Ok guys ive been havin a lot of problems out of this car since the m6 swap, and it all started with the torque arm i thought.. this clutch chatter has me concerned now as ive already been through an already new(well 1 year old) set of gears + a torque arm mount that just got broken the other day on the street!! im just wandering now if this clutch chatter im experiencing could be caused by another problem with the chassis/suspension that im just not noticing? maybe im reading too deep into this but i just feel like clutch chatter shouldnt be THIS bad, when i say its bad its pretty bad, i normally dont mind anything on a car like this. the entire rear of the car shudders vioilently enough that it looks like the hatch is going up and down (ive even gone so far as to get out and make sure the trunk was latched right afterwards!) now the broken mount has me looking for something else that may be loose as a suspect to allow this.. any ideas guys?


sorry for the long post.

 

firstly it would help us if you'd explain what clutch you have, as well as suspension mods and motor mods (any more performance that bolt ons). this will help us determine the amount of power and how capable your car is in launching.

if you have the centerforce or RAM clutch, stage 2, then you may have a bad clutch and need replacing. i've had experience in this and went through 5 clutches while thinking the whole time it was something else. went to lt4 clutch and all was fine. the clutch actually threw the motor out of balance it was so bad. also, make sure all of the tranny bolts are good and tight (i know it sounds goofy, but check any way)

i wouldnt go with anything less than either a zoom stage 2 (they make their own pressure plate, unlike centerforce and all the other marketers making their system one of the best) or go with a true double clutch setup.

 

all of that is listed in my signature.. and yes, i am runing the Zoom high performance kevlar clutch i guess you would call it the stage 2 *shrug* suspension mods - none engine - fresh (~20kmiles) stock LT1 all bolt ons in sig... a long with everything i just mentioned really lol.

 

Well unless the clutch plate was designed to grab like that, here are some other things to look at. 1)universal joints-pull the driveshaft and check them, even the slightest bit of friction when moving them is a tale-tell sign. 2)alignment-there is a thread about using a 3' threaded rod in the tailshaft of the trans to verify motor-trans alignment. Also make sure the rear end sits equal distance between the fender wells. 3)rearend yoke-use steel wool to clean the yoke where the u-joint bearing caps sit, also clean the caps, cap straps, lightly oil those surfaces before mounting the driveshaft. 4)front torque arm mount-shouldn't be too tight or too loose, replace it if necessary. From what I've found on the 4th gens, any of the above can cause vibrations.
Doug

 

i think its the torque arm is too loose in the front, i swapped from an a4 to an m6 and bought all the new mounts for the torque arm to mount to the 6spd, but used the original a4 torque arm, it seems to have a bit too much play in the bushings for the m6 torque arm mounts, so i suppose eventually im gonna have to change to an m6 torque arm or aftermarket *shrug*
even had the problem of rattling the bolt out of the front torque arm mount just 2 days ago (this is when i discovered the extra play while i was under the car on the lift)

 

I'd double check the u-joints. I had a rear one go bad, that felt like the car had eggs for tires for the first 10miles, then smoothed out after that. Found 4 loose bolts on the rear-end cover that hold the brake line brackets.
Also, I'm not sure if there is a difference in the A4 and M6 torque arm, someone will have to chime in on that one. You might try an old trick on the front torque arm mount. Take a business card, fold it on the short side about 3-4 times so its the width of the rubber mount. Wedge one in the top and one in the bottom of the mount between the rubber and bracket. If the problem goes away, you know what it is.
Doug