Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) New Clutch Help

[Black-Smoker]

I just Installed a southbend con FE and it doesent seem to disengage all of the way even with the pedal pushed all the way to the floor. Is this normal or do i need to extend the pushrod that engages the clutch. It is almost impossiable to get the truck into first or reverse. I am hoping it will loosen up a bit.



Thanks for the help.

 

[Pigpen]

I don't know what or why this is happening. If you scroll down the 911 forum you will see I had the same problem. Can not explain it. One thing I did is with the help of a friend and a 6 pack. SLOWLY push the slave cylinder rod in and out and have your beer drinking buddy watch the resevior for air bubbles (with the cap off) if this does not help, which it did not for me. Then find someone or do it yourself to fabricate a new push rod. We did mine about a 1/2" longer then the stock rod. Works great! Another thing you may want to try first, take little piece of stock and put that in the transmission, bolt the slave back up and test it. There is a possiblity that the clutch springs could be bad. If that works, then a new rod is in order. I FEEL you pain on this, my head still hurts from scratching it so much, the scars will heal.



Jake

 

[B.G. Smith]

Try starting the truck in gear ( make sure it's not aimed at the garage or the neighbors car) and then engage and disengage the clutch a few times, somtimes the new disc is a little rough and this will free it up. Also, if you lengthen the release rod, somewnere down the road as the disc wears the fingers on the pressure plate get higher and push the slave cylinder further back, it may bottom out and keep the clutch from fully engaging and cause premature failure. bg

 

[Black-Smoker]

Clutch is getting a little better I put about 100 miles on it today and I can now get it into first and reverse without to much trouble but it engages about a 1/2" off of the floor. Is this normal for this clutch. Also since the clutch is dragging a little will this hurt the clutch or pressure plate ?



Thanks for the help

 

[csevers]

Call Peter at sbc I am sure he will want to hear if you are having problems and he has dealt with problems like you are having before and can give you some help.



Good Luck

Craig

 

[Black-Smoker]

I talked to Peter he said that I either have a weak master or slave cylinder. Which is not pushing the rod far enough into the bellhousing causing the clutch to not completely didengage. I called the dealer and they want 270. 00 for the assembly. ouch. I now have 200 miles on the clutch and it seems a little better. But the pedal engages the clutch at about 1/2" off of the floor. Is this normal for this clutch or should I head down to the dealer to be gouged.

 

[Got Smoke?]

I'm surprised that Peter didn't offer you a deal on a new slave/master setup. They were supposed to be getting some to modify to sell to the DD customers. If Peter doesn't have one then call Enterprise Engine in csevers sig they have a good price on them I hear. Should be better than the st... . dealer.

 

[Green Machine]

I had the same clutch and same problem untill I put about 3 to 400 miles on it in traffic then it worked great. It just needs to be broke in a little. Read your instructions that came with it. It says the same thing. It the problem presist after the 4oo miles get a new slave. good luck and let us know how it works.

 

[amillstream]

I have the ofe, and 1st and reverse are a little hard to get in and out but there wasn't a notable change when I put the clutch in so I think it is just needing a transmission fluid change. I did notice that it engaged very soon and had to mash the petal to the floor to get it completely disengaged but I have about 15-20,000 miles on it now and disengages higher up now, so I'm guessing yours will get even better with time.

 

[Dieseldemon]

Clutch drag

The only way that I have found that works for this problem I have flat washers that are 0. 0055 thick install 2 under the pivot ball,by running it for a while the disc will wear and get easier to shift if it dont wear out your syncros first.

 

[jelag]

Most factory clutch rods have a small plastic cup on the end of the rod to serve as a way to keep the play out of the rod to fork... . if this has worn out... you've got a rod that's now about 1/4" short so you won't have full fork travel... .



Bleeding is also a factor and in some cases when you stand on the pedal you can bend the fork... . and it won't travel correctly... .



Hope this helps...



Jim

 

[Black-Smoker]

Thanks for the help guys the clutch seems better now. I have put about 600 miles on it and now the it seems to engage at about an 1. 5" off of the floor. I think I will hold off on the new slave and master for now and see how it does. It now goes into gear like it did before. As for the plastic cup on the end of the rod it did not seem worn when I had it apart I just put a little grease in the cup on the rod fork when I put it back together. Oh yea and by the way I love this clutch. I had forgotten how much fun this truck was to drive since the old cluch had been slipping for so long. Again thanks for all the help.

 

[South Bend Clutch]

Most factory clutch rods have a small plastic cup on the end of the rod to serve as a way to keep the play out of the rod to fork... . if this has worn out... you've got a rod that's now about 1/4" short so you won't have full fork travel... .



Bleeding is also a factor and in some cases when you stand on the pedal you can bend the fork... . and it won't travel correctly... .



Hope this helps...



Jim

The plastic cup on the slave rod is not for play. The cone comes with two tabs that clip on the side of the slave and serves as an installation piece. It keeps the slave compressed so it can be bolted in. Once the clutch is depressed the tabs pop off. I suppose it could also help with wear. A slave is exactly what its name is... a slave. It sets the brg. to the fingers of the pressure plate and stops, now is where the master cylinder comes in. The slave will only travel as far as the master cylinder tells it to travel. If the master or slave are leaking or there is air in the system the slave will not travel far enough to release the clutch.



Any clutch, factory or aftermarket requires a break in. It would be nice if we could seat the clutches before selling, this would resolve a lot of issues but the clutch would look used when you open the box. LOL



What we do here at SBC is operate every clutch before it is boxed to assure the fingers of the pressure plate are level and in the proper location. We also measure the travel it takes to release the clutch to verify it will release completely with . 500" travel. The throwout brg. in the truck if everything is functioning properly should travel a minimum of 7/8". We spin each clutch disc to ensure there is no wabble, bend or warp. We also make sure the friction surfaces on the clutch disc are tight and secure.



This brings us to installation. Believe me, I have installed my fair share and one thing I know is, the pilot brg. can be an installers worst nightmare. It does not take much to damage that little needle roller pilot brg. . If it gets bumped just wrong when trying to wiggle the transmission in, the party is over. Pull it back out and replace it and start over. If it does get damaged and you continue on with the install... the stub of the input shaft can now drag on the pilot. The pilot brg. is pressed into the flywheel and the flywheel spins continuously on the crank. When you depress the clutch the pressure plate relieves the clutch disc. At this point the inputshaft from the transmission is supposed to come to a stop. If the pilot brg. is dragging on the input shaft then the rotation of the pilot will not allow the input shaft to come to a stop thus notchy or hard shifting. Also problems can come when pressing the pilot brg. into the flywheel (the install of the pilot brg. ) The tin casing that holds the needles and seals is very thin. If the pilot brg. is pressed in at a slight angle it will kink the casing and ruin it. They should always be pressed in very carefully on a press not pounded in with a socket and hammer. This is a very critical point of the whole installation.



Hope this helps and if you have any questions feel free to call me and we can talk as long as you need.



Peter