Brand new clutch slipping...

[doubleohkevin]

Hey nico I just installed my sr20 swap a few days ago and got everything bolted down and such, but the clutch is slipping at anything past 1.5k. I have adjusted the pedal and the free play via the bolt and rod behind the pedal so the engagement point is fine. I can definitely feel the clutch slipping easily and when i accelerate really slowly it seems to catch better.

I suspect there MIGHT be some grease on the clutch or something, i DID put some grease on the end of the transmission shaft when inserting it to get it to slide into the pilot bearing easier.. perhaps that was a no-no. Otherwise, the clutch is brand new oem spec, the presssure plate is as well, flywheel was resurfaced....

I was also wondering if it would be possible to just run it very lightly to burn up the oil/grease and hopefully the clutch would be okay? Or is it possible to take both clutch/flywheel off, clean it, and reinstall? or do I need to buy a whole new clutch and get flywheel resurfaced again?

btw this is an s13 sr20det in my 1995 s14.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thanks!kevin

[bigred240sx]

from what i have been told and read, clutches have a break in period. so possibly they come with a little grease on them already, i doont know though. i never had this problem with any of my clutches before.

[zach-Ka]

They do, but I have never heard of them doing this. If you did get grease on it, it will eventually burn off. It could be your slave though too.

[Justin35ll]

grease on the input shaft and pilot bushing is not a problem your're supposed to lube it.the clutch should not be slipping, but you shouldn't be beating on it first couple hundred miles either

[240life]

grease on the input shaft and pilot bushing is not a problem your're supposed to lube it.the clutch should not be slipping, but you shouldn't be beating on it first couple hundred miles either

Correct, but I would also do what Zach-KA said. Replacing the slave and master is a very good idea considering it has been being used for almost 2 decades. Gripforce clutches sells a combo kit for 30ish bucks there on ebay. I got mine there and it is fine quality. I recommend keeping your disk (if organic) at under 3500 rpm in city traffic for 500+ miles to properly seat the clutch and flywheel.

[doubleohkevin]

gotcha. getting a new clutch tomorrow to install... I never really beat on the clutch at all though that is the weird thing. I just installed it, and seriously the first time i engaged 1st and 2nd gears it would not hold.. like you can totally feel it slipping after the clutch has completely engaged. I will check tomorrow as well if the slave cylinder is bad, but I was using the same slave cylinder before my swap (like 1 week ago) and it was working perfectly fine..

thanks for all the input!kevin

[Kalypso]

i must confess... this is a strange one

if you can snap a pic for us, after you diagnose, that would be beneficial... I'd like to see.

[RaulThinks]

You must have installed the wrong clutch or your fly wheel is out or spec.

[OM3GA]

How many times has your flywheel been resurfaced? id check that out assuming its not contacting as tightly as it should be.

[doubleohkevin]

Well we installed a new clutch last night, and everything is working 48181239012 times as well as it was before. cleaned the pressure plate and flywheel with a ton of brake cleaner (which we didn't do the first time, which could have been the culprit). There is still a slight bit of slippage / hesitation, so I will play around with the pedal adjustments and bleed the lines today and keep you posted.

Unfortunately, when we pulled the clutch that was slipping like mad out it still looked practically brand new, with a little bit of grease on it. So I am hoping it was a combination of the new pressure plate and flywheel not being wiped and the grease on the clutch itself that caused it to slip so bad. we'll see.thanks for the help y'all!

[dbrass240]

brake cleaner is your friend . . i think new clutches have a break in period of like 250-300 miles . . . dont dog it during the break in period - just a lot of stop and go.