Guess who needs a new clutch?

[vtluu]

(Yours truly.)

While fixing the tranny they checked my clutch and are reporting "severe glazing" on the clutch disk and "hot spots" on the flywheel. 2963 miles too. :?

It's kinda weird though. The one tech guy was like, "You need to replace your clutch RIGHT AWAY" but when I asked the older chief tech he seemed way cooler about it, saying "There's some glazing on the disk but plenty of material left, and some hot spots on the flywheel but you should be okay for now."

Note I've had no clutch slippage yet.

Time to price up a new clutch... I'm thinking the ACT 2100 (or is that 2900?) kit. All I really want is a clutch that retains the same daily driveability (and remember I only learned to drive stick 4 months ago) but that's a bit more tolerant of the occasional mistake and parallel-parking-on-a-hill-from-hell scenario... and maybe a launch once in a while. :wink:

Luckily I have a friend who knows how to drop the tranny and change the clutch so I'm hoping to dodge the labour charges that way. Beer and pizza shouldn't cost $500. :lol:

[EvolvedDSM]

ACT with the OEM disc would do wonders. Get ACT's disc if you want a little extra bite. My ACT lasted 15K miles with easily 150 6K RPM launches at the track...and a few on the street ;) Without the track abuse, it will last you a while. Just get the stock flywheel resurfaced and don't think about a lightened one if you want to maintain a high level of streetability.

Is the tranny still out? If so, they should replace the clutch w/o a labor charge. If it's back in, you should smack them for not telling you while it was out :roll:

If you're not noticing it slipping, I'd follow the advice of the elder tech. Just wait until it starts to slip before you truely begin to worry.

[vtluu]

Thanks, really appreciate the advice. Keep it coming folks! :-)

[vtluu]

Is the tranny still out? If so, they should replace the clutch w/o a labor charge. If it's back in, you should smack them for not telling you while it was out :roll:
Weird thing is the note on the invoice says "Strongly recommend [new] clutch, cover, T.O. bearing and fly wheel. Customer declined."

WTF? When I picked up the car was the first I'd heard of it. They'd never said anything to me before, and I certainly hadn't "declined" anything.

Don't think I'll be going back there again. They keep my car for a week instead of 2 days and still can't even pick up the phone to tell me about my clutch. Sheesh. :roll:

[vtluu]

A couple more questions...

Anybody had any experience with the Clutch Masters Stage 1 clutch kit?

As I understand it I don't need a new flywheel, just need to get the flywheel resurfaced. What exactly does this (resurfacing) entail, and whereabouts can I get this done? The way I figure it, since I have plenty of clutch plate material left, and since glazing will wear off if I take it easy for a while (now there's a challenge :)), I don't need a new anything for the moment, just a resurfacing on the flywheel... right?

Still if it's gonna be a PITA to drop the tranny and open up the clutch, maybe I might as well put an aftermarket unit in there and save myself the trouble of having to do it again in another few thousand miles...?

[howiEVO8]

bah that sucks

[EvolvedDSM]

Personally, I would avoid the Clutch Masters. No experience with them myself, just some bad stories left over from my DSM days.

Resurfacing is just like turning the brake rotors. Not sure who would do it locally (as I'm still new to the area), but most places that can do the rotors should be able to. Any tranny shop should as well. If you call a local tuner and ask them who they use, they should be able to point you in the right direction.

If you're thinking about resurfacing the flywheel w/o changing the clutch... don't. It's the exact same process to do either--well 7 more bolts to take the flywheel off--and you'd be paying twice the labor you need to.

[vtluu]

It's the exact same process to do either--well 7 more bolts to take the flywheel off--and you'd be paying twice the labor you need to.
Thanks for the advice. Actually I was going to drop the tranny myself. (With a little help from my friends.) But you're still right, my time isn't exactly free either. :)

[ob4]

hi tam,

let me know if you need help, i do have a copy of the service manual cd.

-terry

[vtluu]

Thanks, I've had the service manual CD for a while now and have already pored over the section on taking apart the clutch. I knew the day would come... just not so soon. :lol:

[howiEVO8]

so if i get an after market cluth (twin plate exedy)...how long should the clutch last?

[evo_dadi]

well it depends on how your going to be driving your evo everyday. if its just for daily use it should last for a while as with the stock clutch as long as nothing goes wrong with it or bad launching. but as with tam since he's autox's it should work well with his driving and last him for a while also,

[JanSolo]

And if you drag, the clutch is just one of the things that will break. Two people who have hp Evo's have talked about their differentials breaking. Doing a clutch drop is not a friendly thing for the drivetrain of the Evo.

[vtluu]

I don't think auto-x is actually hard on the clutch at all. Usually they'll put the starting light/sensor after a first sharp turn so there's no point launching the car off the start. And if you do things right you'll typically change gears once--first to second--during a run and carry your speed through the run so you never have to downshift. In auto-x there's rarely a straightaway long enough to need third gear.

I think the burning on my clutch is attributable firstly to mistakes I've made as someone who recently learned to drive stick, and launching the car combined with inexperience on how to do so without being hard on the clutch. I've actually managed to launch the car fairly nicely without making any clutch smoke, but I think it's fair to say that earlier on my enthusiasm sometimes exceeded my abilities. :lol:

[JanSolo]

Hey Tam, Cal is selling that HKS GD Max clutch for 1250$. Supposed to be good for the street and he only has 2 left! BTW, Tam - you've beaten me in post count again.

[vtluu]

Thanks Jan, I think I'm considering something a bit more budget-oriented like the ACT. But maybe when the time comes I'll opt for something a bit more resistant to abuse. In the meantime I think I can get a few more months out of this one if I just take it easy. (I guess we both attest that's easier said than done. :))

As for post count, yes I noticed I've overtaken you again. If Howie is the post-whore king, I guess that makes me queen! :lol:

[howiEVO8]

Thanks Jan, I think I'm considering something a bit more budget-oriented like the ACT. But maybe when the time comes I'll opt for something a bit more resistant to abuse. In the meantime I think I can get a few more months out of this one if I just take it easy. (I guess we both attest that's easier said than done. :))

As for post count, yes I noticed I've overtaken you again. If Howie is the post-whore king, I guess that makes me queen! :lol:

hahaha...there's s supposed to be a special title that you get once you've reached 500, so i've heard? oreo...

[JanSolo]

Howie.. wtf does oreo mean besides the damn cookie?

[vtluu]

http://www.norcalevo.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=201&start=18