1G 90 talon clutch not engaging?

[Justin Lauscher]

Hey guys, made a account just so I could ask this. I've had a 90 talon TSI AWD for about 4 years, it has just been sitting. It has all the goodies, 16g, injectors, exhaust. But anyways I recently bought a fidanza 8lb aluminum flywheel and I had a clutch master xtreme 6 puck springless clutch laying around from when I got it so I decided to put it in. I bought the car with a fried trans so I went and bought a 93 parts car for the tranny. I've had the car apart 2 times trying to figure this problem out, its almost like the clutch is locked. It shifts fine while not running and while it's running you can't get it into any gear. When you start it in gear regardless if the clutch is pushed in or not it will jump forward. I'm wondering if I made a mistake with the new trans needing something different? I did swap trans cases also. The clutch also came with a new TOB. The slave also works.

 

[Justin Lauscher]

Is the disk installed in the proper orientation?

I wish my phone would upload pictures but they're too big . I can't put it on the other way, the pucks don't even touch the flywheel.

 

[Justin Lauscher]

So it looks like the disk was squeezed. It shows the divits of the bolt holes that bolt on the surface on the flywheel when all the bolts do not protrude. Now I need to contact my machinist friend to get a caliper to measure my flywheel steps. There's some kind of problemo here.

 

[Justin Lauscher]

Flywheel is in spec. Between .610 and .608 all around.

 

[pauleyman]

Do not use a caliper and id have to check but I dont think that spec is right either.

 

[pauleyman]

According to rre .612 is stock.

 

[twicks69]

0.608-612 is spec range.

 

[pauleyman]

Tim I looked for 20 min in the manual and couldnt find it. I thought 608 was shalow. I remember those numbers from way back in the day doing a cfdf and if I recall it called for a shallow .608.

 

[twicks69]

Dude, trust me. 0.608"-0.612" is spec range. You go looser on the 0.614"-0.618" range and you lose torque capacity. You will also need to have a clutch hydraulic system that can increase throw of the slave to disengage the clutch.

 

[pauleyman]

I trust you. I just couldnt find it for myself

 

[pauleyman]

My guess on the worst culprit here is the pedal although im confused as the op pulled the fork manually.

 

[Justin Lauscher]

After pulling the trans again and having another person step on the pedal and watching the slave move and looking up into the little window, it has to be the clutch plate and the pressure plate. I just changed out the fork and pivot ball that measured good, I took the car down the road and hit boost a few times just to see if I could get the clutch to slip at all while the car was driving and the pedal was fully pressed. ive come to the conclusion that something is wrong with the cheapo clutch that came with it. I'm leaning towards a act 2600. I've read good things about it. I'm about done with this god dam clutch. It was fun enough driving the car without a clutch. I tried adjusting the master from the pedal too. It never helped

 

[Maes]

Get a southbend clutch.

 

[Justin Lauscher]

Get a southbend clutch.

Why south bend?

 

[Maes]

Well not just because I live 5 minutes from them but I've only ran one for the past 14 years and never had an issue. That's just me anyone else care to chime in?

 

[Justin Lauscher]

I'm not shitting on them or anything, just all everyone ever talks about is ACT and it seems like the popular go to clutch for our cars is either the 2100 or the 2600. Go big or go home with the 2600 right?

 

[Maes]

Ask the trans guys. And I've seen people have a lot of issues with the act's

 

[2gmitsueclipse]

Ask the trans guys. And I've seen people have a lot of issues with the act's

I have never run anything but ACT. 2100, 2600, and 2900. ACT, like any clutch, will have issues if not installed or broken in properly. Pairing the appropriate clutch setup to the use and torque load is also important. The only item I would not use is the TOB. Follow proper torque specs, inspect each item carefully for defects, and ensure properly stepped flywheel. Whether you opt to reuse the stock one, or go to something like the streetlight flywheel is up to you, and your budget.

 

[Maes]

I have never run anything but ACT. 2100, 2600, and 2900. ACT, like any clutch, will have issues if not installed or broken in properly. Pairing the appropriate clutch setup to the use and torque load is also important. The only item I would not use is the TOB. Follow proper torque specs, inspect each item carefully for defects, and ensure properly stepped flywheel. Whether you opt to reuse the stock one, or go to something like the streetlight flywheel is up to you, and your budget.

Are they making them better now than what they were?

 

[2gmitsueclipse]

Are they making them better now than what they were?

I have been using them since 2005.

 

[Maes]

Have you used anything else?

 

[2gmitsueclipse]

Have you used anything else?

Not in a DSM. Exedy and Clutch Masters on other platforms. This is starting to get off the topic at hand. Feel free to PM if you have more questions about clutch setups.

 

[Maes]

Not in a DSM. Exedy and Clutch Masters on other platforms. This is starting to get off the topic at hand. Feel free to PM if you have more questions about clutch setups.

You should definitely try one.

 

[Dhan]

Why south bend?

Are you certain the clutch setup currently installed is faulty? Did you get a chance to measure the clearances?

But if you are definitely in the market for a new clutch system, I'd also recommend one of the South Bend clutch (SBC) units.

I had a used kevlar SBC I installed on my old DSM years ago and I was happy with it for a long time. I was pretty rough on that clutch. I sold the car last summer. I talked to the new owner again recently when he asked about where to get a new door handle, and that same SBC is still in there.
I have another SBC on my AWD Talon currently. Only 600 or so miles so far, but works great also.
The model of kevlar SBC I have is the SS-TZ. Driveability wise, its similar to stock. There's a noticeable difference in pedal firmness which translates to a more robust feeling drivetrain. Perfectly usable on the street.

They're more expensive than the ACT equivalent, but from what I understand, have experienced, and have read, the kevlar material is superior to the traditional organic-composite clutch material.
As a bonus, we have an SBC distributor that frequents these forums that will help you out if there's any issues with the install.

There's a thread on this site somewhere with plenty of happy SBC campers and more info.

Just food for thought.

 

[Justin Lauscher]

Are you certain the clutch setup currently installed is faulty? Did you get a chance to measure the clearances?

But if you are definitely in the market for a new clutch system, I'd also recommend one of the South Bend clutch (SBC) units.

I had a used kevlar SBC I installed on my old DSM years ago and I was happy with it for a long time. I was pretty rough on that clutch. I sold the car last summer. I talked to the new owner again recently when he asked about where to get a new door handle, and that same SBC is still in there.
I have another SBC on my AWD Talon currently. Only 600 or so miles so far, but works great also.
The model of kevlar SBC I have is the SS-TZ. Driveability wise, its similar to stock. There's a noticeable difference in pedal firmness which translates to a more robust feeling drivetrain. Perfectly usable on the street.

They're more expensive than the ACT equivalent, but from what I understand, have experienced, and have read, the kevlar material is superior to the traditional organic-composite clutch material.
As a bonus, we have an SBC distributor that frequents these forums that will help you out if there's any issues with the install.

There's a thread on this site somewhere with plenty of happy SBC campers and more info.

Just food for thought.

Thanks for the input, I'm not for sure that it's faulty but its the only thing left. Slave and master is good, flywheel is within measurement. I took the car for a ride just to see if I could get the clutch to slip while the pedal was pushed in but it never did so the disc and pressure plate must have some wrong clearances. I'm pretty stumped at this point.

 

[Maes]

SS-TZ I believe that would be the Tim Zimmer clutch nice choice that's also the next one I will be getting.