Author Topic: What the hell is wrong with my clutch!? (Read 5142 times)

xxxx · « **on:** Mar 6, 2007, 06:38PM »

Well the story goes,

Ive had my clutch replaced very recently (like less then 2000kms ago), with a valeo clutch kit and machined flywheel. Since before then my gearbox has been basically dead (crunching, whining, whirring). Today i am driving to work and i accelerate fairly hard (approx 70%) in 3rd gear and the revvs fly up but the speed doesnt and i notice the unmistakable smell of burning clutch

I decide to take it easy for the rest of the day and stay under 2500 rpm it didnt slip badly again but it felt a bit slippery. UNTIL my drive home where im going up a steep hill and the clutch starts slipping so badly i cant even make it up the hill. I pull a u turn and go home via another hill which is less steep but far longer. I limped home ok.

Ive looked in my gregorys and cant see anyway of adjusting the ka24e clutch.

Im thinking it could possibly be oil on the flywheel or clutch disk but cant see how it would have got there.

The only thing i can see obviously wrong is i dont have a rubber boot on the clutch cylinder where it meets the gearbox.

Any ideas?

thanks in advance

fraz · « **Reply #1 on:** Mar 6, 2007, 07:08PM »

Check for preload in your clutch pedal. If it is pushing slightly on the master cylinder when its right back then it wont be letting the pressure out of the system.
Also see if you can wiggle the clutch fork sticking out of the gearbox. if its tight as a mofo, then you probably need to adjust the rod from your clutch pedal to the master cylinder.

From memory you will need a 12 or a 14 open end spanner.

Put the seat right back and lie with your ribs resting on the sill and put your head on the floor right up against the clutch pedal almost. Put your left arm over your head so you can smell your stinky pits and from the shifter side of the clutch pedal you can get at the locknut that holds the rod against the pedal. Loosen this nut a few turns and with some pliers, or possibly a 10mm you want to screw the rod into the pedal maybe 3-4 turns.
Dont worry about doing the nut up yet.

Pump the pedal a few times and make sure there is a little slack when it comes right back. Take it for a quick test and make sure the clutch is not still partially depressed. You might need to do it some more. then once your happy do up the locknut.

Its a bit of a contortionist job, well it is when your my size, but you should be able to do it with a bit of fiddling.

xxxx · « **Reply #2 on:** Mar 6, 2007, 07:10PM »

thanks for the quick reply fraz, always helpful ill go and get on to those things before it gets dark and ill let ya know how i go

xxxx · « **Reply #3 on:** Mar 6, 2007, 08:09PM »

ok, just went and had a tinker. I noticed there are two adjustable parts of the clutch

I adjusted and fiddled with the larger bolt just below the clutch spring trying it at various tightnesses, the clutch is still slipping

Is that the bolt you were telling me to adjust or the one further back where the rod meets the clutch fluid resivour???

also would low clutch fluid cause the problems im having??

rathies · « **Reply #4 on:** Mar 6, 2007, 08:22PM »

Quote from: xxxx on Mar 6, 2007, 08:09PM

also would low clutch fluid cause the problems im having??

Yup. Suggest you bleed the hydraulics if its gotten bad enough. having air in the system will also cause the same problem you have.

JIMB0 · « **Reply #5 on:** Mar 6, 2007, 08:28PM »

Just make sure that the pushrod between the slave cylinder and the clutch fork is not tight, check it when the engine is hot as well.

xxxx · « **Reply #6 on:** Mar 6, 2007, 08:36PM »

jimbo it is tight. do i adjust this via the pushrod behind the clutch pedal? if so thats an absolute bith because i will need a 7mm spanner and i think i only have down to an 8

rathies · « **Reply #7 on:** Mar 6, 2007, 08:51PM »

long nose pliers or crescent?

eurisko · « **Reply #8 on:** Mar 6, 2007, 09:02PM »

Yeap. If its tight it means ur clutch will always be semi disengaged, ie slipping.

Its a simple procedure to do and fraz summed it up nicely. You can screw it in with ur fingers if u have strong ones, but pliers are alright too.

Id suggest take her for a spin after adjusting, then take her for another spin when uve tightened, then tighten again. I drove about 20ks when the lock nut loosened and i lost my clutch completely, it didnt want to engage at all. I had to re-adjust it again, then tighten her like a mofo.

xxxx · « **Reply #9 on:** Mar 6, 2007, 09:21PM »

guys, it seems to be just as bad if not worse...ive tightened the push rod (screwed it INto the clutch pedal a fair bit and i havent noticed any improvement, maybe a little worse

dave-trx · « **Reply #10 on:** Mar 6, 2007, 09:37PM »

If you paid to have the clutch installed, take the car back and tell them to fix it. I would demand a new clutch.

xxxx · « **Reply #11 on:** Mar 6, 2007, 09:50PM »

Yeahh one small problem with that is it was a friend of mines dad who did the install and gave me a really good rate and im gonna feel bad going back and complaining ect id rather just adjust it myself if its at all possible

dave-trx · « **Reply #12 on:** Mar 6, 2007, 10:08PM »

You can't adjust the it anymore. Do you really think you should pay for it twice. Send the clutch back and get a excedy if you can.

xxxx · « **Reply #13 on:** Mar 6, 2007, 10:54PM »

Can anyone confirm ive adjusted it the right way? i may have been screwing it in the whole time when im meant to be screwing it out.

