Clutch Problem

[tighty]

Posted this on ECM Link forums but haven't gotten much feedback. I've been having some wierd issues with my clutch that haven't really affected drivability of my car other than on initial take off in 1st and at lower rpms in higher gears. I get a sort of shuddering/vibration from the engine when I slip it the clutch even a tiny bit. This is fairly intermittent. I have also had a burning clutch smell which is stronger on the passenger side after freeway or spirited driving. The clutch is an ACT 2100 and Fidanza 8lb flywheel which I estimate to have no more than 20k miles on them.

I can't detect any slipping and engagement of the clutch is good. I've double checked for full engagement/disengagement and re-bled the clutch. At this point I have dropped the transmission to see if anything pops out at me. Pics are attached. I don't see anything too suspect, but I'm no expert, just have experience from installation years ago and as much reading as I could when searching the forums. 2 of the springs on the clutch disk are fairly loose but don't seem that bad. The damage on the pressure plate is cosmetic...it happened when the pressure plate was installed years ago and the flywheel bolts backed out a bit and I had to drop it and re-torque everything. I have been driving it like that for years with no problem.

The tranny fluid is the OEM Mitsu stuff from jacks....not sure if it should be that brown or if that is a problem of some sort. It definitely didn't go in that color.

 

[bastarddsm]

by the looks of the oil, you might have a bearing in the trans going out. How many miles are on the trans?

 

[tighty]

~120,000.

The transmission has been always been a bit noisy and whiney in first. So I guess I need to crack open the transmission to check the bearings. Is this something I can replace easily or would a full rebuild be in order? Probably just go to the junk yard and try to find a transmission if I can determine a bad bearing and its not a relatively simple fix.

Thanks

 

[tighty]

Update for this thread:

I took the transmission apart and other than having a dirty film to it didn't seem anything that looked damaged or worn too badly. I replaced the clutch components and have put everything back together....and then when I was filling it I dropped approximately 3/4 of rubber vacuum tubing I was using to help fill into the fill hole....

This may be a dumb question...but will that piece of hose cause any issues? The gears seemed to eat up the penny pretty well I was using to torque the nuts on the end of the shaft? Should I tear everything back apart to get it out or just run it and flush the trans a few times?

 

[jimbecker3]

I would look at the master an slave cylinder just because it sounds like a problem my brother had and that fixed it

 

[Zach H]

Slave cylinders are a common issue I have had. If the slaves bad you probably aren't fully disengaging.

 

[tighty]

Wanted to update this issue and not leave it hanging. The original issue is solved, but still having some oddities I'm trying to figure out.

What I did:
-Replaced clutch with new ACT2100 and Fidanza friction surfaces, shimmed pivot ball

If I did it all over again, I would flush the fluid and drive it to see if the problem went away before changing everything.

Drove it for a few months with some cheapo Valvoline 75w-90 which by label looked ok for GL-4, but found spec sheet later saying not to use in trans with synros. Replaced this with new fluid from Jack's trans.

The original problem started shortly after I replaced it with fluid from them I received in a bulk bottle. I remember this fluid had a very pungent smell, and the Valvoline had almost the exact same smell. The new fluid I received from Jack's is Mitsubishi branded 75w-80 if I remember correctly (will check when I get home) and the smell is not half as strong/bad as the stuff I received last time or the Valvoline, even though I expected to get the exact same fluid.

Current Issues:
-Valvoline flush, the fluid was still fairly dirty, I have no idea how it's getting dirty. I want to say it almost looks like there is some sort of grease in the transmission. When I tore it apart, the magnet in the trans was covered in goop.
-Consistent "Tinny" noise in 1st on accel around 2.5-3k rpms. Will very occasionally do this in coast down on 2nd-3rd. This coincided exactly with the changing of the fluid to the new stuff sent by Jack's. Never heard this sound before.

I bought new master and slave cylinders, gonna see if it helps. Sorry for the wall of text, hope this helps someone else.

 

[CountryDSM]

120k on my transmission and did the exact same thing. My clutch dropped to the floor before I replaced it and I had to pump it to get it to have some engagement. Replaced the slave master and walla.