camaro1185

Trying to get a handle on what can be wrong with my clutch/hydraulics. I have 5K miles on my t56 swap with EVERYTHING being new, hydraulics, clutch, t bolt, fork etc and the clutch is officially smoked. From day 1 anytime I was backing out of the driveway or moving it into the garage where you never get to fully engage the clutch, it would make a wurring sound (I have a video I will upload later) and then will smell clutch. Ram told me thats just the clutch breaking in so I didn't think much of it, but it has never stopped. Also when driving the car hard in between shifts I smell clutch. The clutch does not engage (if its even fully engaging) until the pedal is almost fully out. It’s about 1 mm left on the throw before it actually engages. Any ideas of what I can check before I pull the trans.

I think 1 of 3 things can be happening:
1. For some reason the clutch is not fully engaging (the LT1 clutches are pull style) so therefore when its "engaged" the pressure of the PP forces the tob closer to engine, that moves the fork that pushes the piston of the slave cylinder in (toward the back of the motor).
2. The fork is not lined up on the TOB and when the clutch is pushed in its only grabbing some of the PP fingers.
3. The bolts of the PP are not torque properly allowing the pressure on the clutch disk to be more in places than others. VERY unlikely. I am OCD about torque things properly and making sure things are tight.

Other than that sound and the fact that my clutch is done after 5k miles there are no other noises. Also, other than that problem there are no other drivability problems. The stick moves easily when going between gears meaning its fully disengaging.

I wonder if its not fully engaging since my car engages so far out on the clutch throw, maybe the clutch is riding between the engage point and disengage?

jmd

iTrader: (4)

Could be Third gen pedals that release it too quickly, leaving it slipping at more of the travel of the pedal.

Which master is it? Big bore could make it worse.

"Lightswitch" clutch release could also be the clutch.

Overtorqued PP bolts usually lead to poor release, not too much release.

camaro1185

Stock 4th gen master and slave, bought brand new, never opened.

I torqued it to the torque spec found in the t56 sticky.

MoJoe

iTrader: (5)

How far was the flywheel turned (resurfaced thickness)?
Do you have a shim/spacer between the crank and flywheel?
Perhaps the clutch disc is too thin and the PP can't clamp on it?
Bad pressure plate not able to clamp the disc?

If the flywheel+PP stack is too short, the pull fork is always going to be pulling, like riding the clutch all the time.

Driving down the road, in 4th/5th/6th gear and standing on the gas... does the clutch slip? Does the engine RPM climb faster the your speed?

camaro1185

It was an auto so everything was brand new. Flywheel stock replacement one from Napa.

No shim or spacer.

If i stand on it in 4th, it may slip sometimes, 5th and 6th, slips at anything other than maintaining highway speed. even if i give it an 1/8th more throttle it slips.

Its a ram clutch, and have read over at ls1 tech that the LT1 guys have had TONS of problems with those clutches being different sizes between clutches and they failed usually around 7K.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Watch the pressure plate edges for witness marks for rubbing.... even when you get your next clutch in it. All my clutches have the mark from the fork hitting them.

camaro1185

This one does not have it, however the fork used by the previous owner (in a 240sx) has the marks.

I wonder if its my clutch disk is too big/small, because I honestly cant find anything else wrong.

MoJoe

iTrader: (5)

Perhaps the clutch disc is too thin, and the pressure plate reaches its lower limit before being able to put enough clamping force on the disc.

Lots of info over at CamaroZ28 for options...

BTW, you don't have 500+ HP, right?

The clutch is slipping. So even if the fork is hitting the PP, that would be a different problem. And would likely be related to not able to release the clutch.

camaro1185

Bone stock l98.

Ive come to the realization that if it were an alignment issue with the pressure plate, tob, fork, hydraulics etc it would not have gone 5k miles problem free. It has to be a bad clutch.

also, does anyone have the dimension on that slave spacer, the only thing i can think of is that the previous owner machined it. I am very doubtful that it is since i see no filing marks or machine marks but would like to cover all my bases.

camaro1185

Here is the sound its making

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs6U...ature=youtu.be

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Honestly Im leaning towards this just being a bad clutch. Try a different brand. You gotta replace it anyway so see what happens.

camaro1185

Thanks that what I'm thinking too.

On a side note I'm pretty sure something is our of spec and making my clutch for have more of an extreme angle than it should. Mine is more angled toward then back of the car when it should be more flush with the bell housing.