Lose clutch after long drive.

97GTS · Jun 13, 2010

After being on the interstate for a while without using the clutch it sometimes goes completely out. Go to shift into another gear and the pedal goes to the floor. After pumping for a while it comes back.

This doesn't ever happen when in and around town, just after being on a long drive without using the clutch. A little unnerving but nothing major. A new clutch was installed about 3k miles ago and the car has 19k miles. No hard driving since the cluch was replaced.

Gonna bleed the clutch today and hope that helps. Does this sound like air in the lines?

I also have noticed after driving for a while and then pulling into somewhere I get a loud grinding :omg:

whining sound that goes away when the clutch is depressed. ***? Seems like it only happens when turning into somewhere. When I let out on the clutch it is gone.

Ron

dave6666 · Jun 13, 2010

Cluth slave/throwout bearing. They don't last very long. Any drips from leaks at the inspection plate area?

97GTS · Jun 13, 2010

No drips or leaks that I can see as of yet. Gonna put it up on the lift and bleed the system.

Ron

99 R/T 10 · Jun 13, 2010

Did you ever have to add fluid? Might be leaking a bit, but not noticable. After you bleed it and IF it happens again, press the clutch pedal fast 10 times, See if it pumps back up.

plumcrazy · Jun 13, 2010

clutch slave i bet

97GTS · Jun 13, 2010

99 R/T 10 said:
Did you ever have to add fluid? Might be leaking a bit, but not noticable. After you bleed it and IF it happens again, press the clutch pedal fast 10 times, See if it pumps back up.

No fluid leaking. Just bled the lines ala the illustrated guide (Thanks Mike) but managed to break one of the retaining clips for the clutch pedal so until I get another one the mystery remains. The fluid was very dark :omg:

so I was glad to get rid of it. There appeared to be quite a bit of air in the lines and as the guide reports, the braided line has an awesome high spot for the bubbles to hide. Think I got all of them out so we'll see.

Ron

dave6666 · Jun 14, 2010

In a sealed system, aka the clutch hydraulic system or any other hydraulic system for that fact, air typically only gets in because of a leak somewhere. Unless you ran it out of fluid or boiled it.

Did you pull the inspection plate or just look at the outside?

97GTS · Jun 14, 2010

dave6666 said:
In a sealed system, aka the clutch hydraulic system or any other hydraulic system for that fact, air typically only gets in because of a leak somewhere. Unless you ran it out of fluid or boiled it.

Did you pull the inspection plate or just look at the outside?

I probably won't get it on my lift until tomorrow so I will know more then. The clutch was replaced by the previous owner so I thought that everything would be good (fluid and level). Everything was not good so I am going back and doing/checking everything.

What am I looking for when I pull the plate?

Ron

dave6666 · Jun 14, 2010

97GTS said:
What am I looking for when I pull the plate?

Traces of hydraulic fluid. It may be nothing more than a greasy film.

Also, the grinding noise... Bleeding won't cure that if it is a TO bearing or pilot bearing.

97GTS · Jun 14, 2010

I'll pull the plate and look. Is there an easy way to tell if it is the throwout bearing or pilot bearing? The sound goes away after I push in the clutch.

Ron

Phun70 · Jun 14, 2010

You might put some heat sleeve around the clutch lines just to make sure they are will insulated from heat.

dave6666 · Jun 14, 2010

Probably the TO bearing as it loads up when depressed. The pilot bearing does it's work when shifting so the sequence you describe is off.

97GTS · Jun 14, 2010

dave6666 said:
Probably the TO bearing as it loads up when depressed. The pilot bearing does it's work when shifting so the sequence you describe is off.

Nice. I would imagine it can't be good to drive it in this condition, right? It just started 2 drives ago. What to I have left? 2 miles? 2,000?

******. I've got new tires coming tomorrow that I was really wanting to test out. I have been pretty much babying this car since I got it because the tires were old and the clutch was new.

Was really looking forward to actually DRIVING it.

Ron

97GTS · Jun 14, 2010

dave6666 said:
Probably the TO bearing as it loads up when depressed. The pilot bearing does it's work when shifting so the sequence you describe is off.

So what is the average time that you guys take to pull a tranny?

Ron

All Blue ACR · Jun 14, 2010

Took me 6 hours ( not busting it but staying on task) to do my rear main seal and 1 hour of that was scraping the gasket off the back of the engine block carefully as it was petrified. Didn't take it right out onto the ground, just pulled it back far enough to work.

Steve 00RT/10 · Jun 14, 2010

97GTS said:
I'll pull the plate and look. Is there an easy way to tell if it is the throwout bearing or pilot bearing? The sound goes away after I push in the clutch.

Ron

With the plate off, you can get a mirror up in there to see if the slave is leaking a little. I had to pump my clutch up this spring to make it work....there was a little leakage from the slave.

I did the **** out the fluid / 30-40 pumps X 3 times. Clutch has worked fine since. No further sign of leakage at the slave. The only reasonable explanation I can think of is that the seal dried out over winter (and 10years / 91,000 miles). I had a couple mechanics tell me that it was very possible for the seal to 're-seat' itself. I'm sure it's close to the end of it's life, but I only have 60K on the clutch...probably still half left. I'll replace it all if we go in.

Steve

99 R/T 10 · Jun 14, 2010

You can pull the tranny in a little over an hour. About the same to put it back into place.

97GTS · Jun 14, 2010

99 R/T 10 said:
You can pull the tranny in a little over an hour. About the same to put it back into place.

Uh, Mike that sounds like a hero removal time. What about us mere mortals? Any suggestions? Sounds like my throw-out bearing might be gone.

