street disc, replaced slave and master, the SS line, new shift fork and pivot with one washer.

When I first pulled the assembly I saw that the bracket was cracked so that whenever the pedal was pressed the bracket just bent rather than actuate the linkage. I never would have seen or suspected it if I hadn't pulled it. I reinforced it and welded it up.

I installed the welded nut on the back of the adjusting rod clevis as 1glaserturbo shows above.

I cut off the stock coiled return spring and used a long return spring attached directly to the pedal so it returns all the way up every time.

I installed full bronze bushings from Taboo (No longer in business but I know others sell them) for very smooth pedal movement.

I welded the clutch lever arm solid rather than using the square hole (which becomes round) so there's NO play.

There are just too many places were slop in the linkage and assembly can add up to reduced clutch movement and difficult shifting. My car shifts way better than stock with no extra effort involved.

Rick - '91 GSX

 

[my_precious]

Yesterday I drove out to k-zoo with my car. I had fixed the shifting so that I could at least shift 2nd -5th gears without problems. What it ended up being was that my MC rod was not adjusted out far enough. So I drove to TRE and waited for Jon to arive and when he did, not only did he tell my my problems with my clutch but also the other little things I had hooked up wrong or needed to replace since when I put this car together, it was my first DSM. He told me though that I need to replace the clutch pedal assembly with a factory replacement, and not to weld anything to it like that nut. So, since I have a buddy that works at a Dodge Dealership, I'm gonna get that thing 40% off along with some factory batt. terminals haha.

 

[turbo90gsx]

Yep, that pedal assembly will sneek up like that with a 2600. Keep that hydralics system bleed well too.