What is breaking in the clutch?

[my95tsi]

Ok I just got my Act 2100 clutch and Xact flywheel installed today along wiht my B&M lsd insert. We did it at my buddies shop and all went great. We took it for a test drive and all i can say is wow. It's not even the same car anymore, its actually pretty insane. Anyways we drove it around the block maybe 2 miles at most. I wanted to feel the lsd so i hit it a couple times from a first gear role and i was very impressed. I didn't launch it at all b/c i want to break it in properly. But here's my questions after a few hard pulls we noticed a burning clutch smell. It's not slipping so why is it burning? I don't smell it anymore after i don't get on it. It's only when i really get on it when i smell clutch. Is this normal or am i being too abusive. I plan i breakin git in but i just thought go easy on it most of the time and don't launch it at all. Just one test run and it's burning? I'm babying it now and as long as it don't rev high it doesn't smell. i hope i din't mess anything up....

 

[00 Agent]

You shoudln't be getting on it at all during the break-in period. Baby it.

 

[DSMeclipse4G63]

the burning smell is your clutch, you are supposed to break in your clutch for 300-500miles of no more then 3k rpms and try not to boost. The reason you smell burning clutch but no slipping is because the clutch disc hasnt seated to the flywheel yet. The disc and flywheel are kinda like a brake disc and pad they need to seat in order to clamp properly. I broke in my clutch and flywheel for 500 miles of no more then 3k rpms and no boost and it is to this day holding up like the first mile with all my mods without breaking a sweat. Let me know how the lsd is, I may be in the market for one.
Andrew

 

[my95tsi]

Well good thing i asked. I just thought you can't launch it. Oh well it was only around the block. The lsd is amazing though i have to say. I'll let you know later on after i break in my clutch but it's a world of diffference. It's almost like awd but not quite, it pulls much harder on the takeoff. With the flywheel it's evn better.

 

[Aikouka]

Well, I got my car about a year ago from a guy with a blown engine, and how I mentioned it was finally finished about a month or so ago. And the other day, I think I remembered something very crucial after someone told me they smelled a burning clutch ... on the windshield, I coulda sworn it said "new clutch", and I remember reading this thread about breaking the clutch in. I used to shift the car at 4000 and I've since, after talking to a friend, started shifting at 3000.

I've only driven about ... 120 miles or so with the 4000rpm shifting, but I've had some accidental high rpm let-outs of the clutch (I was new to manual, so they're bound to happen.) And today when I went to get my car aligned (that's another story in itself), I asked the mechanic how it felt when driving it (they test drove the car to check how the car was aligned themselves) and he asked me if the clutch disc was new, because he said it felt like it needed to be replaced. I didn't ask him why he thought that, but what are your thoughts?

Did I mess up my clutch disc without knowing it? I've been doing my best to baby the thing since I realized I had a new disc.

Thank you for any advice you can give me.

 

[my95tsi]

It really doesn't matter what rpm you bring the car up to. 3000 is some magical number that someone came up with. You just don't want to launch the car or shift really quick especially at high rpm's but once the clutch is engaged you can take it to any rpm but i would stay away from redlining it. The purpose of not shifting fast is b/c the clutch isn't properly seated to the flyhwheel and with the sudden jolt it will just slip. So it's ok to bring it higher than 300 it won't hurt anything.

 

[midnght]

So it's ok to bring it higher than 300 it won't hurt anything.

If you are modded though, you should try and stay out of boost. Going up in the rpms doesn't mean you have to boost. Be gradual (sp) with it. Don't just go with it after you are rolling. The 300 mile break in is probly good enough. No launches and stay off boost as much as possible.

 

[my95tsi]

I kinda forgot about the 500 miles break in right after we put in the clutch. We took it around the block which is about 4 miles and hit it plenty of times. No launching but we took it up pretty high. I didn't smell clutch until i shifted hard from 1st to second and the rpms didn't drop right away. After that i've been babying it. I just drive it normal basically and stay off the boost 75% of the time unless i had to get onto the highway. I figure about 300 more miles of really babying it and i'm all good.

 

[midnght]

You should be ok with it all.

The T-25 does get more power than a N/A motor, but it is not enough to really give your new HD clutch a workout. Just do as you have been.

 

[Aikouka]

Well, the reason I dropped from 4000rpm shifting to 3000rpm wasn't just for the clutch, but I was told it's better for gas mileage to not shift that high.

One oddity ... my cannot properly align my left shift cable. It's always just a little bit off. Could my cable be stretched?

Oh and I have the 14b.

 

[my95tsi]

well i have gone well over 500 miles so far. I think i asctually over did it. I've purposely used stop and go traffic to my advantage. The cluthc defintely feels broken in. The car runs great but i still smell clutch when i drive hard and shift hard. I just decided to try and tune my car today. I was running rich so i cranked up the boost 1/2 a psi to see if it made a difference. I didn't launch but i pulled hard starting from a roll in 1st. My logger said i shifted at 7045 rpms. I made a couple passes then came to a stop and the cluthc could've choked me. The clutch doesn't slip at all, and pulls great. I'm still trying to get used to my lightweight flywheel b/c i have to rev it just a alittle higher than usual when starting off but otherwise everything is good. Is this normal for the cltuch to smell like this when its new. My buddy said clutches usually have a break in material and it will smell for alittle bit but then go away, is this true?

 

[my95tsi]

the only other reason i can think of my clutch smelling is that it is not disenagging all the way. However it shifts fine with no grinding and it engages about 1-2 inches off the floor which is perfect. The clutch was never adjusted when we put in the 2100 but they said it didn't need to be after the test drive. In a matter of fact i've never had my tranny shift sogood since i've goten my new clutch in.