Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Problem with new clutch

[Big E]

Had a shop install a new South Bend 13. 25" clutch and flywheel in my truck this week. After the install they called and said the clutch was not fully disengaging until the pedal was almost to the floor. They recommended a new hydraulic master/slave unit. I had noticed this before I took the truck in, so I told them to go ahead and do it. I picked the truck up at closing time yesterday, and on the way home I noticed that the same problem was still there, except it was now somewhat worse. The clutch does not seem to fully disengage at all. I have to smash the pedal all the way down into the carpet to be able to get it into first or reverse.



I know there are no adjustments to make on this clutch setup. Anyone have any Ideas? I searched the threads and found a few people that have had similar problems, but no real solutions.



I will take the truck back to the shop next week. If anyone has any suggestions to offer, I'd like to hear them.



Thanks.

 

[Got Smoke?]

Call Peter @ SBC on Monday, but it sounds normal to me..... give it a few days & miles to break in then I bet you can get into 1st & R better.



Personally I would want a clutch to engage close to the floor, say for instance if your taking off on a hill. But if your having to MASH the pedal on the floor to get it to disengage then there's a problem.

 

[CATCRACKER]

it may take an additional shim and adjustment with the slave cylinder with that said i would holla at peter 1st.

 

[WDaniels]

BigE,

Had the same exact problem with mine as well as the truck would creep with the clutch to the floor. The flywheel and clutch replacement worked perfect for the first two weeks then it started acting up. Even Peter at SB couldn't explain it. I replaced both hyd slave and master cylinder. Didn't make a hill of beans. Unless you have a pin hole in the hose or some such, the components are good. I have heard from alot of people who have had the SB clutch and flywheel replacement with the same problem. Just got to give it some time. I figured it might be a tight pilot bearing but that wouldn't explain the first 2 weeks of flawless operation. I don't know what Catcracker is talking about. There isn't any place for shims of any type that I can see of. I even thought about treading the slave cylinder plunger so I could extend the throw but was told that was worse than a bad idea. Good luck.

WD

 

[MMeier]

Buddy of mine had a similar problem after his install. He just went out and beat the daylights out of it for a day or two and all was fine afterwards.

 

[Big E]

After driving it over the weekend, it seems to have loosened up a bit. It's about like it was before the the pilot bearing disintegrated. I can live with that. I'll give it a little time to break in some more. The thing that burns me now is I probably didn't need a new hydraulic setup.



Thanks for all the replies.

 

[98slushbox]

I'm having the same trouble with mine also. I was told its just in the five spds, no trouble with the 6 spds. dont ask me why thats just what i heard but mine does the same thing. wont hardly go into 1st or R. Seems like I can get it in R when i first start the truck but it lunges when i do get it in but after it warms up a bit i have to shut it off to get it in R. I've been running mine for a while now and no big change, even did some healthy spool ups but still the same. i Did the same with the new hyd. cylinder assy. Were gonna pull it out to see if any mod. can be done but not this close to Indy.

 

[Dakotahaulers]

I just put in the Biggest Luk clutch and flywheel in my bothers 98 five speed and we can only get the slave clinder to go in about 1 1/2 inches. We have installed two new sets of the master and slave setups and we are still not able to get the transmission to go into gear when it is running. We where able to move the cluth fork with a lot of leg power and bear hugging the drive shaft. Called Luk and they said they have never had this problem. Please help!!!

 

[hsmith]

How much was machined off the flywheel? Usually only takes . 010 or less to clean one up. If a lot was removed, it can cause your problem.

 

[mschoenheider]

You can also have air caught in the master/slave line. Very common problem after replacing them. There is no bleed screw, normal driving and pumping the clutch pedal usually takes care of the problem after a while.

 

[RonA]

I did a 6 speed conversion and added a SB OFE. I used the hydraulic unit of a 2002. It was difficult to get in gear unless you mash the pedal to the floor. Also got a little grind every once in a while. I added 3/16" to the rod length and the problem was solved.

 

[Coalsmoke]

could you please specify which rod you added the 3/16" to? My clutch master has been leaking for a while now. Not sure if I should cough up the money to replace it or see how long it will last. Anyone have one die and leave them stranded?

 

[BWatson]

I know this is a little old now but any new news on this? I replaced my original slave with one from NAPA and had the typical "engages right at the floor" issue. Didn't give me problems in Ohio but when I went up the mountains in Colorado last year, really made a difference. Make sure you bleed it VERY well. It is a sealed unit so the only way to bleed it is by pulling the slave off the transmission, trying to hold the line as straight as possible, and with the cap off the master cyl, very slowly push the rod in and out of the slave. Have a friend watch for tiny bubbles coming up into the master cylinder. Do this until no more bubbles come out. Drive it for awhile and then repeat a few times. Long process but it works.



I recently did a 5600 swap and now, nothing. No matter how hard I stand on the pedal, I can't get the transmission into gear while running. I talked to Peter and he mentioned the bolts holding the pressure plate to the flywheel. You can over-torque these and that could be part of your problem. Be sure to use the same flange-head bolt too, as other bolts will torque differently. Did the shop use the same bolts? I have not had the chance to pull my transmission out again and check the torque on my bolts so I am going to replace my master/slave as one unit and see if that helps. Also thought about putting a longer rod in my slave to see if that helps. Glad to see that someone has tried this. Someone mentioned shims on the slave... I have heard on other vehicles of people putting shims between the crank and the flywheel to make up for material being machined off the flywheel. Not much, just 0. 01-0. 02". Has anyone tried this on one of these bad boys? Thanks.

 

[98slushbox]

I have had my clutch in for probably 6 months now and has gotten a little bit better, but not much. Still is hard to get into 1st and R. Shortly after i put it in i installed a new slave clinder assy. Didnt change a thing. This weekend I stopped and shut it off and went to start it with the transmission in reverse. when i hit the key the truck tried to lunge backwards. Havnt had time to tear it apart yet, but i'm assuming either the slave cyl. went bad already or the fork broke or came off.

Lance

 

[BTighe]

have the same issue. have a flywheel bored for a beefier bearing, fe disk, and bigger input shaft waiting for install. hoping the new flywheel should fix this. i also replaced the hydrolics on the clutch. nicest part on teh rig now

 

[Coalsmoke]

Not too clutch related but my above "pedal squish" problem was completely fixed with a new master and slave sealed unit.