pr1mu5

Hi all,

New problem started this morning... when I press the clutch in ALL the way, I hear a grinding noise, kinda like a bad brake pad against a rotor, coming from the clutch. Doesn't make the noise if I'm riding the clutch 1/4, 1/2, or 3/4 of the way in, only when it's fully depressed. But I can't get it into gear without pushing the pedal to the floor (it's always been that way) so i'm making lots of nasty sounds when driving around town shifting. I don't smell any burning clutch, and I just checked the clutch fluid and it's right at the 'ADD' level.

Is this something that might be solved by just adding some clutch fluid, and if so, where do I get that clutch fluid?

I had a Centerforce II clutch installed about 2 years ago (maybe three?) so if it's the clutch, can I just replace the clutch, or am I in for another $1600 repair with replacing the flywheel and all that mess?

Hoping the answer is something cheap.

Thanks,
John

engle1147

You can just top the clutch master off with dot 3 brake fluid and watch the level it to see if it goes down over a few weeks or so. If you got air in the line this could be why it takes a full pedal to get it to release the clutch. I wouldn't try to bleed it right away just fill it and see if it improves. If there is no improvement it may be time for a new clutch....and if you have a leak fix that while it is apart too. You don't have to buy a "new" flywheel but it is always a good idea to have the "old" flywheel turned down (if you have enough meat left) when installing a new clutch.

LD85

Another possibility is that the pivot stud is worked its way loose and the fork is hitting the PP

pr1mu5

How much trouble is this going to be for me to do myself? Will it be a requirement to have a lift in order to get underneath, or will a garage jack/jack stands be sufficient to do this in my driveway/garage?

Never done a clutch before, but after some of the other things I've done on my car (Optispark, Power steering inlet hose) that were a complete PITA, I'm less scared to tackle a clutch...

Thanks for the brake fluid tip, I'll go try that at lunch time and see if it improves...

I drive like a maniac, so I'm guessing it may be time for a new clutch.

LD85

I forgot to ask, does the engine slow,stall or try to die when the fork goes all the way in? If so, its the pivot stud.

You can put it on the ramps in the front and jack stands in the rear, or jack stands all the way around. Get the car @ 10" from the floor to the bottom of the frame for easy access. I use 4-ton stands

Pull the exhaust off, then the c-beam and drive shaft, fluid will leak out of the rear of the ZF if you pull the drive shaft out of the tranny,

if it is the Pivot Bolt, you will know as soon as you pull the tranny back, there is a cap that is accessible from the outside of the BH that screes into the pivot stud, pull that cap off, then put an allen wrench into the pivot stud and tighten it back down with a little loc tite, the put the cap back on, and tranny back in etc.

engle1147

Good tips above. If you take it apart inspect everything before you go and buy a new clutch, throw-out bearing or pilot bushing. The clutch is not that bad of a job for the average DIYer.

Kinkajou

I had this happen to my Vette when I bought it, exactly the same signs.
I tought it was the clutch so I dissasembled everything and found out later.

The pivot with the small sphere ( ball) at the end got loose because the allen screw made of brass was broken. This special brass screw goes in the back of the pivot with the ball and holds it.
When the pivot gets loose it allows the fork to go deeper and make contact with the clutch assembly grinding it.

Problem is that you have to take the clutch down to repair this screw.
But you only have to take down the bell housing.

LD85

once you are down to the BH, look it all over really well before you put it all back together.

pr1mu5

Well I topped off the fluid ( a little too much, oops ) and the clutch still grinds when I push it in all the way.

I don't think I can handle this job, I just had a shop mod my exhaust (put on hiflow cats) and I recall them saying something about anyone who wants to take the exhaust off again is going to have difficulty. I don't feel comfortable taking off the entire exhaust, figuring out how to stabilize the engine while I take off the c beam (whatever the heck that is )

I guess I can try and get under there and see how much work this is going to be, but my garage sucks and it's nearly impossible to get the entire car up in the air inside it (or even half the car) and my driveway is just a little bit slanted that I'm always scared half to death while I'm underneath my car in the driveway that it's going to fall down and kill me.

Wish there was a place you could rent a lift/garage for a day near me, a buddy of mine told me that's what he used to do back home in Tampa...

Nathan Plemons

Bingo! I had a similar problem with mine. When I pulled the transmission the lock for the pivot stud fell out on the floor. I put it back with loctite and haven't had a problem since.

engle1147

Well if you take it to a shop you can tell them what you know about the problem anyways....maybe they won't rake you over the coals $ wise if they see you know what your talkin' about.

theadmiral94

Sorry to say you likely have multiple problems.

The noise when depressing the clutch pedal all the way could be the clutch-fork pivot backing out causing the clutch-fork to hit the pressure-plate (and would require removal of exhaust, drive-shaft, tranny support, tranny, and often the bell-housing).

HOWEVER, because it acts like a fulcrum (though it's push/pull) and effectively increases the height of the fulcrum, it usually causes the clutch to dissengage sooner and 'higher', and thereby is counter to your comment above "but I can't get it into gear without pushing the pedal to the floor".

And whereas not disengaging sooner/higher could also be caused by a problem with the clutch master/slave being weak/near failure (slaves have about a 50k life and masters about 100k -- read zfdoc.com),

I would instead be worried it might be a bolt backing out of the pressure-plate (or if the clutch seems easier to push, a broken pressure-plate spring), which is hitting the clutch-fork and causing the noise (especially given your comment about spirited-driving).

There is a chance, with a light and a mirror or two, you might be able to remove the clutch-slave and peer into the bell-housing and actually see what the fork is hitting, but it will not be easy, given the size of the openning and its position.

Unfortunately, all but the weak clutch-slave cylinder, will require removal of exhaust, c-beam, drive-shaft, tranny, bell-housing (remember to insist they use high-grade locktite on the pivot ball and its lock-nut).