Clutch Installation Procedure?

[cccmanhattan]

Anyone have this in a format they can post? I'm having our guys do it in-house for the first time. I've seen it being done at the dealership several times and it seems straightforward enough, but thought it would be good to check if there are any particular hurdles.

I tried to order the online Service Manual, but it's only viewable on a PC and I'm on a Mac.

Thanks,

Zac

 

[HHGT]

And Centerpunch asked me what application should run on both a PC & Mac..... I think Centerpunch owes little old me a beer...:biggrin

 

[Shadowman]

Anyone have this in a format they can post? I'm having our guys do it in-house for the first time. I've seen it being done at the dealership several times and it seems straightforward enough, but thought it would be good to check if there are any particular hurdles.

I tried to order the online Service Manual, but it's only viewable on a PC and I'm on a Mac.

Thanks,

Zac

Zac

If you PM or email me I will be glad to assist you as I have had many of them out and assisted many other's perform the task.

Takes care

Shadowman

 

[Chris A.]

Funny Sam:lol

 

[cccmanhattan]

Zac

If you PM or email me I will be glad to assist you as I have had many of them out and assisted many other's perform the task.

Takes care


Shadowman

Thanks shadowman,

Apparently I don't have privelages to pm yet. My email is zacm AT classiccarclub.com

Thanks fir your help!!

 

[Shadowman]

Thanks shadowman,

Apparently I don't have privelages to pm yet. My email is zacm AT classiccarclub.com

Thanks fir your help!!

I just sent you an email

Takes care

Shadowman

 

[silver1331]

Out of curiousity, how many of you have had your clutch replaced already? Has it been due to tracking the car? Seems like most of the GTs would be too young to have clutch issues but i guess it depends on driving style

 

[cccmanhattan]

I run a car club, Classic Car Club Manhattan, so our car has done about 40K miles with a different driver every weekend. We typically get about 10-12K miles out of a clutch, but I would say if I was driving it myself, I'd get 25K+. It's a difficult car for people the first time they drive it. We've had people take off in 3rd gear a few times over a weekend and kill a new clutch. Even when I bought the car, it was from the original dealer on MSO, but he had put about 1,200 miles on hit himself on his dealer plates. From the day I got the car, the clutch was chattering from him overheating it at somepoint and it only lasted about 5K miles. With the twin plate clutch it has very little tolerance for bad driving habits. Even just sitting at a stop sign with it in gear and your foot on the clutch a few times sends it on a self destruct cycle.

 

[nota4re]

Even just sitting at a stop sign with it in gear and your foot on the clutch a few times sends it on a self destruct cycle.

Agree with you on your other observations - but not on this statement.

 

[cccmanhattan]

With the twin plate clutch everything is on very tight tollerences and therefore much more subject to heat. When you're foots on the pedal, even pushed all the way to the ground the clutch plates aren't spinning around in free air, they are lightly rubbing, which if you do that long enough, generates heat and done enough will warp the plates... if you end up warping something like the center plate between the two disks, it gets stuck on it's runners, doesn't move freely and pins down one of the friction plates until it's cooked. We've owned two GTs and collectively done about 60K miles and that's probably been the death of two or three of our clutches.

 

[nota4re]

... they are lightly rubbing, which if you do that long enough, generates heat and done enough will warp the plates...

I've never been a big fan of having the clutch in while in gear at a stoplight - instead opting for neutral at the transmission and clutch out. However, a twin plate clutch design is hardly new or unique to a production car - and a clutch-in position should have no possibility for heat build-up in a properly adjusted car. As such, I think something was amiss in the GT(s) where you suspect some type of failure where this was your hypotheisis.

 

[Howard]

I have also had experience with a FGT owned by a car club and it too had multiple clutch replacements....ALL due to third gear starts and clutch-riding by inexperienced drivers. I have had manual shift cars since I've been 17, kept all my cars for many years (Porsche 911 for 27 years and counting, 110K miles) and have never replaced a clutch. I don't expect to ever replace the FGT clutch either. There is a difference between "knowing" how to drive an manual and truly caring for the clutch. Our club's Aston Martin clutch also went up in smoke four times for the same reason as the FGT's....well meaning but inexperienced drivers.

Howard

 

[cccmanhattan]

Yeah, it's tough. Generally, we've got our members to practice good habits. With Porsches and other cars we've managed to stretch 60K+ miles out of a clutch, but I think the GT just demands more of people, that factored with it being a bit of an intimidating car if you don't have experience with it, people get nervous and mess up. With our first one, my partner and I drove it exclusively for the first 20K miles and it showed no sign of wear.. probably good for 50K+ or longer if you care for it.

 

[HHGT]

Worse than 3rd gear starts is starting in 1st going uphill. Coordinated use of handbrake release while simultaneously releasing clutch is highly recommended.

Also agree with Kendall re. keep in neutral while at a signal.

 

[BlackICE]

Worse than 3rd gear starts is starting in 1st going uphill. Coordinated use of handbrake release while simultaneously releasing clutch is highly recommended.

Also agree with Kendall re. keep in neutral while at a signal.

Starting going uphill is a piece of cake with the Stillen 3.9 gears. :biggrin

Yes, using neutral at a signal will save your throwout bearing.