Also is it possible to over screw it in?

chr1S · « **Reply #14 on:** Mar 7, 2007, 06:57AM »

Have you tried bleeding the clutch first ?

I had a problem when my clutch wouldn't disengage and i couldn't get it out of gear because the fork wouldn't move enough..(i had to pump the clutch).

Try bleeding it completely... until you can see new fluid coming out of the bleed nipple

If that doesn't fix it, take it back and nicely say, hey im having a problem with my car (let him ask what's wrong), then expain it...

xxxx · « **Reply #15 on:** Mar 7, 2007, 04:37PM »

Update: i bled the clutch today and found all of the fluid was filthy (almost black) so i replaced all of it. What i didnt find was any air bubbles in the lines. I also adjusted the pedal and pushrod some more and couldnt get any solid improvement.

I then decided to call the mechanic who installed the clutch and he said a few things like adjust the pedals and pushrod, the gearbox or crank seal might have gone causing oil to get on the clutch. He also said the slave cyl might have problems and need replacing or rebuilding.

To me the most likely sounds like the slave cyl. What do you guys think? and also how much does it cost to rebuild a slave cyl and is it very hard to do?

chr1S · « **Reply #16 on:** Mar 7, 2007, 04:41PM »

I don't see why the slave cylinder just went straight after the clutch change,

i suspected oil on the clutch but i don't know...

Take the car to him, let him fiddle with it, you might not be adjusting the pedal properly.. (i brought mine out abit more so my friction point wasn't the fukn floor lol..)

xxxx · « **Reply #17 on:** Mar 7, 2007, 04:53PM »

thanks chris, any other opinions before i take it to a mechanic?

Barnett · « **Reply #18 on:** Mar 7, 2007, 05:32PM »

mate, honestly the first thing you should have done as soon as it started slipping, was to take it back to the mechanic and make him fix it...he obviously stuffed it up! now he could say that you stuffed it by trying to adjust it or whatever. leave it up to the person who fucked it up in the first place and get it fixed at their expense!

[Barnett]

oldn_tired · « **Reply #19 on:** Mar 7, 2007, 05:49PM »

sounds like its worth the call to the mechanic while its still salvageable.
If you take it to him not working you should be in with a chance if you take it to him rooted then you've had it.

Jono · « **Reply #20 on:** Mar 7, 2007, 09:59PM »

Stop. Everybody take a deep breath. Hold. Release. Feel better?

In your very first post you said you don't have a rubber boot somewhere near the gearbox. Can you tell us if the missing one is from the bellhousing of the gearbox or the slave cylinder? If it's missing from the slave cylinder my bet is there's rust in the bore of it which has caused the piston to jam. The black chunky fluid also points to rust.

If you have (had) very little clutch fluid that would cause the crunching and whirring in the gearbox.

So, in short: the rusted slave cylinder will prevent the clutch from fully engaging (hence slipping) and the low fluid level will prevent the clutch from fully disengaging (hence crunching and whirring).

xxxx · « **Reply #21 on:** Mar 13, 2007, 08:19PM »

OOOOOOOO k, turns out my rear main seal was leaking getting oil all over my clutch disk....causing it to wear out ALOT.

The fix:

a new clutch disk ( i had spare from when i bought my gearbox)

a flywheel machine had some pretty serious scald marks

my new lsd gearbox went in along with driveshafts

Rear main seal was replaced

driveshaft seals were replaced

clutch was bled and fluid was replaced

cost $410 in total which wasnt bad, i think the mechanic felt sorry for me and didnt charge alot for labour.

The car drives alot better now because my old gearbox was dead as well but i do have one complaint, the clutch pedal is now as soft as butter so i think the slave cyl needs replacing/rebuilding any reccomendations?

JIMB0 · « **Reply #22 on:** Mar 14, 2007, 05:03PM »

The mechanic should have noticed the rear main was leaking esp. with the flywheel off for machining. He should have replaced it regardless as it would only take 20 minutes tops and cost about $10 for the seal. They should have adjusted the actuator as well. Is he/she even a real mechanic or just a backyard operator?

And there is no problem with the clutch pedal being really light, as long it's not slipping.

xxxx · « **Reply #23 on:** Mar 15, 2007, 05:29PM »

it was done at profix, which is a mechanic store franchise. they did notice the rear main seal was blown thats why they replaced it... driveshaft seals too allthough the oil on the disk had caused the clutch disk to wear out luckily i had a spare which was almost brand new.

what do you mean by adjusting the actuator??

JIMB0 · « **Reply #24 on:** Mar 15, 2007, 08:02PM »

The actuator - from the clucth pedal to master cylinder, slave cylinder to clutch fork (the bit that was tight). The first bloke to do the job should have adjusted it. Also the first bloke to do the job should have noticed the rear main seal was leaking and replaced it (even if it was not leaking). If he done those 2 things you would not have had all this trouble.