Congratulations to me

TalonFiero · 04-12-2005

I over adjusted my clutch rod to compensate for what was (my best guess) a bent clutch fork or bad pressure plate. I managed to snap my clutch fork on the freeway today when I went to shift into third.

I guess my clutch fork and or pressure plate has been bad for a month or so, I kept adjusting my clutch rod to try and cure my engagement issues. Don't make the mistake I did.

That is all.

Jim

**JET** · 04-12-2005

That sucks Jim!

Matt D. · 04-12-2005

Yeah, totally sucks. At least your phone call to me was entertaining... "Guess what I did!"

A//// Guy · 04-12-2005

Wow yea that stinks! I was almost in that same category but I couldnt get anymore adjustment out of my car haha.

What kind of clutch is it? Mine was an act 2600. Will see this weekend once I get the tranny back in if that was the clutprit.

niterydr · 04-13-2005

Told ya your fork might be bent

.
Glad you got home okay.

TalonFiero · 04-13-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by niterydr

Told ya your fork might be bent

.
Glad you got home okay.

Well it isn't bent any more, part of it is laying out on 35W.

It's an ACT 2600. What I wasn't aware of, until it was too late, is that there needs to be some play in the pedal on a 2g when released. Otherwise the 2g master cylinder won't be able to relieve the pressure and it will keep building up pressure until something gets bent or broken.

My ACT 2600 worked fine for 7,000+ miles, it was just the last 1,000 miles where clutch engagement became worse and worse which was most likely caused by a bent clutch fork.

Now to buy my parts car and get this thing back on the road soon.

Jim

Onefast99gsx · 04-13-2005

Last year when i first got my 99 GSX i played with that dam rod everyday. Start it up, she would disengage fine. Drive around for 30min, she'd engage right off the floor. I was chasing a problem i couldn't find. I heard it's not good to adjust that rod too much in one direction. You can cause premature t.o.b. wear and invite crankwalk as well. Anyway, when on RRE's site i found exactly what i had. It's called 2g pedal pump up. Over the winter, i ended up replacing the clutch, fork, pivot ball, slave cyl, master cyl, S.S. clutch line. I have yet to try it. I would think it takes alot to snap those forks. My guess being that the 2600 is already stiff, you turned the rod even more and made it twice as stiff with pedal pump up and snapped the fork.

A//// Guy · 04-13-2005

Yea mine was fine for the last 30K miles I put on the car... last summer something happened after I pushed the clutch in once and it lost alot of pressure, like the pressure plate lost tension. So I did everything else that could fix it besides the clutch... well see if a new one fixes it.

TalonFiero · 04-13-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Onefast99gsx

It's called 2g pedal pump up. Over the winter, i ended up replacing the clutch, fork, pivot ball, slave cyl, master cyl, S.S. clutch line. I have yet to try it. I would think it takes alot to snap those forks. My guess being that the 2600 is already stiff, you turned the rod even more and made it twice as stiff with pedal pump up and snapped the fork.

Thats what I was talking about, thats what I read about on RRE's website. I adjusted it too far a month ago and drove it about 2 miles that way. I took it out on the freeway thinking evreything was fine untill I got on the gas and the clutch started to slip. Drove right home (less than a mile) and backed off the clutch rod a couple turns. I must have damaged the pressure plate and or fork as the engagement became worse and worse over the next month. The scary thing is I only turned the rod maybe 1 and a half to two turns the entire time, doesn't take much on a 2g to screw things up, on 1gs you can praticaly back the thing all the way out. At least I know my hydraulics are in tiptop shape. :P

Onefast99gsx · 04-13-2005

1 to 2 turns is HUGE!!!!!! When i made my adjustments, a 1/4 to 1/2 turn was the difference between engaging right off the floor or way off the floor. I'd buy a new master cylinder if i were you. I think it was $74. I'm almost certain that turning the screw that far is what caused your problem. The combination of the stiff 2600 and the pump up effect causing too much hydraulic pressure thus snapping the fork when you pressed on it. Those forks are cast metal, so eventually enough pressure will cause what you experienced. Check your pressure plate while you're at it.

TalonFiero · 04-13-2005

I hear ya on the one to two turns part, wish I knew that a month ago before I tried it. I an't imagine what kind of damage it would have done if I left it that way, it did enough damage in a couple miles as it was.

