Ok first of all the car is an 84 Trans Am with non W/C T5, I Began having issues getting the car in and out of gear and was having to shut the engine off to put in gear then float them into place. I then parked the car for a while till I could get to work on it. So first of all I put it up on a lift and removed the tranny and noticed my throw-out bearing had alot of side to side play in it and also the clips that retain it to the clutch fork were broken. the clutch disk itself did not look too bad, I compared the thickness to a new one. So, so far I have replaced the clutch, pilot and throw-out bearing, pressure plate assy. and Clutch fork, and had flywheel resurfaced. Now that it is all back together I am having pretty close to the same issues. I adjusted the allen head bolt on the bell housing that adjusts the clutch fork all the way in and it seemed to do ok going into first and second with little issues however I cannot get it to go into any other gear, reverse being the worst. I tried killing the engine and cranking it up in reverse and it acts like the clutch is not being pressed in at all. This is why I replaced the clutch in the first place because it did this in every gear. Now it seems even after replacing all that I thought was wrong did little or nothing to help. Also the hydraulics are almost new and I bought them in an assembly pre-bled and they worked prior to the clutch messing up or what I thought was messing up. Thanks for reading my lengthy post and I hope someone here can help me Identify this issue.

 

It sure sounds like the clutch is not totaly disengaging . It sounds like the parts you replaced should have fixed the problem. I wish I could be of more help.

 

Well I read something else in the Haynes and Chiltons manual. They say there are marks on the pressure plate and flywheel or to mark them one of the 2, could this cause this issue as well or would it matter since I replaced all these pieces? If anyone could please elaborate or give pics of these marks. Thanks again guys

 

it might sound weird but did you use a pilot bearing or pilot bushing? If its a bushing then the input shaft might be getting stuck on the bushing...I've had this happen lol. What i did was hold the brake And clutch down and started the engine...It jerked a bit but finally loosened up and was fine after.

 

It probably says to mark the flywheel and pressure plate assembly so that they go back together in the same position. However I don't think that would cause your problem. I think that your clutch disk is not disengaging completely. Sometimes with a new clutch disk there can be some dragging until it wears in a little. I have already bought new clutch disks that were defective. Did you use new or rebuilt parts? After two rebuilt clutches that either dragged or chattered a friend who does mechanical work told me to always buy new when getting clutch parts. Went to the parts store, bought a new disk and pressure plate along with a new throw out bearing and no problem since.

 

yep all parts are new, well I tried putting it in gear and had to hold the brakes due to it was already trying to take off in gear with the clutch all the way down. and it is a pilot bushing a brass one I believe.

 

hi , the throw out bearing on the T5 needs to be which way?..the smaller part is facing the pressure plate?...or the wider side is?...any pics?...thankyou.

 

From Summit Racing FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE
Slide 11


Throw Out Bearing Installed Backwards
Symptoms
• Throwout bearing noise
• Hard and/or pulsating clutch pedal
• Difficult shifting (hard clutch engagement/disengagement)
Possible Causes
• Bearing installed incorrectly
Solutions
• Replace throwout bearing
• Inspect pressure plate and replace if worn
• Inspect transmission guide tube and bearing collar for wear—repair or replace if necessary

 

hi , ...i believe that if it's the flat surface or the bigger part that needs to face the pressure plate and fingers as in the pictures ,,,then i may have put it in right ....thankyou...

 

Yes, the large, flat surface of the throwout bearing faces the pressure plate.

Its a lot of work, but there is a real good way to tell if your clutch is releasing fully:

DON'T start the engine for this test cause you'll kill your clutch disc and probably yourself in the process!!

Put the front up on stands and remove the transmission, but leave the bellhousing and all clutch parts attached to the back of the engine. Crawl under the car with a long screwdriver(18" or longer to keep your fingers out of the way) and a flashlight. Have a friend push in the clutch pedal while you watch the clutch fork. If it is disengaging fully you will see the clutch disc drop to the bottom of the bellhousing. You can use the screwdriver to safely pull the disc back up into position. Just poke the screwdriver through the hole in the middle that the transmission input shaft goes into. While your friend is holding the clutch pedal in and you have the clutch on the end of the screwdriver, wiggle it around and shake it back and forth to see if it is binding anywhere and that there is some free play between the pressure plate and the flywheel.

