Clutch problems. Leave it to the pros?

[Jubei]

I finally got my new motor back in the car and now the clutch won't disengage. With the motor out, I decided to put on a new Fidanza alum flywheel and new ACT 2600lb clutch. I read in some other threads to shim the pivot ball, so I picked up a new pivot ball and shimmed it with a thin washer. So after noticing the issue I pulled the fork dust boot off and notice the fork is resting past the halfway point and towards the passenger side. I didn't think it would complicated to install a new flywheel and clutch. So if any guru could point out how I manage to mess up this install, I would really appreciate it. At this point, I'm not sure if I should just bring in the car and let the professionals take care of it, or try to fix it myself. I've never had to drop the tranny out, and I am not too excited to do it either.

 

[white90gsx]

Well I can't answer your problem but all I have to say is you will get raped on labor fees for any car that's turbo to start..Also I did my first tranny removal last week and I pulled my light weight flywheel to put a new friction disk on it it. I've never seen a clutch in person and I put a new one in.. Just take your time put all bolts in a bag and label them and torque everything to specs ..Vfaq has a removal and install so does the Chilton books. But I did it by just looking at it because I get confused when I have to follow directions. Also 2 ppl would be great it makes things a lot easier especially when putting the tranny back in. It took me 5 hours to get it in myself I had to lean over the car and just pick it up and put in into place..


HELP! Torque specs - DSMtalk Forums

 

[res7bequ]

Make sure that the bellhousing to block bolts are all tight, mine were loose one time and the clutch wouldn't disengage right.

 

[LTUDSM]

ok If you put a new Pivot ball ,then you don't need to shim it .another thing is ,replace your old fork to a new one.I did a lot of clutch jobs to dsm's and i learned the lesson on replacing old pivot ball and old fork . After you all done with that,drain the old clutch fluid,and fill it up with the new one.Bleed the clutch Really Good .and you will be happy with the results. BTW what TOB are you using??

 

[Jubei]

BTW what TOB are you using??

I used an ACT TOB that came with the clutch. After reading all the other clutch problem threads, it sounds like I need to pick up an OEM TOB. I was hoping to break in the motor before I had to start taking it apart again. My fear would be to waste 8h of work and still be in the same situation. Hopefully a new fork and TOB would fix it.

 

[bigT666]

I ran inot the same issue and still... what i thnk happend is that you shimmed the pivot more than what it needed and now the TOB keeps the pressureplate from fully releasing
so the clutch is out of grip, i think just pull the tranny back out take out the shim and after intstallation and bleed of the clutch and all adjustment are made, it should be perfect.

thats what happend with me, over shimmed it, the only solution is to pull it out.

 

[luv2rallye]

Go here, click on Tech Videos, and watch "Pivot Ball Shimming" and "Proper Clutch Adjustment". You will be ELUMINATED!

 

[turboAWDfanatic]

Go here, click on Tech Videos, and watch "Pivot Ball Shimming" and "Proper Clutch Adjustment". You will be ELUMINATED!

By "here", I think he meant Jack's Transmissions Videos.

*edit* Also check out this faq from TRE. Good info.

 

[viprez586]

If you go through the pain of removing the trans again, shim the pivot ball with a thick washer, like a turbo manifold bolt washer thickness. Also only use the OEM TOB.

 

[luv2rallye]

By "here", I think he meant Jack's Transmissions Videos.

Oops, forgot the link. Yes that's what I meant. Guess I wasn't completely awake at 4am.

 

[Jubei]

Thanks for the link. It does provide a lot of tips on fixing my issue. I kind of assume I need to shim the pivot ball was the issue. I was dreading the idea of having to drop the tranny out of the car. When I spoke to Aamco Transmission, they didn't even want to deal with the car. So it looks like I'm going to have to fix it myself. Thanks everyone for the help.

 

[viprez586]

Ha, that's how i felt too.
Hopped in the car....WTF the clutch doesn't disengage..damn you pivot ball!
It's easier removing + installing the trans for the 2nd time though.

G'luck!


Most shops will look at you like your crazy when you ask them to shim the pivot ball. They seem have a tough idea understanding the concept unless they've had experience with it first hand.

 

[Calan]

On a semi-related note...

I didn't see it mentioned, but any time you replace (and especially mix and match) flywheels and clutches, you need to make sure the flywheel is stepped correctly.

 

[Jubei]

On a semi-related note...

I didn't see it mentioned, but any time you replace (and especially mix and match) flywheels and clutches, you need to make sure the flywheel is stepped correctly.

I never got the flywheel stepped correctly. I've read that the step hight should be correct for a new flywheel from the factory. So correct me if I'm wrong. Sending the car into the shop for them to take care of now. It's gotten to the point where I would rather spend time with my family then to spend a weekend dealing with this issue.

 

[viprez586]

Easy, no one is forcing you to do this. We are here to answer your questions and help you.

If you don't halfway enjoy working on your car....sorry to say this but a DSM always needs some kind of work done to it. That is if its modified, with all the extras your just adding to the necessary tweaking on top of all the maintenance that has to be done.

 

[Jubei]

Easy, no one is forcing you to do this. We are here to answer your questions and help you.

If you don't halfway enjoy working on your car....sorry to say this but a DSM always needs some kind of work done to it. That is if its modified, with all the extras your just adding to the necessary tweaking on top of all the maintenance that has to be done.

I really appreciate the help from you guys. I was hoping the mechanic can resolve this issue on his own, but he he seems a bit stump with the issue. He ruled out the possibility of the clutch fork not traveling far enough, because there were marking on the back of the clutch fingers from the disc springs. So he thinks the fingers are traveling beyond and hitting the disc. Taking your advice I brought the flywheel in to a clutch shopt and get a step measurement. The person at the clutch shop got a step reading of .606" (RRE indicates the step can not be more shallow then .608"), which he said was OK with the possibilty of the margin of error from the tool. He mounted the clutch to the flywheel and when said the disc released without any problem. So now I brought back the clutch and flywheel back to the mechanic. The mechanic is still concern with the clutch, because with the pressure plate mounted to the flywheel, the fingers are near perpendicular with the disc.

Is the pressure plate defective?
Should I get the flywheel machine down .004?