My master cylinder is new, it seems just fine, you think I should replace it?

Jim

A//// Guy · 04-13-2005

Only if it leaks, also check your slave becuase you can pop the seal if you bottomed out on the lip of the tranny when you where pushing the fork in.

Onefast99gsx · 04-13-2005

Did you change the rod settings on the NEW master, or did you change the master cyl because of all these problems? If you changed the master cyl and you were still having pump up, then that's a new can of worms. I would dig into a defective pressure plate possibility if so.

TalonFiero · 04-13-2005

Here is the history. Bare with me as this will be a long post.

When I installed my 2.4 last summer I replaced the clutch and master cyl as both were wore out (master cyl leaked). After bleeding the system everything worked great, I was anticipating a stiff pedal from the 2600 but it hardly felt any different than stock to me. I did not adjust the clutch rod on the master cyl at that time, things were just peachy.

Fast forward 7,000 miles. I started having engagement issues into first and third and even reverse where the car would want to roll forward when trying to engage into gear, I couldn't even get the car to shift into fifth at idle. When I would try to launch the car in first it would want to roll forward when the rpms were brought up with the clutch to the floor. I bled the clutch system, no difference so I decided to try adjusting the clutch rod a little more than a full turn. This made the clutch fully disengage shifting felt better but the pedal was much more firm than before. I decided I would take it for a spin and see if things were improved. Right away I noticed the clutch slipping on the freeway under modest acceleration, I knew things may have been adjusted too far so I went right home. I backed the rod off about a half turn which made engagement/disengagement right at the floor, clutch pedal was not firm anymore and it didn't slip anymore under full acceleration but I still had problems getting into gear. My tranny was having issues also as the bearings have been whining for the last couple miles so I wasn't too concerned about the syncros as I was planning on yanking it this spring and sending it off to shep for a rebuild. I decided I would deal with the shitty disengagement and shift slowy till the tranny was yanked. I left it this way for the last 1,000 miles or so until the last week.

Last week it was becoming very difficult to shift after the car had been driven for 10 minutes or so, I read RREs 2g clutch adjustment procedure and figured I was pumping up the clutch a thousand miles ago when I first played with it. I was glad that I put it back to where the rod was set from the factory but I became concerned that in those few miles I drove it I may have bent the fork or pressure plate a thousand miles ago and things have just been wearing out fast ever since. I knew that the tranny was coming out soon so I figured I would give the rod a 1/4-1/2 turn or whatever it took to get some disengagement following RRE's instructions. I backed the cruise switch out so that the pedal could come up more but it didn't help, the pedal was still firm all the way up to the top. So once again I adjusted the rod back to where it has been and decided to try not to drive the car much as it had become a bitch to shift. Then the fork broke on the way home from work yesterday.

I am picking up a parts car if all goes well by the end of this week. You can bet that I am going to inspect the complete clutch system before anything goes back into the car.

What has me baffled is why did it go bad in the first place? Since I made zero adjustments to the new master from mitsu was it the 2600? Did it put to much strain on my 75,000 mile clutch fork and slowly bend it over time? I also used a mitsu TO bearing if this matters to anyone.

Jim

niterydr · 04-14-2005

In my experiences, the 2g clutch forks can wear rather rapidly if anything is out of adjustment, or a heavy duty pressure plate can end is life rather quickly. Its hard to visually spot if its bent, unless you know what you are looking for, or have a new one for comparison. They tend to bend where the to bearing mounts first, followed by where the cltuch rod pushes on, eventually they become straight. It will be interesting to see where yours broke off at, my guess is where the to bearing mounts, I bed you have a 'mounted' fork and a to bearing on the shaft with clutch fork pieces stuck to it.
Good luck on the tranny removal, I know you've done it a few times, so it shouldn't be that bad, and keep us posted.

TalonFiero · 04-14-2005

Slave did what Peter described. It will need to be replaced or rebuilt.

Fork broke just inside the tranny bellhousing. Maybe it bottomed out on the tranny and I snapped the bitch off?

I'll have the tranny dropped sometime tonight, I took my time yesterday yanking shit out of the car I didn't need anymore.

Jim