clutch slipping,need suggestions!

[camas90gsx]

I installed a new clutch a couple of weeks ago since my old one crapped out on me.Anyways the clutch i got is a kevlar stage 2 clutch from o'reillys,when i got the clutch i was in a major hurry to get the job done since i only had 36 hours to get the clutch installed before i had to go back to work.Otherwise i would've gone with a act 2600.The clutch was suggested to me by the employee(he is a friend of mine as well)of o'reillys.He had the exact same clutch on his 1g dsm before and he said it held strong on his 370hp dsm running 22lbs of boost.

I have roughly 800 miles on the clutch now and it is slipping at 12lbs or above in 3rd,4th,and 5th only.I did break it in correctly,the only time i slipped it before that was when i was burning out some seafoam from my intake before i changed my oil,and a couple other times too but nothing major.
The clutch feels way lighter than my last clutch even though this one is considered more heavy duty than my last one.Also it doesnt engage until i am a little less than half way out.I know of all the things to avoid when installing a clutch,like dont get any oil or grease on it,break it in slowly,got the flywheel surfaced properly,bolts were torqued to spec,etc etc...And i got a brand new slave cylinder along with the clutch kit.I bled it out twice after install so far just to be safe,and the fluid is clean and brand new.

It just really doesnt seem like this clutch should be slipping at such low boost.It is considered an upgraded clutch kit from my previous clutch,and that clutch held strong all the way to 25lbs until the last day i had it and it started slipping on the dyno at 20lbs and then crapped out later that morning.

I didnt turn my boost up above stock until 650 miles and it does seem to be slipping less now than when i first turned up the boost though,so thats a plus i guess.At first it was slipping at like 8-10 lbs now its not until 12 lbs or so,and hasnt slipped at all in first and 2nd gear yet.Does anybody have any tips or ideas short of pulling off the tranny and everything else to inspect it? Im hoping that maybe someone has been through a similar situation and ended up doing some sort of adjustment or trick to help with the slipping.Maybe it is just too soon to be turning the boost up,but on clutches in the past they were usually good to go after 500 miles.I am currently running e-85 and my car is more than capable of running 25 lbs all day with no issues other than the clutch.Any ideas y'all???

 

[jayson427]

Besides the boost you were running are you 100% you broke it in correctly?

 

[re-rx7]

You have that slave cylinder adjusted properly?

 

[2literking]

you might have an oil leak on the rear main seal. if any oil gets on the clutch, it won't grab right. that might have been there on your old one, but you didn't notice because of whatever the bigger problem was. is there any oil leakage on the ground? this could indicate a rear main seal leak. this isn't an easy diagnosis, however.. you gotta pull the engineagain to get to it.

 

[re-rx7]

Ifthe tranny is out you can get to it.

 

[camas90gsx]

you might have an oil leak on the rear main seal. if any oil gets on the clutch, it won't grab right. that might have been there on your old one, but you didn't notice because of whatever the bigger problem was. is there any oil leakage on the ground? this could indicate a rear main seal leak. this isn't an easy diagnosis, however.. you gotta pull the engineagain to get to it.

The only oil leak i have is a leak around the back of the oil pan.Its the oil pan gasket,i plan on dropping the pan to check rod play so ill replace the gasket then.Im pretty sure i have the slave in right.How exactly would i check the slave anyway?

 

[My1GLaser]

I'm sure you don't want to hear this, but I hated my Kevlar clutch. I won't name brands and others have had great results with it. After one or two track pass, it would slip like a bi*** the rest of the night no matter how long I let it sit. It would slip all the way down the track in every gear from the launch. This was on 25+ psi on an HX-35. The next day it would be fine and never gave me problems on the street. They don't like heat. Maybe your clutch isn't adjusted properly and is partially engaged and getting really hot.

 

[XiKeiyaZI]

I'm sure you don't want to hear this, but I hated my Kevlar clutch. I won't name brands and others have had great results with it. After one or two track pass, it would slip like a bi*** the rest of the night no matter how long I let it sit. It would slip all the way down the track in every gear from the launch. This was on 25+ psi on an HX-35. The next day it would be fine and never gave me problems on the street. They don't like heat. Maybe your clutch isn't adjusted properly and is partially engaged and getting really hot.

