I hate my new clutch!!

[csevers]

Is 5 mile to early to say I hate my new clutch? I just got done replacing my clutch, the pedal effort is not effort at all hardly know your stepin on the pedal I like some "feel" when shifting and it releases right off the floor and I think 1st gear is not needed any more. cause I can't get it in 1st gear from total stop or letting the truck roll a little or some times letting the clutch out even does not help?? It holds no sliping at all but in that 5 mile test drive I didn't run 5x5 it is going to be a long 100k with this clutch. The stock clutch had more feel to pedal effort and 1st gear wasn't a problem shifting and released a the middle to top. The stock clutch was feeling like it was sliping and the release had changed in very recent time frame so I thaught I was soon to need new clutch after replacing it, it had not sliped by looking at the flywheel or pressure plate hub was also real good looking ? I will see? I hope it "breaks in" and get better.



Craig

 

[lmills]

Somewhere around here is a post talking about issues with new clutches. You didn't mention what type you went with, but I remember a couple members saying it took as long as a couple months for their clutches to seat and start to perform as the felt they should.

 

[Wirenut]

I wish that's all I had to complain about

 

[csevers]

I put some miles on it

I put a 100 miles on the clutch today to hopfully break it in? The pedal effort is a little better, hope this clutch will take 3rd gear starts, it is almost impossible to get in to 1st or 2nd sitting at a stop light held up traffic twice today and had to bump it in 3rd then shift into 2nd and go looking like a rooky. So I had planned on putting in DDII's any way so I did then had a short test drive on 5x5 it holds power empty with no problem I will hook to the trailer tomarrow and do some more miles and see what happens.



Craig

 

[LSMITH]

Dude, if you cannot get into first and second easily something is WRONG. If that is the case it is not fully disengaging, which would also put the release right on the floor. Find out what is wrong before you cook something.

 

[C. Harlan]

my Con OFE is still in the process of seating... . at times, I get a little slip when shifting aggressively while pulling my gooseneck... it seats itself, and away we go! Give it time to break in. I put mine in at the end of September.



-Chris-

 

[LJ]

sounds like you have air in the clutch hydraulic fluid try bleeding the clutch.

 

[Pit Bull]

Originally posted by csevers



I just got done replacing my clutch

Craig

Craig, did you do this yourself? Have you ever put in a clutch before? Sounds like from what you are saying in all of your posts that you might not of installed it correctly? You might want to have a tech check it over before you break something. Good luck

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

csevers, did you disconnect your clutch slave from the line at all during the install? You have all the symptoms of a clutch slave problem or air in your clutch line.



You might call Peter at Southbend, especially if you installed a SBC. You clutch problem is very hard on the synchros of your transmission if it's not releasing fully.



Vaughn

 

[csevers]

replies to post this far

I did the install my self I have put in lots o clutchs mostly in semi's this is not to say I am perfect but you can't put the disc in backward if so you couldn't bolt pressure plate to flywheel with the bolts provided and it is marked and I can read the install went smooth only things to slow me down was the drive shafts and the cross member the D shaft were rusted in the flange at the transfer case and the u-joints in the yokes the cross member didn't fight me just had to beat up and back like I have read on this huge resource known as the tdr the actual swaping of the flywheel and the clutch was simple and I followed the directions to tighten evenly back and forth from side to side top and bottom reinstalling the trans was easy also once I got trans back up and aligned with the hole the trans housing and the engine bell housing were spaced evenly and the trans droped right in with no force or fighting needed like it should. The slave cylinder was removed by holding while I removed the bolts and slowly let the pressure push the cylinder away from trans mounting till I could see that there was nothing holding it to the throw out bearing the shaft didn't pop out of the cylinder and it went back in with the same pressure till it was flush with mount and reinstalled the bolts I don't know how I could have messed up I will repeat I am not perfect I am not sure I did? if I am moving I can easily down shift right in to first gear and start out again but if I pull it out of gear stop completely and try to put it in to 1st or 2nd there lies the problem. If I get it in to a gear with the clutch pedal all the way to the floor I can then shift 1 to2 to 3 to 4 and so on with ease and back down I check this just before coming home tonight if the clutch was not releaseing why only 1 and 2 even reverse is easy to put in to gear with the same motion I always used before I don't know that is why I posted NOTE if this reads like I am ranting please don't take it that way I don't fault the dealer that I purchased the clutch from or the manufacture till I KNOW what is causing this problem It could be me or the oem parts? ie slave cylinder. The dealer has already read this and wants to help. I will talk to the manufacture on mon am and hopfully find some more ideas. SORRY FOR THE LONGEST POST I HAVE EVER MADE but that is all the info I have and THANKS FOR THE POST AND HELP





Craig

 

[Sled Puller]

The disc is just a hair too thick-go out and slip the dog snot out of it, it will smooth it right up!

 

[Diesel Freak]

Originally posted by Sled Puller

The disc is just a hair too thick-go out and slip the dog snot out of it, it will smooth it right up!

I was going to say that, but we do not know what clutch it is... if it has a FErrous friction material, it may self weld itself together if it gets too hot

 

[Blakers]

The same thing happened with my F-150 last week. I didn't have time, so I had a guy put a new clutch in and it would not release. He said he never disconnected anything hydraulic so I don't know how air got in the system. But after he bled it out, it was ok.



Ford uses a dumb system with the slave cylinder inside the bell housing and behind the throwout bearing. No adjustment.



Do our Rams have adjustment for clutch travel? Mine's automatic so I don't know.



Blake

 

[bombero]

I seem to remember a post several months ago that addressed this same problem. I think the culprit was a "set" in the slave cylinder from the old clutch. Cant remember the fix. South bEnd Clutch knows about it.