 

thanks,,i was worried for a while...i did in fact put the larger flat surface towards the pressure plate-clutch...... i thought i had to remove everything again!!...it seems like i got it right ...but i am not finished yet ..just finished installing pedals...then all wiring ...and finishing the little details....thankyou.

 

Hmm I may have to give that a go this weekend T-top, does anyone has any idea how much the fork should move back and forth while the clutch is pressed and released? My Dad measured while i was pressing it down and it was only moving about a 1/2 an inch. Hopefully my hydraulics are not bad as they are not that old. Thanks for the help so far guys.

 

Yes, there is a minimum distance the slave cylinder pushrod should move when you press down on the clutch pedal.
I have seen it in the GM shop manual for my 85 camaro, but I don't have it handy. I would think all of the hydraulic clutches are the same. Does anyone have a shop manual that they can look this up?

Ok, I found a Chiltons manual & it has more or less the same info regarding this. The slave cylinder pushrod should move a minimum of .57 inches when you push the clutch pedal to the floor.

Your's is right on the lower limit. (you might want to measure this again to be sure) So it probably wouldn't hurt to replace your hydraulics. (bleed them first & measure again) But honestly, I think your problem is more than that.
I've replaced clutch hydraulics that were out of spec, (it was a long time ago, I don't remember how much the pushrod moved) but your's seems much worse. (with my car, reverse wouldn't engage smoothly because the clutch disc was moving, but putting it in 5th, and then reverse, helped until I replaced the master & slave cylinder, then everything was ok).

 

hi , i am in the process of installing the hydraulics...is it ok if i install it all and then bleed?..my slave cylinder assembly is all brand new...will it have to be bled if it's all new?...i figure it's easier to have someone push the clutch pedal like when bleeding brakes...what do you guys think?.....thanks.

 

The easiest way to bleed it is to install the master cylinder and leave the slave cylinder hang. Make sure the fluid reservoir is full and push the slave cylinder's rod back into the housing slowly and let it back out. It only took about 3 pushes on mine to fully bleed it. Then bolt the slave cylinder to the bellhousing.

 

hi, let me ask you a stupid question...when i push the rod ...the fluid will come out?...from the bleeder if there is one?...thankyou.

 

When you bleed the system by pushing in the slave cylinder rod, you should keep the bleeder screw closed. Any air that is in the system will be pushed into, & bubble out of, the master cylinder resevoir.

The recommended procedure is to put everything together, then open the bleeder screw and let gravity fill the system with fluid.
Then bleed the system like you would brakes, by (gently) pushing on the pedal while opening the bleeder screw, until theres no more air.
Then finally, close the bleeder screw and push on the slave cylinder rod a few times to get any remaining air out.
(keep in mind, you don't want to ever press on the clutch pedal if the slave cylinder is not installed.)
The system is so short that the last step might be all you need to do. I don't know.

 

There's a bleeder screw? I don't recall seeing one on mine.

 

i bought a complete slave cylinder assembly kit...brand new..and it has a little allen key at the end of the slave cylinder ...i think that might be the bleeder screw...i will do as you say ,,,install it all and then open up this allen key and let the fluid run out with all the air....thanks.

 

If it's all in one piece you don't have to bleed it.

 

hi , yes it's a one piece and brand new...no bleeding?

 

Correct.

 

ok ,thankyou.

 

NO the little allen key IS the bleeder screw you WILL have to bleed it.

 

yes, it has a little allen key at the slave,,i figured it was for bleeding...but i was just told if my unit is a one piece and new,,,no bleeding...

 

I would recommend bleeding the system too.

 

It has the allen key bleeder screw so BLEED IT!!

 

Well guys I think I found my issue. When my mechanic friend took a quick look he said there was too much free movement in the clutch pedal, well I crawled under it today and had a closer look, and it seems my master cylinder rod is bent and rubbing my brake pedal. So new master cylinder is on the way and hopefully Ill be back to jammin gears tommorrow by lunch. Thanks guys for all the help. Im glad we have a community like this for our rides.

 

hi, ok so i bled the system a bit with someone in the car and having the clutch pedal pushed down ...i opened the bleeder screw and liquid comes out..i did this a few times...how should the clutch pedal feel without the car on?...is the slave cylinder supposed to move the clutch fork now?...thanks.

 

anyone can tell me how the clutch pedal feel should be once bled?....thanks in advance...