BigWil

So.... had a stock clutch go really fast, like within 1000 miles. Figured it was my clutch job so I decided not to try it again. I bought a RAM-98516HD for my 94 Z28 LT1? Bosses husband recommended a place for the install. I grabbed a steel flywheel as it was going to need one of those too as well as a new pilot bearing.

I get over there with the second set of parts and they guy has the front of my motor jacked up and is hanking on the tranny to get it out. I told him he needed to take the bellhousing off first with those nice 7 little bolts right in front of his face. (didn't use those words but wanted to). He proceeded to jack yank and pull. I said hey, did you disengage the fork yet? He says No, it should slide off when it comes away. NO YOU NEED TO DISENGAGE THE FORK THE TB DOESN'T COME OFF THE PRESSURE PLATE! He stops shines a flash light up there, apologizes, pulls the fork back and slides the tranny back and out. I then asked him how he got the shifter out without removing the console and he showed me how he removed the 4 bolts at the top, seemed reasonable.

I am kicking myself for not telling him to stop and put my car back together. They did find the oil leak in the seal above the filter that destroyed my 500 mile former clutch. That was cool. So they fixed that, replaced the rear seal since it was right there, new pilot bearing, flywheel, and installed the RAM HD. I swung by just after with a smile on my face thinking we were good. The guy informs me not to smile yet and starts the car up to a great noise.

They tare it back apart and inform me that they found the issue. There were two nubs on the pressure plate that were striking the fork. They used a grinder and ground the numbs off and reinstalled everything.

$750 in labor later... There is still some noise from something hitting around the bell housing clutch area, my shifter doesn't want to shift like I am fighting the solenoids, while there isn't a violent shake there is deep vibration from the clutch tranny area, and the noise and taps are enough that I think it is throwing off my knock sensor cause my 420HP is running like a 280HP when it isn't coughing or dying.

So there's a huge moral to this story and when I put my finger on it I'll tell all. But in the meantime can anybody think of the different ways this mechanic fracked up. I have some theories but I want to make sure I present it in the most logical way. Right now driving my car THRU their shop comes to mind and I can always say the clutch failed.

My theories... pulling out the shifter and cleaning the oil in the bell housing likely got some solvents, cleaner or debri in the shift box explaining problems shifting. Nubs hitting fork could be caused by forcing my tranny out and bending the fork. Vibration being because they ground off said nubs that were probably there to balance the pressure plate. TunerCat/Freescan shows a pretty high knock count 65000+ as I said from the tapping/rattling explaining the runs like crap.

Are these reasonable deductions?

Had I just replaced that seal and done the job myself. I hate getting old.

Wil

grabbem88

What seal above filter you talking about? I'm sure that's what leaking on mine

I'm getting ready to put my clutch in my car ... Stock original 240k miles lol

Not sure about the grinding the nubs but I would have ground bellhousing first

Last time I pulled tranny for rear seal I just un bolted shifter and dropped her

I'm stilling laughing about him yanking and pulling tranny and not going anywhere cause of the clutch fork lol!

Sure he even changed out the pilot bushing? Come on the clutch fork about whooped his butt lol!

Sorry to hear about this though it sucks

BigWil

http://shbox.com/1/oil_cooler.jpg

I believe based on that image of a 95 that it was the oil cooler seal. About two to three inches above the oil filter seal.

Wasn't tapping the bellhousing though it was tapping the fork. That's why I am thinking maybe he bent the fork trying to get it out and that's why it was hitting the "nubs".

Thanks for the input.

Injuneer

Knock count is an incrementing field.... typially adds 3,000 counts every time you start the car. The number in the field isn't important. It will keep increasing until it hits about 64,000 and reset to zero, start all over again. Important thing is large increments added during normal operation of the engine.

Was your engine externally balanced (stock) with a weight on the flywheel, or has it been rebuilt and possibly internally balanced? Sure you bought the correct flywheel? Was the balance verified before install?

Given the mechanic's complete incompetence, I'd recommend starting all over again.

grabbem88

If that mechanic put that transmission in a serious bind .... Prying jacking who knows????.... That fork could very well be jacked up..

