Noise after clutch install

[SierraRam]

It does take a little time to get used to the DD, definately not like the stock dual mass. I drive with a no throttle launch, you need to smoothly in one motion release the clutch with no throttle. The timing of this requires a little practice. Also the new clutch will be a little grabby, I know come may disagree with the but do a few third gear launches under throttle (slipping the clutch), it seams to seat things in better. I have found that if my clutch starts getting grabby over time a couple of third gear launches smooths it right back out.

 

[zzman]

mine sounds just like that if not louder.

mine is broke-in now and i love it.

the sound does make folks look at ya at lights.

 

[JKreiss]

Thanks guys, that makes me feel better. I should here from SBC Monday, most likely will here what everybody has confirmed. If not, i'll take it back to the shop and have them poke around a little more. I'm going to take the truck out today and "practice" driving again, see if i can get better.

 

[JKreiss]

Well i just got off the phone with SBC. They had everybody listen to it and nobody had heard anything like it before. One of the suggestions that has me nauseous is it could be excessive end play and what i'm hearing is the thrust bearing. What once was silent with a 50lb clutch is now being heard with double the weight. I'm going to check it when i get home. Anybody had any experience with this? Just wanted to add that SBC has been outstanding through all of this, really great people and appreciate their help and understanding.

 

[steved]

That doesn't explain why it's hard to get in gear... that's a sign the clutch is not fully disengaging.

 

[Nyoest]

That doesn't explain why it's hard to get in gear... that's a sign the clutch is not fully disengaging.

Or that the clutch mass has doubled and it will take longer for the syncros to do their job.

 

[JKreiss]

Yes i'm having a hard time understanding all this as well. The whole reason i replaced the clutch in the first place was because it was becoming nearly impossible to get into gear from a stop and it was difficult shifting between gears. Now after the new clutch and new everything that goes along with it; it's still difficult to get into gear from a stop, shifts are slow and almost forceful, and i have the noise posted about. It was raining yesterday so it's parked again and I will try to look at it today. I'm going to try to check for excessive end play in order to rule that out. I really don't know what else to do, everything clutch related is new. Maybe it's got to do with the transmission? It's always been serviced on time and with high quality synchromesh. Any other ideas? What part of the clutch assembly would prohibit full disengagement?

 

[zzman]

I listened to that again, mine sounds exactly like that.

I have 43k miles on it now and it has always sounded like that.

Bluementhal installed it and mentioned it would have a rattle to it.

I don't have any issues with shifting, it does take a second or 2 to engage in gear from a stand still, but I figured it to be normal with extra disk and plate to stop.



I'll be curious to see what you find out.

 

[zzman]

It would be nice if they had a clutch brake on them

 

[DCates]

I've had the same clutch installed last week. It's taking some getting used to, but it's not as noisy as I was told it would be. I am noticing more engine vibration on accelleration.

 

[DE Jeeper]

Since i replaced my clutch about 9 months ago with their new design mine has been much quieter then the first gen clutch i had and much quieter then yours. I do have 220k on the trans and it has shifted poor since 150k. Changing the clutch didnt help the shifting, didnt think it would. The problem is with the syncros in the trans. I just shift slow and when the rpms allow it to slide in gear. I figure its the price to pay for having high hp and trq and putting it to the ground. There has to be a trade off somewhere.



Aaron

 

[JKreiss]

Thanks for the info Aaron, and i agree with you. This thing used to shift like butter, but as the miles have come and gone so has the ease of going through the gears. I don't make much more power over stock with my mods but i was sold on the idea of having a heavy duty clutch. I crawled under the truck today and tried to check end play but i honestly don't know what the hell I'm doing in that dept. Both my local (80 miles apart from each other) diesel mechanics have been super busy the last few months so it's at least a week or so before i could get it in for an attempted diagnosis.



Nobody I've talked to has ever heard anything like this except for the few of us here. I'm honestly content with just driving it the way it is, putting some more miles on it and see what happens. Each day will be a little more feedback I'm sure as to what's going on. Worst case the trans craps the bed and i have to get a new one. I fork it out now while there are no kids to feed and i hopefully get some decent years out of a Standard or Blumenthal rebuild. 150k miles is unacceptable in my opinion for longevity in a $50k truck.



Maybe it's the Dickel talking, but i honestly don't care anymore:-laf. I've spent so much time nitpicking little issues with this truck. For fun i posted an ad on Craigslist, it made me feel a bit better at the time. While i was doing that however, i began to add up all the things I've done to correct the short comings of this Dodge shell. I became ill after the first $10,000, stopped adding after $15k. I think it's time to take a re-active role with this truck. If something in the bottom end is letting go than i'm sure it'll get worse and i'll be able to pick up on it before it completely goes.



