Hi - I've been working on a 1989 Trans Am (305 TPI 5-speed) and can't seem to get the clutch right. We installed a new flywheel, pressure plate and clutch, and afterwards the new clutch chattered really badly.

After some troubleshooting - we realized that the release fork wasn't aligned properly on the pivot ball, so we tapped it in a bit and it dropped right into place - and this basically fixed the chattering. But now we are having another problem - The clutch grabs *extremely* high in the pedal travel (like at the very top) - and it slips when you give it any decent amount of throttle.

We've also replaced the slave cylinder and bled the system, but it didn't help either problem.

It also grinds going into reverse (unless you shift into second before going into reverse). That may be unrelated - because the car did that before we even put the new clutch in.


Where else should we be looking? We are going try and to pull the transmission out this weekend and get a better look, but any advice would be appreciated.

 

Reverse is not synchronized, so you are supposed to bump another gear before using R.

If you ran it a while with the chatter, it may need resurfaced (flywheel and PP) and the disc relied. If it only went a little while, it might be fixable.

Some clutches will require driving them from a start at a higher rpm. If 2800rpm takes care of the problem and 1400 chatters, adapt and enjoy.