I agree with Fred and do a start over and hopefully nothing else is fubar..

BigWil

Thanks both for the inputs. I didn't inspect the flywheel for a weight. I would think it was internally balanced when it was rebuilt about 5 years ago. It ran like a champ when I dropped it off. Yes it had a bit of shake but that was the crumbled pilot bearing. Vibration is completely different now.

What about the problems shifting suddenly? Ideas? It acts as if those solenoids aren't even in there. I reset the chip to it's factory which ALWAYS comes with our dear friend Skip Shift and nothing at all. No skip shift and no solenoid activity tells me maybe he broke a wire or something. Is that a reasonable thought. One would think that would throw a fault though, but no none.

Injuneer

Does the reverse lockout solenoid work? Or do you have to strongarm the lever to the right for reverse?

Does the "skip shift" lamp come on in the dash? If the light doesn't come on, either you aren't operating within the parameters programmed in the PCM, or the skip shift has been "programmed out". If the PCM isn't commanding skip shift, you won't get a code.

BigWil

I literally have to find neutral do a little jiggle left right, 3rd 4th, then over to reverse. Then try getting back to 1st 2nd what a laugh. Then same issue where did 3rd go. And by the time I find it it's time to downshift. And my gearshift feels like I am walking it through a field of broken glass. Man I hope that makes sense.

Ya know I wasn't paying enough attention to check for the light. I usually know it's being commanded by the gear shift telling me. I will check for the light tomorrow. But in "stock mode" it has always commanded it before and so many times it was aggravating. I did read in the chip settings after programming it. It's on, just not working that I have noticed.

Chimera96

OP

Does not sound like the mechanic you used to do a clutch swap knew how to do it on a LT1 car. Don't know how ape shiat he got trying to pull tranny without pulling the fork off T.O. bearing but he would have to have been ape shiat crazy to bend the fork.

He may have over TQ the PP bolts and your clutch is not disengaging causing hard shifts. Jack up rear end, start motor, put in gear with clutch depressed...do the rear wheels move?

if you have a vibration and your motor is rebuilt as internal balance and you use a stock weighted FW for "external" balance motor, it will vibrate considerbly

Injuneer

Be interesting to see if he kept the plastic insulator cup in the socket on top of the shift rail, where the ball from the shift lever inserts. Lose that and it will get sloppy and possibly grind. Did you check to make sure the shifter was securely bolted to the top of the trans?



Doesn't sound like the shifter issue has anything to do with the solenoids.

You really need to start all over again, and examine everything he did for correctness and possible damage.

BigWil

Chimera96: "He may have over TQ the PP bolts and your clutch is not disengaging causing hard shifts. Jack up rear end, start motor, put in gear with clutch depressed...do the rear wheels move?"

That's a good test for today for sure. What are the PP bolts (stands for)? I live in acronym hell already. ;-) Yes the shifter does feel like it isn't fully disengaging that's why I was thinking maybe he bent that fork. And yes there was ape **** everywhere.

Injuneer: "Be interesting to see if he kept the plastic insulator cup in the socket on top of the shift rail, where the ball from the shift lever inserts. Lose that and it will get sloppy and possibly grind. Did you check to make sure the shifter was securely bolted to the top of the trans?"

I haven't checked to make sure of too much. Figured for $700+ that was his job. Trust me Monday I'll be back there with the crazy eyes. But I think I will pop off of shifter and take a look. I just couldn't remember if I can see down in there from the console. Been a little while since I did it. I do remember it's a pain in the *** from the top unless you remove the console.

BigWil

I'm thinking maybe since he was inserting the shifter blindly from underneath he could have folded it over or got it to the side of it since as I recall it is rubber.

Chimera96, yes it is disengaging and the wheels stop. However pedal is about an inch or two closer to the floor than it used to be when it engages/disengages. If that means anything.

Injuneer

The plastic cup is fairly rigid, probably Teflon. On my Firebird console, I only had to pull the top cover to get at the shifter.