Maybe I'll actually have something to report once something actually breaks. The only thing I have now is just a noise that nobody for sure knows what it is. No sense in losing anymore sleep on what "might" be this or that. I'll post up anything I find from here on out but we'll just have to see what happens. Thank you everybody for all your help, I think it's just a waiting game from here. Thanks again!

 

[Regcabguy]

I had lousy luck with my '98. 5. Knock on wood,this one hasn't been to the dealer yet. Getting the K01 reflash will be it's first.



If this one starts to kill my wallet,it'll have to go.



So far,so good!!

 

[JKreiss]

Well a mini update of sorts, the noise is still there, the truck shows no other symptoms of weakness. The hard shifts and engagement are intermittent. I'm going to try the Fluidampr which seems to have helped others. With 150k on the clock i don't see how that would hurt. I'll provide further updates as I go. I'm just troubled in thinking it's "normal" when SBC has never heard that before. Aside from paying another $600 to pull everything apart to find out it "might" be all together correctly, i'll start with the damper and see if that helps.

 

[Ross]

Sounds like mine..... but quieter... Mine has been very loud and hard to get into gear since day one. I have to rev up my rpms at a stop light to get it into 2nd. Always been that way. I installed the clutch at 40K and now have 120K. Very aggravating, and nobody in my household can even drive it but me. The engagement is so harsh that my wife refuses to drive it, and my daughters are afraid to... I have installed several others in friends' trucks, and none have been as difficult to drive as mine. I guess it's just my luck.



HOLDS LIKE GLUE THOUGH.



I wish I had got the single disk. Less grip, but drives like the stocker.

 

[JKreiss]

I wish i had gone with single also. In fact that's what SBC recommended but the place i bought it from said this was a safer bet with my mods. I have a stock truck, with the exception of the smarty but i assumed they were right. Anyway it's very frustrating, I really don't even drive it anymore and have been kicking around the idea of selling it. I just can't figure out why it would make that noise with the pedal in. I'll probably end up putting the Fluidampr on but i would rather not put another penny into it. Ah well, i'll worry about it a little more tomorrow and figure something out.

 

[HBarlow]

I know how frustrating it is to make an expensive mistake like that and deeply regret it but wouldn't it be wiser and cheaper to just admit your mistake to yourself and replace the clutch with a milder aftermarket choice rather than giving the truck away?

 

[JKreiss]

Yes it definitely would be cheaper, wiser too i'm sure. There's a lot more back story right now though too. I going through the medical board process right now and if they discharge me i'm not going to be able to properly take care of it. My plan is to use my GI bill when i get out and finish my degree. If something happens to it while i'm in school there's no way i'll be able to afford to fix it correctly. These newer ones are just too expensive to keep and maintain on a students income. Now back when i bought it, i was a flying crew chief and was raking in per diem from travel, tax free and hostile fire pay from going over to the desert, etc. a lot of extra money.



Now i've been stuck at a desk following two unsuccessful surgeries. I'm starting to adjust to the "fixed income" of base pay. If I get discharged I'll still have my mortgage here but want to get out of this sink hole state as fast as i can. I'm going to try to rent this house out which means all the honey-do's i had been putting off all need to get done now. They say the Med board process can be painfully slow, others i've talked to said you could be a civilian in 5 months. So that's kind of why i'm panicking. I honestly thought i could stay under the radar a few more years and then change careers to a light duty job but one week after the clutch install i got the notification. Probably accounts for a lot of my whining over the issue. I just don't know what the "right" thing to do is. It seems like a no brainer but emotionally i swore i'd die before i sold this truck. I've got a lot to think about. Thanks for listening everybody, it helps to get it out

 

[HBarlow]

I sympathize with your situation. I've been retired from the Navy for many years so am not current with issues of downsizing, medical boards, service connected disabilities, etc. but being forced out of the military short of retirement into the socialist utopia must be scary right now.

I guess if I was in your situation I would be trying to sell off everything but basic needs to get by to complete your degree. Perhaps by the time you graduate the kenyan will be only a bad memory and the economy will be beginning to perk up a little.

EDIT: Oops, I forgot this is not in the political forum. I'll edit my political comment above.

 

[South Bend Clutch]

Joe and Ross, Give me a call whan you get time.



Peter

800-988-4345