New clutch is "grabby"

sd_iconoclast

Registered User
I have an '89 SC 5 speed.
I just had the clutch replaced after the the pilot bearing disintegrated.
I put in a new version of the same clutch I had in it before. This is just the plain vanilla organic clutch from Southland Clutch here in San Diego. The only thing different is that the clutch is actually for a 94-97 T-bird. My flywheel was redrilled to accept it. The old clutch was very smooth.
The new one is smooth when cold, but gets more and more grabby as it heats up. In the morning, starts from a dead stop are very smooth. By evening, the car has a major shudder every time I try to start smoothly from a stop sign. Launching the car hard makes the problem less noticeable.
Could this be something other than the clutch, like differential or U-Joints?
 
hmm...well, i replaced my auto tranny for a standard tranny and put in a high performance clutch(centerforce). not really sure what you mean by "grabby", but my clutch was extremly harsh in the beginning. i could chirp the tires in every gear. after a few thousand km, it broke in and haven't had a problem.
first i need a bit more info if i'm to help you.
how many k's(or miles) are on your clutch?
did you install the clutch and pilot bearing?
i'd figure out if you have the right clutch first, cause i know that some of the newer sc's came with 5.0's and their clutchs are similar.
sounds like to me that if it varies from hot to cold, it must be the disk....
 
There is only a coupe hundred miles on the new clutch.
When the new clutch was installed, I re-did everything.
New pressure plate. Rebuilt disk. New pilot bearing. Flywheel resurfaced.
I did not install the new clutch. It was installed by a shop that I trust.
At the same time, they replaced the rear main seal.
I see no evidence of oil leaking into or from the bellhousing.
At one time, I had a dual friction clutch that was much more aggressive.
I did not like it, so I switched back to the standard clutch.
This current clutch feels like the dual friction clutch, but not as bad (when hot).
 
Im not going to speculate here. Several things can cause clutch chatter. Unfortunately the only way your going to rid yourself of it at this point, is to Replace the Clutch and pressure plate. Try a new flywheel next time as well. If it chatters now, it will continue. The Pressure plate may not have enough clamping force or the Clutch disk not enough grip. Did you take it easy on it just after intallation?
 
Even a little grease or oil on the surface of a clutch can make it very chattery----the other thing I would question is the pilot bearing----why did the old one shatter???? Does the bearing on the input shaft of the transmission have excess play and/or is the pilot bearing the right on......Dan
 
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The job is pretty straight forward. I just put a LUK clutch and pressure plate on mine recently. Sounds like your not happy with either the disc or the pressure plate. How does the pedal feel, about the same as before or softer?
 
Im not going to speculate here. Several things can cause clutch chatter. Unfortunately the only way your going to rid yourself of it at this point, is to Replace the Clutch and pressure plate. Try a new flywheel next time as well. If it chatters now, it will continue. The Pressure plate may not have enough clamping force or the Clutch disk not enough grip. Did you take it easy on it just after intallation?

This flywheel has probably been resurfaced about four times now. Is that too many?
I have been taking it very easy on this clutch. Not so much by design, I am just old.
 
Even a little grease or oil on the surface of a clutch can make it very chattery----the other thing I would question is the pilot bearing----why did the old one shatter???? Does the bearing on the input shaft of the transmission have excess play and/or is the pilot bearing the right on......Dan
The old one shattered because I tried to remove it (with a slide hammer) when I rebuilt the engine about a year ago. I say "tried" because it would not come out, so I left it in. Apparently, that was a mistake. The bearing did not seem to have excess play at that time. I do not know for sure this time around because I did not do the work.
 
I finally got around to replacing this clutch. It does appear to me that the problem was the clutch disk. It kind of looks like the disk is warped. There are some places where you can see that it is worn. Interspersed are places where it looks like the disk is not worn at all. The surface of the flywheel is mirror shiny with a half inch wide set of scratchesabout every inch. The pressure plate looks similar, but not as shiny.
The new clutch works perfectly. I have noticed that it engages alot further from the floor than the old one did.
I am taking from this the lesson to never buy refurbished clutches. In this case, I bought a refurbed clutch disk because a new one was not available for several days.
I hope someone else learns from my experience.
 
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