Clutch really stiff and pops towards full engagement

[Stoner]

The clutch is an ACT 2600 and I was told when i bought the car it was fairly new. Basically what is happening is when the clutch is pushed in it is extremely stiff and pops at about 3/4 engagement. Also seems to get better when car is sped up and shifted into 4th gear and driven for a short period of time. After that the clutch will work fine for a bit and as soon as you have to drive with short slow speed shifts, i.e. drivethrough or congested traffic it starts to mess up again. When it is messing up it is also hard to get into gear and sometimes i will have to let out and slam the clutch back in and then it will go into gear.

So far we have the tranny and everything out and nothing seems to be bad. The clutch and pressure plate look brand new and the throwout bearing appears in good shape. Flywheel specs at .595??? does this sound about right. I checked ACT website and couldnt find reccommended step spec? Does the tob have to be the one that comes with the ACT clutch kit or can a new stock one be used. THe reason I ask is since we were taking the tranny out I ordered a new oem tob since it was only 20 bucks. After looking at ACT website and seeing that they send one with the kit I am wondering if it is ok to use oem???

Any help or ideas would be great.

Thanks,
Ben

 

[Stoner]

Doesnt anybody have any ideas or places to start...

 

[philipkrotch]

i hate to say this but maybe its a sign of crankwalk? maybe not but is my first suggestion if the clutch and everything are fine. but first, check the slave cylinder and clutch master cylinder.

 

[Stoner]

I am replacing the slave cylinder, but how do you check the master cylinder? We checked and didnt see any signs of endplay in the crank, so my fingers are crossed on that one. But hey if that is the problem its a great excuse for a built 6 bolt

 

[4pistons]

Does the CLUTCH pop, I mean is the sound coming from under the hood, or is it something you feel in the clutch pedal?

If the clutch, pressure plate, fork, and TO bearing look good it's probably something else. My first reaction to your post is your pedal bracket under the dash is broken and popping. I pulled my pedal assembly out to install Taboo's bushing kit and found the stamped steel pedal bracket had broken. That's why my clutch engagement sucked.

Unfortunately it is almost impossible to see far enough up under the dash to check if yours is broken. I would HIGHLY recommend doing all the mods you can to support that ACT2600 clutch to eliminate any potential failures and that means pulling your pedal assembly out and going over it. It is a pain in the ass to do but the results with the bushings are worth it!

Go to Taboo's install page http://www.taboospeedshop.com/installationtips.htm and read all the info in the clutch section. It is very helpful and explains alot.

The other thing to check is your bellhousing. Be sure it is bolted up tightly with all the bolts and that none of the bosses have cracked. They've been known to come apart before and then when you press the clutch it jacks the tranny away from the engine and breaks things. Go ahead, ask me how I know that too!

Rick - '91 GSX

 

[Stoner]

I looked at the clutch pedal bracket ( right above the clutch pedal right) and everthing appears in good shape and all bolts are tight. Is there a better way besides removing the whole thing, to check it out...

 

[4pistons]

Like I said it is very difficult to see up there. You have to look where the whole bracket bolts to the firewall and supports the pedals. The clutch pedal is on the far left and the actuating lever is on the far right so anything in between could affect it. Also check that actuating lever to be sure it is not loose and moving independantly of the pedal.

Rick - '91 GSX

 

[Stoner]

R the 2g's and 1g's set up the same, because I dont see any levers on the right above the gas pedal at all. I know that you said it is hard to see up in there but i was upside down with a light and didnt see anything. It looked to me like everything was right above the clutch pedal.

Let me know and i will check again. And the sound can be heard in and under the car so I dont know where exactly it is comming from. But it can deffinately be felt in the pedal.

 

[4pistons]

Now that I look at the diagrams in the manual I think the 2G is different than the 1G. You're right there is no lever on the right. Sorry to make you go through all that but it doesn't hurt to check it. Just be sure to inspect it closely. What may be a noticable crack when you press the clutch might be very hard to see when everything is relaxed. Any way you can crawl under there and look while someone is pressing and releasing the clutch?

Rick - '91 GSX

 

[Stoner]

Thanks for the advice and clearing that up for me

 

[midnght]

The clutch is an ACT 2600 and I was told when i bought the car it was fairly new. Basically what is happening is when the clutch is pushed in it is extremely stiff and pops at about 3/4 engagement. Also seems to get better when car is sped up and shifted into 4th gear and driven for a short period of time. After that the clutch will work fine for a bit and as soon as you have to drive with short slow speed shifts, i.e. drivethrough or congested traffic it starts to mess up again. When it is messing up it is also hard to get into gear and sometimes i will have to let out and slam the clutch back in and then it will go into gear.

Mine did the same thing when I installed it. Did you try adjusting the clutch when it was in? It got to be hard to put in gear in the normal traffic in town. I just adjusted the clutch and gave it a few pumps on the pedal and it was solved.

 

[Stoner]

PROBLEM SOLVED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =)

If anyone is having similar problem as I did, do your self a favor and replace your clutch slave cylinder and buy a stainless steel clutch line from slowboy racing and eliminate your damper (2g only). Do this before proceeding with any other steps like I did. I had the transmission out as well as most of the front suspension.

But what the hell I learned a few things along the way so it wasnt all wasted.

This is exactly what solved my problem, my clutch shifts like a brand new stock clutch now.

:laugh: