what are the chances it covered in oil?

[swynx]

Had a new clutch kit put in my car 40k some miles ago. The rear main wasn't replaced like I requested. What do you know? It leaks... well the clutch is now slipping. If you get any where near the power band it'll start to spin. Especially in 3rd gear. Does it worse when its cold.

What's the chance its just got oil on the disk?

 

[Road Angels]

mess

unless you have something up top like valve cover leak seaping in, then its coming from some where in side the bell housing, is there any thing on the ground use a piece of paper over night, has your clutch fluid gotten low all of a sudden, Its not good

 

[RonD]

I can't see that type of oil leak making it to the pressure plate or clutch side of the flywheel, but it is possible.
That being said if there was no hole in the inspection plate or it was blocked I guess enough leaking oil could pool up and start fouling the clutch.

Also you will smell oil burning if clutch is slipping because of oil contamination.


Could the clutch installer have used a non-self adjusting pressure plate?
i.e. did the clutch pedal have to be almost all the way down to disengage when clutch was new, and now after some wear on the disc even with pedal out all the way it isn't engaged fully

 

[Road Angels]

On my 2.5 the machine work on the back of the block had .020 inch gaps around the back of the block on the trans mating surface, and a piece of wood in the oil pan that could only have gotten there by some one in the factory it was that big, I have had main seals leak but it usally leaks out the bottom, the slave has enough stroke that having a none self adj. plate makes no difference, it would have to be in the master not allowing the full return, do you have pedal free play when its released

 

[gw33gp]

Oil can get on the clutch disc with a rear main seal leak. It is not guaranteed that it will get soaked with oil though but it does not take much. Oil can creep to the flywheel and with it spinning, it can make a mist of oil in the bell housing due the air turbulence in there and get on almost anything in there.

I had a transmission front seal leak on my race car once during the first race of a double race weekend. The clutch disc got so slippery that I could not put much power down in high gear without it slipping very bad. I had a top inspection plug in the bell housing, we removed that and disengaged the clutch. We then dumped a lot of degreaser over the disc to see if we could get it to hook up better for the next race. Surprisingly, it worked very well. I was able to finish the race with no significant slippage until near the end of the race.

 

[swynx]

I can't see that type of oil leak making it to the pressure plate or clutch side of the flywheel, but it is possible.
That being said if there was no hole in the inspection plate or it was blocked I guess enough leaking oil could pool up and start fouling the clutch.

Also you will smell oil burning if clutch is slipping because of oil contamination.


Could the clutch installer have used a non-self adjusting pressure plate?
i.e. did the clutch pedal have to be almost all the way down to disengage when clutch was new, and now after some wear on the disc even with pedal out all the way it isn't engaged fully

This exactly. It took seconds too get it into first when I first got it. Now if you drive it and barely touch the clutch it'll change the rpms. I looked online to see if I could adjust it and wiki says I can't.

 

[RonD]

Road Angel is correct, the clutch master/slave travel will accommodate a non-self adjusting pressure plate, if everything else is good, but it will engage at the bottom of pedal travel when new then slowly start engaging higher and higher until clutch disc is worn out, 40k shouldn't be worn out.
So you probably do have a non-self adjusting pressure plate, but problem might not be that.

The Master has a "check valve" or "bypass valve", if this has broken all the pressure will not be released when clutch pedal is at the top, holding slave open a bit and causing clutch to slip under load.
Pressure may bleed off slowly so you would only notice the slipping after using the clutch pedal a few times in a row.

Simple way to test is to pump the clutch pedal a few times, then open the bleeder on the slave, there should be no pressure.
If there is pressure, i.e. you get a quick squirt of fluid, replace Master.

Good how-to here on bleeding ranger system if Master is replaced:
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/bleedclutch.htm

 

[kimcrwbr1]

Do you ride your clutch as in do you rest your foot on the clutch pedal. It is possible you just wore it out not knowing it was slipping. when shifting allways put your left foot on the floor between gears as a habit. Did you replace the flywheel with the new clutch? That is another possibility the old flywheel just chewed the new disk up. You will know for sure when you take it apart. Replace input shaft seal on the tranny and the rear main seal. New flywheel, pressure plate, disk and throwout and slave you should be good. The clutch master cyl is 20yrs old if stock it wouldnt hurt to bench bleed a new master and slap it in at the same time.

 

[swynx]

Had my father in law put it in. I couldn't do it at the time. He said he put in a clutch kit. That's all I know about it. Only thing I do is hold out the clutch to keep the rig from moving at a stop light instead of the break. And the gf had to relearn to drive on it. Last night I got quite abit of chatter from it. So I'm thinking it just got worn out with abunch of variables.

 

[Spott]

Only thing I do is hold out the clutch to keep the rig from moving at a stop light instead of the break.

That will wear a clutch out relatively quickly. Brake pads are much cheaper than clutches, and easier to replace.

Spott

 

[90longbed]

X2^^^^^^^ you need to learn heel/toe gas and brake....with your right heel on the brake give it gas with your toe as you let out the clutch and release the brake as the clutch grabs.... takes some practice to do, but is better than riding the clutch...

 

[swynx]

Idk why I do it. Something I just automaticly do. I know how to heel toe. For whatever reason just don't.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

You will know if it was the flywheel by the thickness of the clutch disk it should be worn fairly even on both sides. Get into the habit of setting your left foot on the floor it saves on the throwout bearing also. Unless you dont mind changing the clutch regularly.

 

[wildbill23c]

So lesson learned, drive a manual transmission vehicle properly to save your $200+ clutch? I had my rear main seal leaking in my 84 B2 for months, and the oil never got into the clutch. I think you were riding the clutch way too much. I've heard of people that don't properly drive manual transmission vehicles burn clutches up in 20-30k intervals...YIKES that's expensive.

 

[RonD]

Oh I don't know, slipping the clutch at stop lights isn't going to burn out the clutch that fast.
You would have to do alot of ONLY uphill stop lights in a row to heat up the clutch enough to wear it out that fast.
And you would smell that kind of wear, that wasn't mentioned.

There is obviously a problem with the clutch only lasting 40k, but I don't think it was driving habits in this case.