I recently had to replace my motor due to throwing a rod.. Now that I have the new engine and tranny in, the clutch does not completely engage when I let off the pedal. I've checked all the clutch lines and the master and slave cylinders appear to be working correctly.. no sign of leaks at all in any of the clutch lines. I've bled the clutch about 3 times, thinking that maybe there was air in the line and that would keep it from engaging fully. Apparently that was not the problem...

Here's basically the summary of symptoms:

- Rev engine to about 3-4k rpms in 1st gear and car does not want to move... could barely get the clutch to engage enough to move up a slight hill.

- Speedometer moves when trying to move... (eg. shows going 20mph when im doing maybe 2 trying to get the car to accelerate)

- Shifts into gear perfectly. As it did before the engine swap.

- We DID NOT use a clutch alignment tool when putting the assembly back together. We used a socket of similar size, but made sure that we got it damn near perfect..

- Took apart and lubed up the entire TO bearing.

- When the clutch started acting funny, I heard a loud "clunk " from the engine bay..


Now I'm thinking this is all because I didn't properly align the clutch, but I'd like to have some more input before I go dropping the tranny... A friend of mine also said he had a similar problem, and just had to have the clutch pedal adjusted.. the manual says clutch height while engaged should be 7.1" and mine is about 5.5"..

any help on this would be greatly appreciated.. i miss my car

Actually adjusting the clutch pedal has more to do with DISengagement, than actual engagement. Put it this way. If you start the car with it in gear, does the car jump? If it does, you need to adjust. If the car doesn't move at all when you start it, or doesn't go anywhere after you go into a gear, you put the clutch dics in wrong. That clunk was prolly your clutch disk breaking due to improper alignment. Yank the tranny and check.

Thanks for your help NOS, I appreciate it


As for the car, it does jump when I start it in gear. (When the clutch pedal is not pressed in) I can drive the car around, but it just won't really get moving until the higher rpms.. like i said, i could barely make enough power to get it up my friends driveway.. I think you're probably right about that clunking sound, considering this problem happened immediately after that happened.. and some transmission fluid even leaked out of my car afterwards. but stopped shortly after... it may have been a pool of fluid from when i filled it, but I only noticed it after that happened..

also, if the disc is broke, will i be able to just buy another disc? or do i have to have the flywheel resurfaced and buy another clutch?

As far as starting the car while in gear, I meant to do it while the clutch is pushed in. If you can actually drive the car around, then your disc isn't broken. It sounds like you preloaded the master cylinder way too much. This means you actually have pressure in the lines even tho you aren't pressing on the clutch pedal.

Try this. Use your hand and try to push down on the clutch pedal. You should feel just a "little" bit of slack before it gets difficult for you to push down. I'm only talking maybe 1" of pedal travel before you feel tension. That should be normal. If you don't feel any, and it's very difficult from the beginning, you have preloaded the mast. cyl. You need to screw the clutch mast. cyl. rod INTO the bracket, towards the interior of the car.

Once you have done this, keep screwing it in until you get that little bit of slack I was referring to.

Mike

Originally posted by mattn
- Speedometer moves when trying to move... (eg. shows going 20mph when im doing maybe 2 trying to get the car to accelerate)

Click to expand...

This quote says it all. If the speedo is showing a speed increase in excess of the cars actual speed then you have a problem related to the drive train after the clutch. I had this happen to me on an old sports car I owned and I had snapped an axle shaft. The only forward motion I got was due to the broken pieces making contact plus the metal fragments in the diff lube were acting as a friction material. I hope it's something less costly than this.

Good luck!

you got big internal problems. sounds like a busted diff. to me. At best, a broken axle.

Well thanks for the good news guys..

I'm taking the trans off now as we speak... If it does turn out that I broke an axle or the diff. will I be able to drive the car around with only power going to the rear wheels...meaning take out the front axles completely and cover the holes where the axles going in...


Cuz I remember one of my friends saying that when I was going up the hill that he saw my back tires spin and not the front..


also, when i jacked up the car today i spun the drivers side wheel and it didnt spin the passenger side... i could of swore it use to before... perhaps thats a sure fire indication that my diff is screwed?

most importantly my question is now.. can i drive the car with only power going to the rear wheels? ive heard of people driving around with power only going to the front wheels when there transfer case breaks...

Well I went and took a look at my car one more time...

I noticed that:

- When I spin the drivers side wheel ( in 1st gear) it spins the driveshaft leading to the the rear wheels.

- When I spin the passenger side wheel (in 1st gear) it DOES NOT spin the driveshaft leading to the rear wheels...

- I also noticed that the passenger axle has a bit of play in it... like when i moved it, i saw it moving left and right a bit...