TMZ Performance

Say hello to the last clutch you'll ever need.

Proper clutch adjustment, installation, and launching/driving habits are what make and break clutches outside of manufacturer faults. What works for one way of driving under the same conditions may fail under another and their habits. There are a few brands out there that have huge followings be it for sheer name recognition or proven performance. The above linked clutch series has been promoted by myself to dozens of people who followed through, purchased, and were completely happy with their purchase under daily driving and track conditions.

Now, back to the factor here - if you are running a clutch improperly adjusted, slipping it to high heaven, or riding it constantly you are likely going to see ill results before too long. Simply make sure that you have everything within spec before proceeding to beat on it after the initial break-in period. In your case specifically I'm going to have to say that the Kevlar Part-Store-Special was a poor choice and that the clutch simply isn't all it was cracked up to be.

 

[My1GLaser]

I went with a Clutch Net sprung 6 puck. I have a 3200 PP. I had the same PP with that disc in the link. Not saying it isn't a good product. It seemed to be high quality and Tim was great to deal with. It just didn't work with my driving style I guess.

Yeah I slip it a good bit when I launch. It was aggravating as hell. I went to the track 3 different times over a few month period and I had the same issue every time. The clutchnet holds great for me.

 

[XiKeiyaZI]

I went with a Clutch Net sprung 6 puck. I have a 3200 PP. I had the same PP with that disc in the link. Not saying it isn't a good product. It seemed to be high quality and Tim was great to deal with. It just didn't work with my driving style I guess.

Yeah I slip it a good bit when I launch. I was aggravating as hell. I went to the track 3 different times over a few month period and I had the same issue every time. The clutchnet holds great for me.

Gotta be the first time I've heard of one not holding up. Suppose they all can't be perfect. You sure you weren't holding the clutch halfway down through the 60ft mark?

In any case, however - it is highly dependent on your driving style, installation, and driving conditions.

 

[camas90gsx]

TMZ Performance

Say hello to the last clutch you'll ever need.

Proper clutch adjustment, installation, and launching/driving habits are what make and break clutches outside of manufacturer faults. What works for one way of driving under the same conditions may fail under another and their habits. There are a few brands out there that have huge followings be it for sheer name recognition or proven performance. The above linked clutch series has been promoted by myself to dozens of people who followed through, purchased, and were completely happy with their purchase under daily driving and track conditions.

Now, back to the factor here - if you are running a clutch improperly adjusted, slipping it to high heaven, or riding it constantly you are likely going to see ill results before too long. Simply make sure that you have everything within spec before proceeding to beat on it after the initial break-in period. In your case specifically I'm going to have to say that the Kevlar Part-Store-Special was a poor choice and that the clutch simply isn't all it was cracked up to be.

I would have to say that everything seems adjusted well.I just went and checked over rod placement,and bled the slave again just for the hell of it and its still slipping.I did this install 100% by the book,which usually is'nt my style honestly.I have by no means beat on the new clutch by any means though.I set my m.b.c. at 7lbs for the first 7-800 miles with absolutely no launches.Right at 800 or so miles i pulled off my m.b.c. and ran off of stock internal wastegate for boost,which is maybe 12-13 at best.

Believe me,i would love nothing more than to set my boost back to 25 lbs like it was on my stock clutch and just rip but i obviously cant without ill results.Ill just set it at 10lbs since thats as much as it seems to want to handle and switch back to my pump gas chip and drive it like a stocker until next year when i can afford to tackle a clutch job again.Its unfortunate but hey its been one of those kind of years across the board for me.I wish i would have had the time to order a clutch that i really wanted but i had to be at work the next day and that was the best clutch i could find locally on short notice.My dd maxima was totalled in a 5 car pile up a couple of monthes ago,so my dsm is my only ride for now.Hey,i probably wont have an issue with speeding tickets rocking 10lbs of boost though,. Lesson learned

I would have to say that everything seems adjusted well.I just went and checked over rod placement,and bled the slave again just for the hell of it and its still slipping.I did this install 100% by the book,which usually is'nt my style honestly.I have by no means beat on the new clutch by any means though.I set my m.b.c. at 7lbs for the first 7-800 miles with absolutely no launches.Right at 800 or so miles i pulled off my m.b.c. and ran off of stock internal wastegate for boost,which is maybe 12-13 at best.

