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T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

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Old 07-21-2016, 08:38 AM
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T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

Hi guys, Im left scratching my head once again. I keep getting continuous failures of the clutch. At first i thought it was me being a shitty driver/too harsh on the them but im starting to think i have something else going on. Im about 4 failed clutches in 7-8 years now, the most recent failed after just 2 weeks, and every time they have failed its for a different reason.
1st clutch - autozone fw/centerforce clutch was oil soaked from oil sender and having 2.73's - slipping
2nd clutch - billet fw/spec clutch failed from a bad TO bearing - Tore in half, Disc was "worn" past spec, NOT worn to the rivets, no burns, no huge signs of wear, disc still looked new. low pedal - slipping under high load
3rd clutch - reused spec fw (cookied it) new bandoff 6 puck clutch kit - pressure plate fingers bent - low pedal NO slipping.
The set thats in the car currently, Machined spec flywheel, New bandoff 6 puck clutch kit, Pedal feels great, after 225 miles, clutch severely slips at moderate pedal.
Everytime except this most recent they were all driven to the 500 mile mark and broken in (Spec clutch was about 8-900) according to manufactures specs. (No hard driving) All pressure plate bolts were torqued down to spec and had thread locker on them, in sequence, with cleaned threads on every install. New hydraulics with third gen pedals. Ive never even heard of people having this much trouble with a clutch. Any input is appreciated.
Old 07-21-2016, 03:42 PM
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Re: T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

I believe the third gen pedals are your problem. What clutch master cylinder are you using?

Originally Posted by 86CamaroDan
Hi guys, Im left scratching my head once again. I keep getting continuous failures of the clutch. At first i thought it was me being a shitty driver/too harsh on the them but im starting to think i have something else going on. Im about 4 failed clutches in 7-8 years now, the most recent failed after just 2 weeks, and every time they have failed its for a different reason.
1st clutch - autozone fw/centerforce clutch was oil soaked from oil sender and having 2.73's - slipping
2nd clutch - billet fw/spec clutch failed from a bad TO bearing - Tore in half, Disc was "worn" past spec, NOT worn to the rivets, no burns, no huge signs of wear, disc still looked new. low pedal - slipping under high load
3rd clutch - reused spec fw (cookied it) new bandoff 6 puck clutch kit - pressure plate fingers bent - low pedal NO slipping.
The set thats in the car currently, Machined spec flywheel, New bandoff 6 puck clutch kit, Pedal feels great, after 225 miles, clutch severely slips at moderate pedal.
Everytime except this most recent they were all driven to the 500 mile mark and broken in (Spec clutch was about 8-900) according to manufactures specs. (No hard driving) All pressure plate bolts were torqued down to spec and had thread locker on them, in sequence, with cleaned threads on every install. New hydraulics with third gen pedals. Ive never even heard of people having this much trouble with a clutch. Any input is appreciated.
Old 07-21-2016, 03:56 PM
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Re: T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

4th gen master and slave. Ive got a temp pedal stop in it at the moment to stop if from any potential over extending. I was starting to wonder if it was pulling it too far. Slips right into gear fine in the first 10% of pedal travel so i havent gotten it past 3/4 pedal travel. Im starting to wonder if its just not broken in yet, and the combination of the blower that i added a couple months ago, its just more power in the break in period than the perv clutches.
Old 07-21-2016, 06:37 PM
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Re: T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

This thread can be deleted. Found the issue, The brand new rear main i installed is puking. typical.
Old 07-22-2016, 10:21 AM
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Re: T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

