I did something very wrong I think.

Okay, here goes.

I have a 1992 Firebird w/ 305 TBI manual transmission.

I took my T5 transmission off a couple months ago to replace the rear main seal. Since it was the winter, I took my sweet time getting it back together and just finished... Or so I thought.

When I first took it apart, my slave cylinder died because I, being an idiot, sat in my car and pushed the clutch... No fork for the slave cylinder to hit and POP! So I put a new slave cylinder on after reinstalling the transmission and there is about a 3/4 inch gap between the slave cylinder rod and the fork going into the bellhousing for the TO bearing. So I'm wondering what I did wrong. The new slave cylinder is stock and has the plastic strap on it that prevents it from going out too far. I bled it using the gravity method first and it was still 3/4 inches away from the clutch fork... So I don't want to pump the clutch and kill another slave cylinder. I've learned from my mistake.

What are the possibilities for this problem? I'm wondering if there is a spring missing in the bellhousing for the clutch fork or if somehow I knocked the TO bearing off when I put the transmission on by myself.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I want some feedback before I tear it all apart again.

 

Okay, It looks like I'll be going in blind...

 

Cut the plastic strap.

It's only there so it doesn't fall apart in shipping and handling.

 

 

My first thought was to cut the strap after opening the box. However, inside is an orange piece of paper which reads:

"Imporant Notice: Do not remove plastic nose strap from the push rod. This is a functional part of the assembly. Removal of plastic nose strap can result in noise, poor performance, and premature failure."

After noticing that there was the 3/4 inch gap, I asked my uncle and he said try cutting it. I cut the strap and we were bleeding the clutch. Then I pressed the clutch pedal down and POP! Dead slave cylinder...

 

[QUOTE=The Happy Viper]What are the possibilities for this problem? I'm wondering if there is a spring missing in the bellhousing for the clutch fork or if somehow I knocked the TO bearing off when I put the transmission on by myself.[QUOTE]

Look through the hole in bellhousing where the fork is and see if the TO bearing is where it should be.

 

I've cut the strap on every one of those I've installed for years and years. Including the one I drove this weekend (T-56; but the same basic thing). I have never in all my days seen one of those straps intact in an operaing car. I leave the plastic end in there though. Although, it usually wears through and disappears in not too much time.

Only way it should be able to come apart after it's been installed, is for the installation to be wrong; throwout not on the fork correctly, fork not on the ball in the BH correctly, slave cyl mounted on the wrong side of the BH flange (if that's even possible?), etc. Since I wan't there at the time, I'm not going to be very good at sitting here and guessing what went wrong. All I can suggest at this point is, go back and check all your work, carefully.

 

I take it when you cut the strap you never made sure the ball end of the rod was in the right spot on the clutch fork. Well you still might be able to save the slave by putting the thing back together just make sure next time the clutch fork is installed right and it's on the throwout bearing and you have the rod of the slave in the right spot also.