The Top DSM Community on the Web

For 1990-1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser, and Galant VR-4 Owners. Log in to remove most ads.

Please Support Morrison Fabrications
Please Support STM Tuned

2G Clutch issues... wont go in gear

This site may earn a commission from merchant
affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Galipso

Supporting Member
223
17
Aug 23, 2011
Tampa, Florida
So i've been dealing with this issue continuously over the last 2 years. Ive done lots of research on these forums and read a lot of discussions, none of which have helped me fix this issue permanently, only temporary. Here is what i've done:
  • Replaced clutch master cylinder
  • Bled the clutch system
  • measured clutch slave for travel
  • backed out the upper adjuster for maximum clutch travel
  • adjusted the rod to the pedal (over and over and over again)
i cant find that sweet spot that is suppose to allow me to push the slave by and hand and also allow me to go into gear. I continuously adjust the rod to find a spot where it will allow me to go into gear but now it doesnt even do that anymore. I dont want to pull the trans just yet to shim the pivot ball or replace the fork.

Fidanza flywheel, 6 puck clutch disc and pressure plate by XTD

Any suggestions?
 
You think i'll need to? its brand new

Depending on how old it is you could get away with reusing it maybe. But with how easy it is to do and how relatively cheap it is I always replace mine when I change the clutch.

6 pucks can have a tendency to warp the replacable surface on the fidanza clutches fairly easy depending on the material of the clutch.

In short, I would replace it. It isn't worth the 50 bucks for a new surface to have to risk pulling the trans again. Plus you want your new clutch to be happy :)
 
Well this is unfortunate: From TMZperformance "With all of the FULL FACE KEVLAR DISKS, we recommend that you DO NOT USE a Fidanza aluminum flywheel because the replacement friction surface doesn’t play nice with high temperatures before it warps, and the Kevlar doesn’t do a great job of breaking in on the carbon steel friction surface. With all of our clutch offerings, we recommend using a stock flywheel, or an ACT Streetlite (LINK) or Competition Clutch (LINK) Chromoly Steel flywheel as the best options."

...i have a Fidanza
 
Two slave diameters exist. 13/16 and 3/4. Does that affect travel? Yup. Cantvremember which has which but if I recall turbo and non turbo are different. Fwd are externally the same I believe. Awd is different
 
Two slave diameters exist. 13/16 and 3/4. Does that affect travel? Yup. Cantvremember which has which but if I recall turbo and non turbo are different. Fwd are externally the same I believe. Awd is different
ill measure the Exedy Slave when it comes in on Wed
 
Well this is unfortunate: From TMZperformance "With all of the FULL FACE KEVLAR DISKS, we recommend that you DO NOT USE a Fidanza aluminum flywheel because the replacement friction surface doesn’t play nice with high temperatures before it warps, and the Kevlar doesn’t do a great job of breaking in on the carbon steel friction surface. With all of our clutch offerings, we recommend using a stock flywheel, or an ACT Streetlite (LINK) or Competition Clutch (LINK) Chromoly Steel flywheel as the best options."

...i have a Fidanza

So do I. That's why you get the full face Ceramic. Not kevlar.
 
So do I. That's why you get the full face Ceramic. Not kevlar.
I just messaged Twicks and thats what he suggested, the ceramic, so thats what i just ordered from TMZ... like 5 minutes ago. There goes my paycheck! This is so going to be worth it though
 
I just messaged Twicks and thats what he suggested, the ceramic, so thats what i just ordered from TMZ... like 5 minutes ago. There goes my paycheck! This is so going to be worth it though

It for sure will be. Just the pedal feel and responsiveness of the clutch alone compared to an XTD is worth the extra money.

Again I would get the new surface for the flywheel if it has any miles on it at all really.
 
It for sure will be. Just the pedal feel and responsiveness of the clutch alone compared to an XTD is worth the extra money.

Again I would get the new surface for the flywheel if it has any miles on it at all really.

I forgot to mention, i already ordered that from ExtremePSI.com

So new parts i have on hand or ordered:
  • Fidanza replacement friction plate
  • Southbend B-Series Ceramic Clutch kit
  • New Fork with pivot ball
  • Exedy slave cylinder
  • OEM thrust bearing
i swear if my clutch problem isnt fixed after this... im gonna piss myself

Also, new question: this is straight from RRE "The release bearing arm and the pivot ball will wear over time. Replacing both is one way to deal with the problem. Adding a washer or two under the arm is another way. DO NOT ADD A SHIM TO A NEW FORK AND BALL."

im putting a new fork and ball in. The ball has a nylon washer. Should i just install as is? add a shim?
 
You must be logged in to view this image or video.

This is 1 year of use on my fidanza flywheel.

Thats a pretty good pic. Ive only got 1000 miles on this flywheel, but im pretty convinced now that for a new clutch its going to be better to have a new surface for it. So glad i for this Fidanza though. Easy plate replacement
 
@donniekak what clutch material were you using in that thing?

