Clutch engagement issues

[Viper X]

Just a few nights ago, problems began. Started with very low clutch pedal engagement, and now the clutch doesn't want to disengage, great difficulty shifting, now the car is almost not drive able. I bled the hydraulic system thinking "air in the lines", no real help. It's now at the dealer and they've done the following:

1 - Replaced clutch slave cylinder and bled system - no change.
2 - Replaced clutch master cylinder and bled system - no change.
3 - Inspected clutch disc - appears fine.
4 - Inspected flywheel - no burns or obvious wear issues.
5 - Tomorrow - replace pressure plate and hope.

Could the pressure plate release fingers be worn out at 11,000 miles?

I do have an RPS lightweight flywheel, but have driven the car over 7,000 miles with the RPS and no issues, until now.

I've read all of the archives on this subject and wonder what else this could be? Any suggestions?

Hey Skip, if you're on the forum, I recall you had some issues with your clutch. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Dan

 

[redsrt03]

My SRT started exhibited "weirdness" with the clutch from the very beginning. The pedal would "pulse" in and out on its own after full engagement. At 4000 miles the clutch disk had started to wear. The dealer wanted to replace everything at my expense (since Dodge wouldn't honor the warranty - claiming it was my driving).

I went ahead and had the dealer put in the RPS segmented flywheel, Turbo pressure plate, and 6 puck disk. The tech noticed the fingers on the pressure plate were being depressed slightly on the install. So he took everything out and tried it again. Finally he decided it was okay. I truly expect to have clutch problems again in the near future, as the pedal still pulses of its own accord.

I hope Dodge treats you better than they did me. I will never by a POS Dodge again in my lifetime.

Good luck with your clutch issue.

 

[Viper X]

Problem solved today. Pedal back to where it should be.

New pressure plate and clutch disc installed. Apparently the previous pp fingers had failed and the clutch was not completely disengaging for a while. I noticed that the clutch pedal's engagement point had become lower and lower the last couple of weeks.

Hey redsrt03. The dealer was great. They worked with me all the way. I'll buy my next Viper (600 hp coupe!) from them.

Dan

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

I have a '94, but we have same transmission and clutch, right? Can you describe the pressure plate finger failure? Just curious.

BTW, there is a weak spring behind the release bearing to keep it against the pressure plate fingers all the time. Not exactly sure why this is, I would have thought the release bearing and slave cylinder would be like brake pistons that back up until the disc stops knocking it back.

 

[Viper X]

Hi Tom,

I didn't get to see the old part, so couldn't describe the part failure, per se. My guess is that the pp fingers
somehow lost their "tempering" or heat treatment, but I don't know for certain.

I think the clutch / pp combo changed for the SRT-10.

Symptoms were hard shifting at first over about 3500 rpm. The clutch engagement point became lower and lower to the floor and got worse as the car warmed up. Finally, I struggled to get it into first gear, pumping the clutch just to get it to the dealer. Not fun.

Dan