Got My Reconditioned Clutch Back

[Joe Flanagan]

The UPS guy showed up at my house at about 9:30 tonight. A bit of a surprise as they don't normally deliver that late. It was myreconditioned clutch from Tennessee Clutch and Supply. All I can say is Wow. It all looks brand new. I'll post a picture tomorrow, but the parts were bead blasted, the metal parts of the disc painted, new springs installed. It looks incredible. They charged me 60 bucks for the job and another ten for shipping. I have to thank Don Coatney for the referral. They even threw in a clutch alignment tool.

[LuckyDevil]

That actually reminds me of a question I have...... if you have the clutch rebuilt with the new material would it engage softer? Does that question make any sense? What I mean is..... My clutch doesn't ease in softly like my newer truck, is that because of the design or the old friction material on the factory clutch?

It kinda looks funny if I take off too fast because the car will hop a little like I never drove a manual before. And my five year old always tells me to "Stop it" like I did it on purpose.

[Robert Horne]

Your question makes good sense. New material on the clutch will give you that soft touch feeling, similar to new tires. Time, heat, cold, and moisture will make the material lose it's new feeling.

[Joe Flanagan]

It seems to me that the condition of the mating surfaces would have an effect on how the clutch feels. I wonder if there could be some excess wear or even contamination that would make it do that.

Funny you should mention about lurching off a stop like that because I did that a lot in my pickup truck (87 Toyota). My problem was that the clutch would grab when I'd let the pedal just about two inches off the floor. I would bleed the system and it would help somewhat but it would always go back to the same thing eventually. Finally I got under there and discovered that there is a hole in the arm of the pedal and a rod that goes through that hole on which the pedal pivots. The hole was originally round but over 22 years of use it had become oval. Actually, it had turned into a long slot. I welded it up and drilled a new hole. Reinstalled the pedal and the pin and the thing now operates like it's new.

[Don Coatney]

I once had a 66 Mustang convertable with a 3 speed maunal transmission. I replaced the clutch disc because it would grab much the same way you describe. The new disc did the same so I pulled the flywheel and had it turned on a lathe. This did not fix the problem. So I pulled the flywheel again and had it surface ground. This fixed the problem. There were hard spots on the flywheel and a lathe cut would not remove them.

[greg g]

Chatter or Judder is a condition usually caused by oil getting onto the friction material.

The source of the oil could be a leaking rear main seal, which seems to be a normal codition of a lot of these engines, or maybe a leaking cam welch plug.

It will make a clutch want to jump around against the springs rather then egauge smoothly. Probably only and issue in first or reverse and not noticable between gears.

[Young Ed]

My 94 dakota always has clutch chatter when its wet out for the first few shifts. Goes away after driving a bit. Its done this since almost new.

[Joe Flanagan]

Here's a picture of my reconditioned disc and pressure plate:

Will be installing it this weekend, I think, and then the engine goes in.

[P-12 Tommy]

Pretty darn good deal for $60.00 plus $10.00 for shipping. You did good Joe!

Tom

[Joe Flanagan]

I have to thank Don C. for the referral. I was looking all over locally and couldn't find a place that would do it.

[Normspeed]

Joe, the trouble is, that's too darned pretty to bolt into a car and get it dirty.

[Joe Flanagan]

I had the same thought, Norm. I'll just shut my eyes while I'm installing it. I hope I put it on right.

[wldavis3]

Norm is right. I think I would frame it and hang it up

on the wall -- in the den.

[Joe Flanagan]

Any more car parts in the house and I'll be sleeping out in the garage with the car.