I forgot to mention, i already ordered that from ExtremePSI.com

So new parts i have on hand or ordered:
  • Fidanza replacement friction plate
  • Southbend B-Series Ceramic Clutch kit
  • New Fork with pivot ball
  • Exedy slave cylinder
  • OEM thrust bearing
i swear if my clutch problem isnt fixed after this... im gonna piss myself

Also, new question: this is straight from RRE "The release bearing arm and the pivot ball will wear over time. Replacing both is one way to deal with the problem. Adding a washer or two under the arm is another way. DO NOT ADD A SHIM TO A NEW FORK AND BALL."

im putting a new fork and ball in. The ball has a nylon washer. Should i just install as is? add a shim?

I used 1 washer for safe measure even with my new set up. Sometimes it just depends on the type of clutch and set up. Which is why you have to bolt up the trans first after replacing it and see. Seeing as you are running the same set up as me, you should be able to leave the washer like I did and be okay. Assuming the washers are around the same thickness.
 
Also after you replace the slave make sure to bleed the system a ton (obviously). Also when I bleed a new slave I always make sure to push the slave in with my hand (by pushing the clutch fork the opposite way it usually goes) and then hold it there and crack the bleeder open. Sometimes an air pocket can get stuck in there.
 
That was an act 6-puck disk. The act flywheel showed no visible wear with the same setup and 9 months of use.

Yeah the Fidanza replacement surfaces are not the most durable material out there. Obviously a solid flywheel will take a bit more abuse. I would think its heat related. Is the material on the ACT kevlar?
 
@Galipso Also be sure to torque down the flywheel screws properly with lock-tite. I believe it is 6 foot pounds. You want to go over them about 3 times with the torque wrench to make sure they all seat good. Make sure you order the right replacement surface as well. There were 2 different bolt counts.
 
No, I've never had any luck with Kevlar. After a hard launch they slip all the way down the track because they glaze easily. The puck disks are a ceramic/metallic compound that doesn't slip when hot.
 
With the new friction surface you can reuse that fidanza flywheel with the ceramic disk option you ordered, K536SSB , and will be fine. again, if you overheat your clutch regularly you will still warp that friction surface on the flywheel and have dragging issues. I really have never had good luck with fidanza flywheels in general.
 
Also after you replace the slave make sure to bleed the system a ton (obviously). Also when I bleed a new slave I always make sure to push the slave in with my hand (by pushing the clutch fork the opposite way it usually goes) and then hold it there and crack the bleeder open. Sometimes an air pocket can get stuck in there.
For sure. i read a thread on this when i thought it was the air bubble in the line causing no shift but there was none, or atleast it didnt fix it.
@Galipso Also be sure to torque down the flywheel screws properly with lock-tite. I believe it is 6 foot pounds. You want to go over them about 3 times with the torque wrench to make sure they all seat good. Make sure you order the right replacement surface as well. There were 2 different bolt counts.
I looked up a picture of my flywheel after installation (take pics of everything just to cover my ass) and it turns out i have the 18 screw pattern and not the 20 so thats what i ordered. I'll definitely double check the torque spec before installation of those screws as well as the torque spec for the pressure plate.
With the new friction surface you can reuse that fidanza flywheel with the ceramic disk option you ordered, K536SSB , and will be fine. again, if you overheat your clutch regularly you will still warp that friction surface on the flywheel and have dragging issues. I really have never had good luck with fidanza flywheels in general.
My intentions with this car are to make it in the range of 300-400hp, but keep it as a fun street vehicle. Maybe a drag race or two to see what my times are but no hard long term abuse on it. 2500 miles a year max.
 
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.

Here are images of the friction plate clutch and slave. No real damage or anything except the torn boot on the slave but inside the cylinder is dry. Cylinder measured out to 20.5mm or closest to that is probably 13/16 of an inch as @pauleyman mentioned.
 
Thrust bearing, fork and ball didn't look too good though
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
 
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.

I wasn't sure if this method was going to work or not, but surprisingly it did. I should write a how to on this.

This is with the replacement plate installed and all the new screws were loctited in
 
Just wondering if all of this fixed your issues you were having.
Well i found that my timing belt was getting shredded because i put the wrong size bolts in the oil pan under the belt. So i ended up buying a cherry picker to get the engine off the driver side mount and install the belt with the motor in the car. While doing all this, i decided to go ahead and replace all my upper and lower control arms and tie rod ends since all the rubber in these were garbage. While doing all this, i noticed my power steering pump had a slow leak, so right now i have a new seal kit on order.

Everything is back in place but i need to bleed the clutch hydraulics because i chose to go with a SS line from the master to the slave.

Maybe next week i'll have her back on the road for some test drives. I'll post an update
 
Support Vendors who Support the DSM Community
Boosted Fabrication ECM Tuning ExtremePSI Fuel Injector Clinic Innovation Products Jacks Transmissions JNZ Tuning Kiggly Racing Morrison Fabrications MyMitsubishiStore.com RixRacing RockAuto RTM Racing STM Tuned

Latest posts

Build Thread Updates

Vendor Updates

Latest Classifieds

Back
Top