1985 Camaro LG4 with a 1987 T5.

When my car needed transmission work it was discovered that the clutch the previous owner had put in was a piece of oriental junk. So I bought a level 1 SPEC clutch which came with a pressure plate and throwout bearing for it and had the dealer install it for me. I got the car back on 10/10. After 3 drives and not even 200 miles of driving nice, no beating, on the new setup, I started getting hard startups no matter what I did and she actually almost stalled on me in the middle of a startup in traffic. When I pulled her into the garage yesterday I detected a faint burning smell I had never noticed before and also coming home I noticed this wheezing whenever the clutch pedal was depressed that would go away when I let off on the clutch pedal. Here's a video (if you guys can't see it let me know):

https://www.facebook.com/video/embed...68893159910523

It's going back to the shop that installed it tomorrow. Here are my questions:

1) Do you agree that the throwout bearing is bad from the symptoms I have described and the video?
2) If so, what throwout bearing do you recommend I should have put in? I've heard Timken and Delco are good choices.
3) Is there any logical reason why a brand new throwout bearing would go bad after 200 mile barring incorrect installation? How often are throwout bearings lemons? I repeat, I have NOT been beating on it at all, driving it very nice.

Thanks!

 

Any word on replacement of the pilot bearing? Any "clattering" under load, especially 1st and 2nd?

 

Well towtruck arrives I get in the camaro to drive her out to him and... great startup and no noise when pedal is depressed. So I'm going to wait on sending her in and see if the noise comes back when the clutch heats up.

I have not yet detected any clattering at any time.

 

I have seen throwout bearings go bad in the first 500 from various manufacturers, spec, atc, xoom and others but it is not too common.

I have the same spec stage 1 and mine has been just fine.

Let us know what you find.