Could I possibly have damaged something inside the transmission if the front drivers side tire is transferring power to the rear? OR is it just that perhaps my passenger side axle is broken? My guess (and im hoping) that all is wrong is that my passenger axle is broke... when I put the axle in, we werent sure if it was all the way in to begin with, so maybe after a day of driving it around half in or whatever, it just decided to give out... cuz like i said, i saw some fluid come out after i heard the clunking noise.. i inspected the passenger axle and its not snapped in half or anything.. i imagine when an axle breaks, its that "splines?" that would break, rendering it unable to spin?

you guys have been a great help so far and i thank you for all your advice lemme know what you think please

Your axle was not all the way in and it popped out. If you are lucky the splines are ok and you can pop it back in. If not you may need to change the axle and diff side gear.

Thanks for the reply shepherd.. i appreciate it. as for the diff, i really dont think i could have broke that... i really wasnt putting much stress on the engine when it happened, and my cars damn near stock.. but i guess ill find out when i get the trans out, AFTER i get off this god damn stripped lug nut!! any ideas on that one?

I took a closer look at the axle today and indeed it was not in all the way... i popped it back in and spun the wheels... both front wheels spun one another, so the front differential was fine thank god... BUT, now oil is leaking out of the axle inlet like crazy.. i suppose i broke the oil seal when it popped out.. that should be a fun project tomorrow.. thanks for your help guys, i really appreciate it

lucky me.. oils leaking out the dust boot where the clutch release cylinder is.. and apparently oil is not supposed to get in the bellhousing... next stop, transmission shop ..

The problem was the clutch. I have very few mods and didnt think I could destroy the clutch like I did. It looked like burnt cardboard and when you would touch the clutch surface it would flake off like ashes. Yikes!!! Well all in all problem solved. I went with a Centerforce Dual Friction and a fidanza lightened flywheel. I love it thus far. The car seems so much more torquier then ever. I missed the power it put down, and there seemes to be even more response from the clutch now partially because of the lightened flywheel. So I'm really impressed with the CF I hope it leaves me with no problems...

The problem was the clutch. I have very few mods and didnt think I could destroy the clutch like I did. It looked like burnt cardboard and when you would touch the clutch surface it would flake off like ashes. Yikes!!! Well all in all problem solved. I went with a Centerforce Dual Friction and a fidanza lightened flywheel. I love it thus far. The car seems so much more torquier then ever. I missed the power it put down, and there seemes to be even more response from the clutch now partially because of the lightened flywheel. So I'm really impressed with the CF I hope it leaves me with no problems...

Well the transmission shop just got the trans off and left it in a spot that they call "the morgue" ... theres a whole in the bellhousing right where the front differential is.. about a 1 1/2" hole in diameter.. Perhaps a bearing flew out.. I've heard that if a gear broke off it would have made a much bigger hole, and since the car still drives fine, i cant imagine thats what it could have been... I'm going to be taking it apart to see whats wrong maybe later today. If I can I'm just going to replace whats broke and have a friend weld the hole. I can't see my transmission being completely screwed since the damn things shifts fine besides leaking oil like crazy... the guy at the shop just wanted to sell me a new trans from satan.. yeah right. and an "ATC" clutch ..

It s going to be youre differential, hold up ill post a link

I got these from roadraceengineering's web site
http://www.roadraceengineering.com/parts/quaife/quaife-why.jpg

http://www.roadraceengineering.com/parts/quaife/deaddiff-holeincase.jpg

and this is how its going to look, once you take it out.

http://www.roadraceengineering.com/parts/quaife/quaife-why.jpg

Thats what happend to mine, apparently you must have gotten wheel hop, and the axles snapped it.

wow dude.. that looks identical to my case .. So were you able to repair the diff and reuse it? or did you have to buy a new one? I'm hopin I'll be able to repair this one cuz i really don't wanna have to buy a new transmission..

You can take different routes. You can go the cheaper way and buy the OEM differential and have the tranny weld.
or
buy the oem and a transmission core and use the bellhousing from the core and change the differential and use youre original gears.

or you can do what i did. I bought a core to replace the broken bell housing then I bought the quiafe from Road Race, then I took it to Road race and they made one good transmision out of all those parts. this way was wayyyy more expensive, you can buy the core for like $ 150.00 to 200 and a stock diff used for ?? but the quiafe differential was like 975.00then pay a shop to put them together if i remember corectly road race charged me around 350-375 with new tranny seals.
Good Luck. ohh just in case you decide to ge the stock diff, i still have the one that came with my core. just hit me up.
later.

miguels3000,

you have a pm..