Oil pan off, NEED OPINIONS ASAP!!

[1glaserfwd]

Well I just wanted to update this thread and get a few more opinions. I finally got the engine back from the machine shop, which still to this day says THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING THEY DID WRONG!! He told me when I picked the block up yesterday that its going to happen again cause my car is set up poorly!

This time around I told them to line bore it to make sure everything was good, he said it did not need it but he would do it anyway. At least I hope he did it.

Now to the point, I have had a few issues with my clutch engagement and getting it adjusted perfectly and I am pretty certain that is not why my engine ate the thrust and main bearing in 200 miles. But now I am way stressed about making absolutely sure I can get my clutch adjusted perfectly, the problem is I have tried everything and still cant get it just right. It engages a mm off the floor no matter what I do. The master rod is out as far as possible if I go in any farther it wont engage at all. The master and slave are new, the pedal assembly has been rebuilt, the fork and fulcrum ball are new. When I shimmed the ball it seemed to help a bit but seems that would put more pressure on the end play. I know there should be a tiny bit of free play at the top of the pedal and mine had none!

Anyway any suggestions would be appreciated, excited to get this car back together and at the track by the end of this month! Thanks guys.

 

[blackrosenova40]

Never heard of those specs. In fact the correct specs are 1/2 an inch between the clutch brake and throwout bearing, and an 1/8th of an inch between clutch forks and throwout bearing. If the linkage isnt worn it should give you 1.5 inches of free pedal travel and good clutch brake engagement.

The spec for a semi as noted above with a spicer trans is 1.75in. For an eaton is 3.25. On put cars you want about an inch of ply at the top. But any at all rules out the clutch adjustment as the issue

 

[donniekak]

With the clutch master fully extended the master cylinder can't pump down through the internal valve. Pressure will build and there will be constant pressure on the pressure plate, and thrust bearing.

 

[boost97gst]

as stated before, calling the BAR and BBB will go a long ways for you. at the same time, you need to handle the situation with tact. the machine shop definitely sounds like they skipped a step or didnt pay attention.

i recently picked up a BBC i had at the machinist and had to make a couple phone calls as he claimed certain parts that were ordered were one thing, and they definitely werent. he also "lost" new parts that i had purchased through him and lost new parts i had brought him prior to machine work.

chrome-moly piston rings were not chrome-moly, lost my main bearings, and lost the ARP main studs i brought specifically for him to align bore/hone the mains

talk about frusterating

He speaks the TRUTH hallelujah!! . No sh!t tho, call the BBB at the very least and you WILL see results. It puts the fear into any auto shop with the quickness. I was rescued by the BBB on a real ###-O job a shop did. Ended up losing alot of time but paid absolutely nothing to them and even made them spend extra to tow it to the shop of my choice.

A lawyer is a bad bad idea. You dont know what the retainers are and trust me you will have at best, a mediocre outcome. Youre not going to "win" the case. there is no real winner in those situations. Too many variables. Be easy and try to talk sense into the shop. Then proceed with BBB and (BAR?) and then you'l;l see some action. They will get angry but you'll get your way.

IMO, i dont think any clutch could do that much thrust bearing damage unless you simply idled it constantly while holding the clutch in and the PP was over 2600lbs. Or did a ton of city driving but thats a stretch. Good luck and keep us posted.


edit: Totally missed the part where you said you got the engine back. NVM. But for future reference info is still good.

 

[1glaserfwd]

With the clutch master fully extended the master cylinder can't pump down through the internal valve. Pressure will build and there will be constant pressure on the pressure plate, and thrust bearing.

Any suggestions on how to fix this problem? If I adjust it any further in the car will not go into gear!! I feel like I tried everything before and still had the same results!!

 

[Zufelt]

Any suggestions on how to fix this problem? If I adjust it any further in the car will not go into gear!! I feel like I tried everything before and still had the same results!!

How old is your clutch? Is the pivot ball shimmed? If so how many washers..

Have you looked at the clutch fork window to see if your hitting the bell housing?

 

[1glaserfwd]

How old is your clutch? Is the pivot ball shimmed? If so how many washers..

Have you looked at the clutch fork window to see if your hitting the bell housing?

I tried one washer at first and it did not seem to help engagement at all, I then tried two washers and that seemed to help but still not right, seems that pushes even more on the pressure plate. How would I know if its hitting the bell housing? I just barely got the engine back so I am not to installing the trans yet but I will in the next few days!!

 

[Zufelt]

Get under the car and look at the clutch fork window.. See if the fork is hitting the metal square when the clutch is pushed in

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Get under the car and look at the clutch fork window.. See if the fork is hitting the metal square when the clutch is pushed in

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[Spoolin98]

I know you said the fork and ball are new, are they OEM units?
If they are both new you shouldnt shim the ball.

If your master rod is extended all the way out, giving you more pedal throw, you might be blocking the internal valve. (Atleast thats how a 2g master is, someone correct me if im wrong for the 1g)
An easy way to tell if your blocking the valve is to see if you can manually push the slave cylinder rod in by hand. If it pushes in your good, if it doesnt budge your blocking the valve.