Believe me,i would love nothing more than to set my boost back to 25 lbs like it was on my stock clutch and just rip but i obviously cant without ill results.Ill just set it at 10lbs since thats as much as it seems to want to handle and switch back to my pump gas chip and drive it like a stocker until next year when i can afford to tackle a clutch job again.Or maybe it will start holding for me eventually

 

[boost97gst]

I think i have the same clutch. Oreilly's. Sachs HD PP with racing clutch? Something like that? I know that the srt4s come with sachs so i figured id try it. Im sure im putting down some decent numbers and its never slipped for me. I have roughly 1k miles on mine and have never launched it btw. I have a FWD afterall, why would i launch it .

 

[re-rx7]

There is a video on youtube on properly bleeding and setting up the slave cylinder.

 

[camas90gsx]

I think i have the same clutch. Oreilly's. Sachs HD PP with racing clutch? Something like that? I know that the srt4s come with sachs so i figured id try it. Im sure im putting down some decent numbers and its never slipped for me. I have roughly 1k miles on mine and have never launched it btw. I have a FWD afterall, why would i launch it .

Yep thats the clutch! Btw,after crying in my beer last night i grabbed the chilton and went out and started messing around with my clutch rod and slave and reaized that when i was installing the new slave the rod got bent a little bit.I got it straightened out and bled it AGAIN and went for a drive,the clutch was engaging alot differently than before.Then i took it out this morning and got on it thinking i was still at stock boost and it hit 18lbs like that,with no slipping.When i had my intake off last night messing with the slave i did a b.l.t. since the intake pipe was off anyway, i had turned my m.b.c. up to 20lbs so it wouldnt bleed out during the b.l.t. Anyways,i forgot it was turned up.
So then i took it out on the highway and got in a little pissing match with a wrx and spanked all over him with no slippage in 1st through 4th.Although it felt like it was starting to slip a little bit in 5th at 20lbs,so i let off immediately just to be safe.Im not positive it was slipping,but i wanna be sure so i dont jack up the clutch in the meantime.Hopefully this will be the end to my little dilemma.

 

[clipto]

Glad you got it fixed, now try and see if it will hold 30psi.

 

[camas90gsx]

Glad you got it fixed, now try and see if it will hold 30psi.

Not yet my man.Im gonna go ahead and set it at 16lbs until i hit the 1k mile mark,then i'll get it back up to the 20lb range.I just hope i didnt do too much damage already by slipping it.Idk man,the guy that sold me the clutch had the exact same setup on his 370hp 1g and he said it held like a champ,and he is a buddy of mine with no reason to lie.Im in about the same hp range as that so i thought it would be alright for my setup for the time being.Either way i wish i had the time to order a southbend like stacy reccomended and i wouldnt be in this mess.Oh well,that will be my next project after getting all my other little issues dealt with first like belts,c.v. joints,etc etc..

B.T.W. get your talon over to my place this weekend so we can get your issues dealt with.Maybe we can get my alternator and p.s. belts done too

 

[clipto]

Not yet my man.Im gonna go ahead and set it at 16lbs until i hit the 1k mile mark,then i'll get it back up to the 20lb range.I just hope i didnt do too much damage already by slipping it.Idk man,the guy that sold me the clutch had the exact same setup on his 370hp 1g and he said it held like a champ,and he is a buddy of mine with no reason to lie.Im in about the same hp range as that so i thought it would be alright for my setup for the time being.Either way i wish i had the time to order a southbend like stacy reccomended and i wouldnt be in this mess.Oh well,that will be my next project after getting all my other little issues dealt with first like belts,c.v. joints,etc etc..

B.T.W. get your talon over to my place this weekend so we can get your issues dealt with.Maybe we can get my alternator and p.s. belts done too

Yea man break it in and hopefully this one will hold. Am I still coming over today after I get off work? You got my $15 right.
P.S you get my 1,000th post on your thread.