You mentioned a 4th gen slave. Earlier this year I had to rebuild my t56 and it took about 2 weeks. I left my slave hanging while I rebuilt the transmission. I did change the throw out bearing but not the slave. After reinstalling the transmission the clutch would barely move the car. I ran to the zone and swapped out for a new slave under warranty. Got home pulled the transmission again and compared the two together thinking that perhaps the throwout bearing and slave housings were not compatible with each other. ALL WRONG. What had happened was while the slave was hanging it had kind of gravity fed itself. In other words when I let off the clutch pedal it only allows so much fluid out and did not completely collapse and the end result was a slipping clutch. All I really had to do was open the bleeder instead of R&R the transmission. I feel pretty foolish considering I have a remote bleeder, I didn't even have to jack up the car. I understand that you found other issues this time around but, I still want to share this and maybe save someone else a few hours of work. I definitely recommend a tick remote bleeder, and while you are checking that out also check out the tick master cylinder. You can get the very same TILTON master cylinder from summit for about $80 make your own bracket and save $250 over the tick piece. I have that setup now and the pedal in my car is firmer than my duramax.
Old 07-22-2016, 10:52 AM
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Re: T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

odd, i dont have a bleeder on mine.
Old 07-23-2016, 09:52 AM
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Re: T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

Did you remove it ?
Old 07-23-2016, 05:40 PM
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Re: T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

No, never came with one. What is the bleeder on? The slave is it a line off the slave?
Old 07-23-2016, 05:41 PM
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Re: T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

Aah wait a second, your a LS1 T56, i have a diferent slave, yours is on the input shaft and has a bleeder, LT T56's dont have a bleeder
Old 07-24-2016, 08:58 AM
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Re: T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

Originally Posted by 91ls1t56
You mentioned a 4th gen slave. Earlier this year I had to rebuild my t56 and it took about 2 weeks. I left my slave hanging while I rebuilt the transmission. I did change the throw out bearing but not the slave. After reinstalling the transmission the clutch would barely move the car. I ran to the zone and swapped out for a new slave under warranty. Got home pulled the transmission again and compared the two together thinking that perhaps the throwout bearing and slave housings were not compatible with each other. ALL WRONG. What had happened was while the slave was hanging it had kind of gravity fed itself. In other words when I let off the clutch pedal it only allows so much fluid out and did not completely collapse and the end result was a slipping clutch. All I really had to do was open the bleeder instead of R&R the transmission. I feel pretty foolish considering I have a remote bleeder, I didn't even have to jack up the car. I understand that you found other issues this time around but, I still want to share this and maybe save someone else a few hours of work. I definitely recommend a tick remote bleeder, and while you are checking that out also check out the tick master cylinder. You can get the very same TILTON master cylinder from summit for about $80 make your own bracket and save $250 over the tick piece. I have that setup now and the pedal in my car is firmer than my duramax.
When the pedal is completely up, the opening from reservoir to master should be open, not blocked like yours was. Preloading the slave with pressure will let the clutch slip, like you said, and kill the bearing. It also makes it more effort to bleed. Adjustment may fix it, if within the length of the tilton pushrod and your bracket measurements. This info applies to an LT1 setup too.
Old 07-24-2016, 10:49 AM
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Re: T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

Good info. I dont have any trouble pushing the slave pushrod in and having fluid come back to the res, so i dont belive thats my issue - If it was i wouldnt be able to push the fluid back
Old 07-24-2016, 11:42 AM
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Re: T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

Originally Posted by 86CamaroDan
Aah wait a second, your a LS1 T56, i have a diferent slave, yours is on the input shaft and has a bleeder, LT T56's dont have a bleeder
Yup, that'll do it.
Old 07-24-2016, 01:16 PM
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Re: T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

Originally Posted by 86CamaroDan
Good info. I dont have any trouble pushing the slave pushrod in and having fluid come back to the res, so i dont belive thats my issue - If it was i wouldnt be able to push the fluid back
There is good reason I didn't quote any of your posts when I stated the above.

Hope your RMS replacement corrects the lifespan of your clutch.
Old 07-29-2016, 10:16 AM
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Re: T56 Clutch Failure - At wit's end

Originally Posted by jmd
There is good reason I didn't quote any of your posts when I stated the above.

Hope your RMS replacement corrects the lifespan of your clutch.
hahaha thanks, Me too!
after doing some reading, i think im going to install a pedal stop also. I think its over extending the throw of the pressure plate
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