Clutch just replaced. Wont go in gear! Help

[cs daytona]

Please help!! I replaced my clutch with an fwdp 4 puck and sachs pp on a 520. Now wont go in gear while engine is running. I can go thru all the gears with engine is off so trans is ok. I can shift into gear while engine is off and start the car and drive off. So i tracked down the clutch not disengaging entirely when pedal is pushed. Did i have to reset my clutch pedal ajuster or something? The pedal feels fine. Im trying to do what i can without pulling the trans again (a p.i.t.a. Btw). Has anyone had and trouble with this before?? Thanks

Travis

[shelbymopar89]

Not sure if your car has the auto adjust clutch pedal or not but if it does then pull up (toward the seat) on it. You should hear it click a few times. Push the clutch in a couple times then pull up on it again. If it is already adjusted the cable might be streached enough it will not let it disengage.

[cs daytona]

yea i pulled up on the clutch many times and its clicked already. i can pull the lever on the trans toward the ground and the pedal will click and give slack, then will click and tighten back up.

so a streched cable can max out the adjuster?

[tryingbe]

so a streched cable can max out the adjuster?

Yes it could.

[2.216VTurbo]

Wait, did the Sachs PP come WITH the 4 puck or did you just combine a generic PP with the 4 puck? TU custom sets their 'stack height'...

[cs daytona]

yes it was a kit from fwdp. Its the ceramic 4 puck kit. Was there something i was supposed to measure?

[cs daytona]

Also what would a clutch pedal with a bad adjuster feel like?

[1FastCSX289]

Look under the car and see how far the clutch lever is engaging while someone steps on the pedal.....if there isnt much movement, you could try to rig something up in the way of a pry bar to try and see if prying the lever up allows it to engage. I would jack up both front wheels so that if it engages and you slip off the car isnt gonna run you over.

[2.216VTurbo]

Also what would a clutch pedal with a bad adjuster feel like?

The pedal wouldn't start to feel pressure unitl right before the floor. Ideally, within the first inch or two of travel (from the top) it should be depressing the diaphram and 'releasing' the disc. How far off the floor do you get engagement pressure? I like Sean idea of manually engageing the clutch arm to see if your clutch fnctions that way. That would tell you if your trouble is in the cable or adjuster. Back when I was running the super heavy dual PP set ups (all we had for 'performance 15 years ago) I used to 'shim' the cable with a chunk of Aluminum 3X as thick as that little rubber spacer under the arm. drill a hole large enough for the swedge to fit in then cut a notch from the egde leading to the hole to pass the cable itself thru. A bottle jack under the clutch arm helps install the shim...

[1FastCSX289]

Back when I was running the super heavy dual PP set ups (all we had for 'performance 15 years ago) I used to 'shim' the cable with a chunk of Aluminum 3X as thick as that little rubber spacer under the arm. drill a hole large enough for the swedge to fit in then cut a notch from the egde leading to the hole to pass the cable itself thru. A bottle jack under the clutch arm helps install the shim...

Bingo. If you get the clutch to engage with the prybar you could shim it. Just got to get the shim correct so that the clutch slightly engaged with the pedal up causing it to slightly slip.

[cs daytona]

just for the hell of it i replaced my clutch cable cus it needed it anyway. well tonight i checked the car out again. with someone on the clutch pedal, i could move the clutch the remaining distance (like 2 inches). so i put in like 10-12 large washers between the rubber block and the arm. now i can get the trans in first gear (front in the air). but i cant get it in reverse without major grindage. and once i try to move it (not on the lift), i cant seem to get it in 1st gear anymore. im pretty pissed .

so heres another thing: without the cable on the clutch lever (trans), the lever has like 2-3 inches of free play before touching the PP. is this normal? i had to slide the clutch shaft out a little in order to get the TO bearing clips to get on. but the bearing fork never came off the splines! could some prev grease monkey (that replaced the clutch) moved the TO bearing fork on the splines?

thanks guys for keeping me going arrrgggghhhhhh!!!!!!!

travis

[tryingbe]

Nope, not normal. There should be no play. How are the condition of the brown bushings for the clutch lever? Or do you have those bushings at all?

[cs daytona]

yes those bushings there. The shaft doesnt have play in the pivots, just when its moved, without tension or slack from the cable, about 2-3 inches theres free play. Im just wondering if i could move the fork 1 tooth on the shaft and that would pull more slack on the cable and give the TO bearing more travel. Just brainstorming....

[2.216VTurbo]

If you have that much free play on the arm before engagement, you can re-index the arm. patiently with a sharp edged triangular file, file away the large flat 'index' spline inside the arm. Make that spot look/act like any other spot around the circumference of the arm. Then just drop it down one tooth and reinstall...

Still, I wonder why you have all that play with a fresh cable?? Was it a new cable or a parts car/J-yard cable?

[cs daytona]

That cable is new from oreillys and the old one was the same length but worse shape. It didnt do this until i put the clutch in. So it was either something i did or some clearance issue in the clutch. I tried to call cindy yesterday about it but i guess they were busy. Ill be a bit more persistance today

[1FastCSX289]

Something is screwed up in there.......

If you measure the distance between the top of the shift lever and the bottom of the little pad (where the rubber grommet for the shift cable goes through the tranny), there should be about 3 1/4". If there is less than that, its possible that the thing is on the wrong splines somehow.......I have no idea how that would happen though b/c it was working with the previous clutch, no? Youre sure that the bellhousing is bolted on the the back of the engine all the way.....no gaps or anything? If so, and that measurement is around 3 1/4" and there isnt any slack in the clutch cable, it sounds like there may be something wrong with the pressure plate.....or the clutch disc in in backwards, but I wouldnt think the PP would bolt on if that were the case.

[cs daytona]

i will measure this later. yes the bolts and dowls all lined up and the disk is the correct direction (and ur right it wouldnt have bolted up backwards). due to the design of our trans/engines (without a pilot bearing) the alignment tool is kinda useless. i had a hell of a time lining up the dowel pins. BUT i did it WITHOUT FORCE. i didnt want u to get the wrong impression that ive been man-handling my new clutch . lemme check for the 3 1/4" that ur talking about and ill get back.

oh and i called cindy and she says i may have to move the fork on the shaft one spline and try that.

travis

[Chris W]

due to the design of our trans/engines (without a pilot bearing) the alignment tool is kinda useless.
travis

The clutch alignment tool would be useless if it didn't come with the centering bushing. This should have been included with your alignment kit. Could it have fallen out of the box?

Chris-TU

[cs daytona]

The clutch alignment tool would be useless if it didn't come with the centering bushing. This should have been included with your alignment kit. Could it have fallen out of the box?

Chris-TU

well cindy never said anything about it. when i went to pick up the parts, all the components weren't together. the pressure plates were piled up, the disks piled in another spot, TOBs same, alignment tools same. but they are always busy when i stop by so maybe it was one of those things that slipped her mind. not blaming anyone here by myself.

travis

[butchsuppe]

Pull the clutch and get another one. I once got 2 defective Chevy PP in a row, 3rd time was a charm.