Me and a buddy recently replaced the clutch on his 1989 305TPI 5 speed trans am.

Everything went in with no major problems - and seems to be working OK, but we are having a bit of an issue with clutch chatter.

Basically - the clutch grabs very high, and if the engine is under 2,000rpm it chatters like crazy from a stop. If you start at 2,000rpm or more its fine, and it shifts fine and doesn't slip under load.

At first I thought there could just be some oil left on the clutch or flywheel (though we did install a brand new flywheel, and cleaned it thoroughly before bolting it in).

What else could be causing this? I was thinking the hydraulics could be weak - I do have a new slave cylinder for it that I haven't installed yet.

 

Check the fluid level
What brand of clutch?
Did he install the throw out bearing correctly that is a common mistake?



Usually any contamination can cause chatter. Other things to check would be the bell housing bolts or anything associated with the assemble.

 

I'll check the fluid level. it was a LuK clutch, pressure plate and flywheel.

I'm almost positive we installed the throw-out bearing correctly as pictured.