Clutch won't fully disengauge!!

[ViPER1313]

Clutch won't fully disengage!!

I installed a stock Valeo PP / clutch disc and a ceramic TOB about 10k miles ago. Was very nice to it for the first 500 miles. Ever since day 1, the clutch has never disengaged fully and it grabs at the very top of the pedal travel. So far I have:

-tried to automatically/manually adjust clutch cable with screwdriver (there doesn’t seem to be any slack in the cable and the quadrant will slip back if the pedal is pulled up at all.)
-Installed new clutch cable

Clutch does not slip at all - once it grabs it grabs. It also has very gradual engagement throughout the pedal's travel. The car will become increasingly hard to shift if I baby it around town for a week. If I do a couple hard shifts the clutch pedal will lighten up, and the car will shift much more smoothly (as if the clutch re-aligned itself.) It also becomes much easier to shift into first gear (sometimes very hard to do, although it never grinds unless I shove it in as quickly as I can on a cold day.) 3 days of being nice to it around town, and it shifts like :hpoop: again. I'm at a loss....

 

[MADDOG11]

I would bet the bearing retainer is scored or grooved. If so the TB is catching on the groove and is causing the clutch to not disengaging. There are 2 ways to fix this: 1) replace the bearing retainer or 2) call your parts store and see if a repair sleeve is still made. I actually used the sleeve once and had not problems there after.

 

[jedhead]

I agree it sounds like a problem with the sleeve. The new TOB should have come with a new sleeve. Did you use it? If so did you use an adhesive to ensure that the new sleeve remains in place?

Bob

 

[ViPER1313]

I did install the quill sleeve that came with the TOB, and used generous amounts of green loctite to ensure it did not come undone. There are no unusual noises, grinding, etc when the clutch is pressed. I followed Josh's clutch install video to the letter - I also replaced the throwout fork and the 2 white plastic bushings while I was in there.

 

[Shoaz]

Sounds like you did all the right stuff.

You might try pulling the starter out and just double-checking the PP to Flywheel bolts to make sure that they're not backing out. You can do this via a visual inspection through the starter port, and turn the flywheel by turning the crank pully by hand with a socket wrench.

Also check that the clutch cable retainer on the top of the tranny is seated properly and has the spacers properly installed. If that retainer lets the cable sheath move too far toward the front of the car you won't get full travel out of the clutch mechanism.

If that all checks out you might try changing the tranny fluid, if that doesn't help then you're probably stuck with pulling everything apart to see what's wrong.

I would say, though, that a lot of SHOs behave as you've described with gradual engagement and full engagement with the pedal very high. My car has always been like that through several clutch changes, but I don't have trouble with disengagement.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

edit.

Misread.

 

[ViPER1313]

Also check that the clutch cable retainer on the top of the tranny is seated properly and has the spacers properly installed. If that retainer lets the cable sheath move too far toward the front of the car you won't get full travel out of the clutch mechanism.

Spacers?? I will look at my friends SHO tonight to see if I am missing something - his clutch is shot but still disengages fully, even with broken PP straps

 

[Shoaz]

By spacers I mean that there is a sort-of spacer thingie that sits inside the large diameter part of the retainer. It's hard to describe without a photo or diagram or something, but if there's play in there or it doesn't look quite right, that may be the problem.

Some folks replace the donut that's usually in there with a stack of washers. Either works.

 

[F-22 Raptor SHO]

what eric is describing is the white plastic spacer that the clutch cable goes into. THe cable comes out of the firewall up to the tranny, thru a white spacer that has a black grommit on it....the cable comes thru this grommit and into the fork on the top of the tranny...if this spacer is missing though, the clutch pedal would be pressed, and not open it enough to even get the car into geart...it would disengage like 1/2 inch off the floor if that and then go limp the rest of the way.

 

[INDO SHO]

Is the retainer sold separate?