Im surprised no one brought this up yet, have you checked to see if you clutch is dragging? That will cause major issues with getting it into gear. I just ran into this with a brand new clutch setup. If your clutch is dragging you will not be able to properly adjust your clutch pedal and the trans will lock you out of the gears.
What clutch and pp are you using?

 

[1glaserfwd]

Clutch is a stage 4 comp with oe flywheel! Clutch prob has 400 miles on it! Fork and ball are OE and new! Clutch is dragging when revving to 5500 car will move! I thought the valve in the clutch master was on 2g only! Like I said all parts are OE new and if I adjust pedal 1 thread farther in car won't even go into gear! All started when I installed this clutch setup! So frustrating especially knowing it may have helped destroy my engine!

 

[Spoolin98]

Clutch is a stage 4 comp with oe flywheel! Clutch prob has 400 miles on it! Fork and ball are OE and new! Clutch is dragging when revving to 5500 car will move! I thought the valve in the clutch master was on 2g only! Like I said all parts are OE new and if I adjust pedal 1 thread farther in car won't even go into gear! All started when I installed this clutch setup! So frustrating especially knowing it may have helped destroy my engine!

Well like i previously said, i know the valve is in the 2g, not sure about the 1g.

First things first, you need to find out why your clutch is dragging. Do not drive the car with the clutch dragging or you will be rebuilding yours trans too.
This is the source of your problems with adjusting the pedal AND not being able to get the car in gear.

Was the OEM flywheel resurfaced before putting the clutch kit in?
If so, what was the flywheel step height?

 

[hotrodssnova]

It's the same on the 1 g also. Jack's transmission made a YouTube video. Makes it easy.

 

[lil corb]

Well like i previously said, i know the valve is in the 2g, not sure about the 1g.

First things first, you need to find out why your clutch is dragging. Do not drive the car with the clutch dragging or you will be rebuilding yours trans too.
This is the source of your problems with adjusting the pedal AND not being able to get the car in gear.

Was the OEM flywheel resurfaced before putting the clutch kit in?
If so, what was the flywheel step height?

Mike is right, better to atleast have one problem (engine) then two (engine and tranny). I am having the same issue with my SBC and I spoke to them and they recommend sending the disk back so they can grind it down so I can get it to stop dragging. Hopefully no damage has been down on my 1500 mile stg 3 shep trans. (Mind you I have exhausted everything possible besides shimming or extended rod).

Figure out clutch issue too!

GL

 

[MichaelSuch]

1. Bleed, bleed, bleed the clutch! Make sure there is absolutely no air in the lines, master and slave. Sometimes it can take a lot of bleeding to get air out of the master and slave.

2. Watch the video and perform the following, you clutch absolutely needs adjusted with a new clutch and flywheel: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYJxQyjIhUw]Proper Clutch Adjustment - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Spoolin98]

Mike is right, better to atleast have one problem (engine) then two (engine and tranny). I am having the same issue with my SBC and I spoke to them and they recommend sending the disk back so they can grind it down so I can get it to stop dragging. Hopefully no damage has been down on my 1500 mile stg 3 shep trans. (Mind you I have exhausted everything possible besides shimming or extended rod).

Figure out clutch issue too!

GL

I had the exact same problem with my SBC Kevlar clutch.
I bled the system thoroughly, adjusted the clutch per jacks video, triple checked the trans was aligned and torqued, adjusted my shifter cables, etc.
I too didn't try a shim or extended slave rod, I knew my ball and fork were good because they worked fine before I tore it apart. And the extended rod is not a proper fix for a dragging clutch.
SBC needs to get their act together, how hard is it to make sure the disks are of proper thickness before boxing them up.
Instead of changing my step height or shaving the disk I returned it under warranty and went with a ACT 2600 and street disk.
Reinstalled everything and now it shifts flawlessly.
I only drove it about 20 miles before tearing it back apart.
Point blank, do not drive your car with a dragging clutch, that is if you can even get it into gear...

 

[lil corb]

I had the exact same problem with my SBC Kevlar clutch.
I bled the system thoroughly, adjusted the clutch per jacks video, triple checked the trans was aligned and torqued, adjusted my shifter cables, etc.
I too didn't try a shim or extended slave rod, I knew my ball and fork were good because they worked fine before I tore it apart. And the extended rod is not a proper fix for a dragging clutch.
SBC needs to get their act together, how hard is it to make sure the disks are of proper thickness before boxing them up.
Instead of changing my step height or shaving the disk I returned it under warranty and went with a ACT 2600 and street disk.
Reinstalled everything and now it shifts flawlessly.
I only drove it about 20 miles before tearing it back apart.
Point blank, do not drive your car with a dragging clutch, that is if you can even get it into gear...

I am hoping no permanent damage has been done and I am going to see if shaving it down helps as I hear this SBC clutch are great (when in proper specs)

 

[Spoolin98]

I refused to send it in to be shaved, they didn't get it right the first time so why should I trust them to get it right the second time.
To each there own I guess.
Best of luck bud!