clutch/tranny problem

[1slowdsm]

I just installed a new South Bend OFE clutch and used tranny I got from another board member. After the install I took the car out for a quick test drive and first gear seems to not wanna grab right away. There's very little power and it seems to chatter for the first couple 1k RPMs. Then it grinds going into 2nd and 3rd is fine 50% of the time, 4th is fine but 5th sometimes grinds like it doesnt wanna go in. Besides bleeding the slave cylinder, what else could be the problem? Shifter cables maybe (or I hope rather than the clutch itself or flywheel, flywheel resurfaced to .610). I'm currently at school and will be off in by noon. So Im gonna go back home and try to get my car running. Any help will do. Thx

[turbotalon1g]

When i drove my car with that tranny in it, i loved it, the best tranny i have driven i even told my bro that we should tear it apart so i can compare the built one to that one, so that i could speed up the shifts in the built one.
Something is messed up on the install.
What fluid are you using?
Sounds like an engagement issue.

[Pushit2.0]

I would bleed the clutch, check your pedal adjustment (engagement should be a few inches off the floor to make sure its fully released), and if that does not fix it, then a bad release fork, or a worn pivit ball, and the last thing would be a faulty install.

~John

[1slowdsm]

Would tightening up the PP a bit over torque spec cause an engagement issue? That's what I'm leaning towards right now. We couldnt get a hold of a torque wrench that would go to 10lbs (one I got from Napa loan-a-tool went from 30-250lbs). I kinda guestimated the lbs on it (one hand-tightening it with a ratchet, not trying to force it any tighter). I dont wanna mess up a good tranny, so I'm not gonna drive it anymore and risk grinding the gears. It's been a couple yrs since I've had a normal shifting tranny in my car :).
Oh yeah, I'm running Royal Purple manual tranny fluid and the pivot ball is the same that Aaron (turbotalon1g) was using, so it should still be fine.
And another thing that I should add about first gear is that there's no power at all when engaging. I can full throttle it in first and it wont have the get up and go power, just struggle engaging. I'll be gone for the weekend for a tournament, so I'll come back on Sunday/Monday and probably take the tranny off and re-torque the PP to the right spec.

[Pushit2.0]

Did you even get the PP all the way to the flywheel? I torque PP bolts to 18 lb/ft using red thread locker, and 1g flywheel bolts are 98 lb/ft using red thread locker.

~John

[dragonforce]

make sure replacement tranny is the same year. you might have to swap the shift cable bracket.

[1slowdsm]

replacement tranny is off a '91 awd and mine is a '93. I've been reading/searching and only found that '90 awd tranny shifter cables are different from '91-'94. The part where the cables connect to the gear selecting arms is a little different on one of the arms. It's maybe 1/2" longer than the ones on my old tranny. Instead of the cables being parallel together, one cable (passenger side cable) is at a small angle outward away from the other cable.
I guess to eliminate the possible problems I am going to just take the tranny off, tighten the PP to spec, then start putting it back together and see where that gets me.

[iceminion]

its great using the stock torque specs on all the bolts, I highly recommend doing everything by the book

-BUT-

chances are that so long as you tightened the bolts down even half-assed, chances are that its fine, I would highly suggest to check for proper slave cylinder movement, pedal position first, you will feel like shit when you take your trans off just to tighten the PP an additional pound or so, and have it not fix anything.

-OR-

Just bribe one of us here on style who knows what they are doing to come take a look at your stuff. You might be making this more complicated then it needs to be

-AND-

as I understand it, when they switched to the 7-bolt (1992.5) they also made some chances to the transmission, for instance double synchro 2nd gear.

Most 91 transmissions are pretty beat up by now, its a possibility that your "new" trans is defective, used DSM transmission stories usually end badly, pay shep/TRE to rebuild it, you will not regret it.

But first do all the easy stuff.

[1slowdsm]

Yeah, the last thing I wanna do is take off the tranny and redo everything all over again. I'm gonna have my younger brother come help me tomorrow and I'll check all the easy stuff. I need someone to step on the clutch while I inspect a few things from the engine bay.
The thing is that first gear feels like I'm not giving enough gas, even if I have the gas pedal all the way down and the only normal working gear is reverse.
And if anyone is around the Blaine area that knows this kinda stuff that is willing to come take a look at it I'll buy lunch or give you $20 if you can help me diagnose the problem. Give me a PM :). I'm one of those broke ass college kids now that school started again, so I cant offer much.

[1slowdsm]

K, so I went and got my flywheel measured by Andy at A&K Machines in Coon Rapids. He measured .605 on the outside part of the machined surface and .610 on the inside part. That would mean that my clutch 'wouldn't' disengage correctly, right? But then I'm having engagement issues in 1st, what does that mean? Since it's .610 towards the center of the flywheel is it still OK to use?