Ron

99 R/T 10 · Jun 14, 2010

Knowing your abilities Ron, you should have it out in 30 minutes..................

dave6666 · Jun 14, 2010

My first time took 9 hours in and out. I was not in a hurry. I had owned my Viper for 2 weeks. I had never worked on a car before as my Viper is the only car I've ever owned.

97GTS · Jun 15, 2010

dave6666 said:
My first time took 9 hours in and out. I was not in a hurry. I had owned my Viper for 2 weeks. I had never worked on a car before as my Viper is the only car I've ever owned.

Forgive me if I don't believe that you had never worked on a car before. With all of your advice here? You seem to know more than most here.
Any tips once I get the tranny out for removing the throw-out bearing? Tips for re-installing everything? Replacing the slave cylinder once I am in there?

Or is it all pretty straight forward?

Ron

97GTS · Jun 15, 2010

dave6666 said:
My first time took 9 hours in and out. I was not in a hurry. I had owned my Viper for 2 weeks. I had never worked on a car before as my Viper is the only car I've ever owned.

And Dave, why did you pull your tranny?

Ron

dave6666 · Jun 15, 2010

I have never owned a car before December 2006. Some people call my 1 ton 4x4 a car. I do not. Some people call my Chenowth buggy a car. I do not. My first car was my Viper I bought in 12/2006.

I pulled the tranny the first time to do the slave. I pulled it the second time to do the clutch I should have done while doing the slave. :rolaugh:

I'm pulling it again to do my Fidanza, B&M shifter, and I'm going to put in another clutch while I'm there. :lmao:

97GTS · Jun 15, 2010

dave6666 said:
I have never owned a car before December 2006. Some people call my 1 ton 4x4 a car. I do not. Some people call my Chenowth buggy a car. I do not. My first car was my Viper I bought in 12/2006.

I pulled the tranny the first time to do the slave. I pulled it the second time to do the clutch I should have done while doing the slave. I'm pulling it again to do my Fidanza, B&M shifter, and I'm going to put in another clutch while I'm there.

Damn. When people ask me if I have any hobbies I usually tell them fishing, cars, etc. Do you tell them that you pull transmissions for fun? :omg:

Should be second nature for you by now.

Ron

97GTS · Jun 16, 2010

Put it up on the lift and pulled the cover: Dry as a bone. No drips, leaks or film. Just dust from the clutch.

How do I absolutely either rule in or rule out a throwout bearing problem?

Ron

dave6666 · Jun 16, 2010

Gimme a little more info on this grinding/whining. It cannot be heard when just putzing around, but when you slow to turn in somewhere you do hear it until you start to use the clutch?

97GTS · Jun 16, 2010

Exactly. The only 2 times that I have heard it were when I had driven about 15 minutes from a cold start. Mostly town driving. Stopped at a traffic light, guy in front of me was watching me in his mirror and not watching the light. I revved up the engine (clutch in) to let him know about the light. He moves, and I start to accellerate making a left turn onto the street. Car started making a whining sound mixed with kindof a sound like a grinding clutch but not as drastic. Pushed in on the clutch and it went away. I coasted about 50 feet and let out on the clutch. No more noise.

The next time I was on the parkway for about 15 minutes (70-80mph). Exited onto a downtown street. Went a few blocks and made a wide u-turn w/ no problem. Immediately started to turn into a ******* (yeah, I know) and heard the sound again. Pushed in the clutch and it went away. Parked. No more problems that day driving around town.

This problem seems intermitten. I have been pretty much babying this car since the new clutch (3k miles) mostly because the tires were old (since fixed). The clutch hasn't seen any hard launches or hard use. I will hear the noise and then not hear it again the rest of the day. Weird. I haven't had a chance to really drive it since I bled the line. There was quite a bit of air in the line and the fluid was dark.

Ron

dave6666 · Jun 16, 2010

When was the last time the diff fluid was changed?

97GTS · Jun 16, 2010

Diff rebuilt and new fluid about 3k miles ago as well. The noise it definitely coming from the engine/tranny area, not the rear.

Ron

dave6666 · Jun 16, 2010

97GTS said:
Exactly. The only 2 times that I have heard it were when I had driven about 15 minutes from a cold start. Mostly town driving. Stopped at a traffic light, guy in front of me was watching me in his mirror and not watching the light. I revved up the engine (clutch in) to let him know about the light. He moves, and I start to accellerate making a left turn onto the street. Car started making a whining sound mixed with kindof a sound like a grinding clutch but not as drastic. Pushed in on the clutch and it went away. I coasted about 50 feet and let out on the clutch. No more noise.

The next time I was on the parkway for about 15 minutes (70-80mph). Exited onto a downtown street. Went a few blocks and made a wide u-turn w/ no problem. Immediately started to turn into a ******* (yeah, I know) and heard the sound again. Pushed in the clutch and it went away. Parked. No more problems that day driving around town.

This problem seems intermitten. I have been pretty much babying this car since the new clutch (3k miles) mostly because the tires were old (since fixed). The clutch hasn't seen any hard launches or hard use. I will hear the noise and then not hear it again the rest of the day. Weird. I haven't had a chance to really drive it since I bled the line. There was quite a bit of air in the line and the fluid was dark.

Ron

One of your problems is driving on the parkway. You should drive on the driveway and park on the parkway.

Now, the 2 areas of you text that I highlighted I'm guessing you are somewhat on the clutch there. I've never made a turn in a commercial area to a business or parking lot whereas my clutch foot wasn't doing something. Well, unless I'm doing a Dukes of Hazard style entry. That is important. During those 2 times above are you sure you weren't at least somewhat using the clutch during the noise and then when fully using the clutch it went away?

Lose clutch after long drive.

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