Clutch Problem Once Again...

[Bruno P]

Hi All, once again im experiencing clutch problems, only 8 months ago I had a similar problem which was when I posted this link

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/topic/368200-rb25det-clutch-problem/page__fromsearch__1

About 9 months ago I purchased an Exedy Extra Extra Heavy Duty Button for an RB25det, Manufacture Part No: Exedy NSK-7056HHHDB installed, together with an exedy lightened flywheel and a Nismo clutch pivot, after only 500 km I was experiencing clutch problems, wouldnt go into gear etc the clutch was pulled out and sent back to Exedy and it was deemed faulty, although they didnt want a bar about warranty claim and was $500 out of pocket.

After it was deemed faulty and they refunded me I decided not to go for the Exedy Extra Extra Heavy Duty Button but instead went for Exedy Extra Heavy Duty Button Clutch Kit (NSK-7056HHDB) with lesser clamp load.

Now 8 months on Im now having similar problem and cant believe it, what luck.

This time I was positive it had to be Clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder because when taking the car to the mechanics my foot sunk briefly to the floor and lost pressure. We replaced both master and slave with new ones and still no luck, problems still there.

Ive previously had 2 button clutches put in the car over the last 10 years and never had any problems, and not to mention they were just a basic heavy duty button and I generally get around 4-5 years out of them.

The car has just over 300 rw kw, I know a twin plate clutch is in order but I dont do racing or drag strips its just every day driving with the occasional drag here and there plus there too expensive.

My meachanic will be pulling out the clutch within the next week or so but simply putting in a new cluch wont resolve this issue from coming back within the next few months.

Can anyone suggest what might be the cause of these clutch problems, I do have an Exedy Lightweight Flywheel (NF01) installed with my first clutch that had problems and I still have the lightened flywheel with my current clutch problem. Can the lightened flywheel be causing this? How do I know if my clutch pedal is faulty or worn.? what clutch brands can be suggested

Any info would be great

Cheers

[Dobz]

Lightened flywheel won't be causing it.

Has it slowly turned bad or did it happen pretty quickly?

Is the clutch dragging? eg. moving forward when in gear and the clutch disengaged.

[mad082]

something else to look at when inspecting the clutch is the clutch fork pivot bolt. i had a mate with a r33 with similar issues to what you are seeing and it wasn't because of damage to the clutch, but damage to the clutch fork pivot bolt. the head had snapped off, so the fork wasn't able to fully disengage the clutch, etc.

i had a damaged pivot bolt in my 33 as well, but it snapped off at the base and the result was that the clutch just went to the floor and stayed there

[Bruno P]

Hi Dobz, yeah the clutch played up in a single day, drove to work it was fine, when I left work it was a completely different story. Yes the clutch is dragging. It wants to move forward when the clutch is disengaged and its a real struggle to get into gear. In order for me to actually drive to work the following day I had to adjust the clutch pedals free play, removed the slackness which only helped a little. Glad to know its not the flywheel.

[Dobz]

Very strange. So as soon as you got back in the car the clutch wasn't working properly? Have you checked all the line fittings, there are no leaks?

[Bruno P]

Hi mad082, is the clutch fork pivot bolt the same as Clutch fork pivot ball? If so when I had my clutch installed about 8 months ago I had a Nismo clutch pivot ball installed. But not to say that It Isn't that I will definately find out when my mechanics pulls out the box. Im just worried that he wont find the cause of the problem if the problems not an obvious one. Does having more springs on the button clutch itself help?

Also forgot to mention the clutch thrust bearing was making a slight noise. Each morning after I start the car and the clutch was disengaged as in clutch pushed to the floor i could hear a noisy thrust bearing type squeal. But when the clutch was engaged there was no noise.

[Bruno P]

Hi Dobz, yeah when I left work that same day it didnt want to select into first gear and wanted to take off with clutch pushed in. Adjusting the pedal did help slightly. I checked all the lines for leaks and didnt find a single drip, thats why i was convinced it was the clutch master or slave because I heard that they can be leaking internally which can cause similar problems, but once I changed them it still didnt improve. Could it be I have struck 2 bad exedy clutches....what brand clutches do you normally go?

[Bruno P]

Could it be my thrust bearing?

[Dobz]

If the bearing was making noise then it's definately worth looking at, either way if you can't find the problem externally then the next step is gearbox out to inspect the clutch unfortunately.

[mad082]

Hi mad082, is the clutch fork pivot bolt the same as Clutch fork pivot ball? If so when I had my clutch installed about 8 months ago I had a Nismo clutch pivot ball installed. But not to say that It Isn't that I will definately find out when my mechanics pulls out the box. Im just worried that he wont find the cause of the problem if the problems not an obvious one. Does having more springs on the button clutch itself help?

Also forgot to mention the clutch thrust bearing was making a slight noise. Each morning after I start the car and the clutch was disengaged as in clutch pushed to the floor i could hear a noisy thrust bearing type squeal. But when the clutch was engaged there was no noise.

yeah it's the same thing. i call it a bolt because it's a bolt with a ball end on it

[boostn0199]

Hi Dobz, yeah the clutch played up in a single day, drove to work it was fine, when I left work it was a completely different story. Yes the clutch is dragging. It wants to move forward when the clutch is disengaged and its a real struggle to get into gear. In order for me to actually drive to work the following day I had to adjust the clutch pedals free play, removed the slackness which only helped a little. Glad to know its not the flywheel.

Sounds like a master or slave issue but youve alredy tried that.

[Bruno P]

Well 4 weeks in and mechanics still hasent pulled out the box yet. unbelievable. Im hoping its clutch fork or something. Hard to believe its could be pressure plate its not as If I thrash the thing daily, doesnt the pressure plate need to heat up dramatically before loosing its clamp load. Can a crappy thrust bearing cause the clutch not to disengage?