Clutch overheating???????????????

[Mustangs_Suck]

Ok. I'm STILL having problems with the car when it comes to the transmission.

I have a new clutch (ACT 6-puck kit that has a HD pressure plate, brand new pilot bearing and throw out bearing). The clutch has been broken in properly, and it never slips. The clutch rating is about 400ftlbs/tq. to the wheels - and I'm only throwing down 205 tq at the wheels - so i'm not over stressing it. The transmission is out of a 1990 - has only 64,000 miles on it - and the mechanic said it's in perfect condition (he opened it up and inspected it before installing it) and it's all been cleaned out and has brand new redline transmission oil in it. The Slave and Master cylinder are also all brand new and have been installed correctly - and properly bled etc etc.

I drive the car for a few hrs - and all of a sudden i hear a buzzing noise (like something is spinning really fast and just rubbing on the edge of something) and I can't get into 2nd gear. If I let the car cool off for the night - the problem is fixed, until I start getting on it again for awhile. All synchro's checked out to be in great condition - so that isn't the problem.

The mechanic drove it today - he's a professionally licensed SCCA driver - and he said that nothing is wrong with it...he installed it all, and checked over all the **** Import Minded (the shop I had it at before) did to make sure they didn't **** anything else up, like they did before - and it checked out to be all ok.

He told me that if anyone starts beating on stuff it'll start messing up - but I said how come there are so many other way more powerful 240's running the same set up I am (aftermarket heavy duty clutch and pressure plate, and stock transmission) - and they have NO problems when they go have fun and beat up their cars...why the **** is my clutch so ****ty? If I can't enjoy the power I am making, what the hell is the point of upgrading the car?

I'm getting REALLY tempted to just sell this thing, as apparently I can't go out and have fun with it whatsoever because the clutch starts getting too hot or something and then I can't get into 2nd gear for the life of me - and I'm only putting down HALF of what it's max capacity is, it makes no ****ing sense to me how Fiznat and others can have over 400tq and i'm with a measly 200 - but if i try to go out and do any thing remotley more than drive like a grandmother for a few hours - my clutch gets all ***** hurt and starts acting up.

Anyone have ANY god damn clue what the hell is going on?? and if it is the clutch overheating (which is all the mechanic can guess now) how the **** do I solve that problem???????????????????? God damn it i'm going to blow this car up soon.

PS - sorry for the all vulgarity and whatnot - I'm just SO frustrated with this car, I've owned it for almost a half year now, and I've driven it MAYBE 1 month - all the other time it's just been at the shop...and it seems no matter how much money i put into it, it just will not work correctly. I know before I had it at a crappy shop, but now It's at a wonderful mechanic, who does excellent work (dad's personal friend - GREAT guy), and it STILL isn't right.

[Mustangs_Suck]

problem here might be, improperly done setup.

I believe you should buy a mustang and change your username. yes 240sx is a very poorly designed vehicle with weak drivetrain. get rid of it.

hope it gets better buddy.

errr wtf. please point out to me where i stated the 240sx is poorly designed vehicle with a weak drivetrain?

this is probably the most irrelevant and dumbest response i've ever seen to a post on this website.

so anyone that isn't a blind moron have any advice?

A few people on here know the frustration/problems I've been having with this car - I'm almost done, but no matter what I do, I still get this rubbing noise - and all I'm left with is "the clutch is overheating" - well....anyone else have this problem?

thank you.

[Red-KAT]

Well 1st off I dont see how an overheating clutch would keep you from shifing into second gear...

Also if you dont have a full build engine running a stand alone ECU then... yeah 400tq may seem crazy.

Are you sure you have the clutch adjusted correct? If I just push my clutch a little I can get in and out of 1st but not get into second. Maby you need another bleed job.

Just an idea.

[Mustangs_Suck]

Well 1st off I dont see how an overheating clutch would keep you from shifing into second gear...

Also if you dont have a full build engine running a stand alone ECU then... yeah 400tq may seem crazy.

Are you sure you have the clutch adjusted correct? If I just push my clutch a little I can get in and out of 1st but not get into second. Maby you need another bleed job.

Just an idea.

the mechanic said if the clutch overheated it wouldn't work properly, and since 2nd gear is the most work of all gears it would make sense that it wouldn't work for that one.

I only have 205 tq. at the wheels - the clutch supports 400tq - but yeah 400tq would be fun

As for the clutch being adjusted correctly - the shop that screwed up alot of crap would of done the adjusting - so idk. The mechanic's driven it, I've driven it, and another of the mechanics pro SCCA driver friend drove it - and we've all had no problems with it - shifts like butter - just for whatever reason after I start getting on it, and it starts heating up (like driving for 2 hrs. and doing maybe 5 hard shifts in that time period) and then I'll hear that noise, and 2nd gear won't work.

I'll ask him about the adjustments and bleeding the hydraulic lines tomorrow. He told me to come up tomorrow (I got there as he was closing so he could only take it for a quick drive, where he beat the piss out of it, and it was just fine) and he's gonna let me drive and feel/see if the way I'm handling the clutch pedal is the reason why thing's are going sour.

Thanks for the idea - I need everything anyone can think of right now...as I'm completely stumped.

[fiznat]

this is probably the most irrelevant and dumbest response i've ever seen to a post on this website.

I agree. Deleted.

Sanioll, nobody likes a troll-- take that BS elsewhere.

[klattr1]

what part of clutch pedal does the clutch engage? (at top or at bottom). my guess is if its hard to get in gear, then its near the bottom.

so play with pedal adjustment if its not optimized to the middle somewhere (use 12mm open end wrench and look below dash and loosen the nut and twist the rod by hand).

if that doesnt help, then start looking elsewhere.

did you install a new pilot bushing or reuse the old one?

things can happen like a clutch disc installed backwards (believe it or not) or a flywheel come loose (from not torquing down the bolts to 105 ft.lbs with locktite), etc.

so it would really be hard for me to pinpoint just one thing right now without seeing it in person, but i'll try to help you out as much as i can.

[epokh]

So, you can't downshift or upshift into 2nd?...and only second?..Seems like an adjustment problem would affect all gears..but still worth a try, especially if this started only after the new clutch installation. You're absolutely certain it's not a synchro problem?

[Mustangs_Suck]

I agree. Deleted.

Sanioll, nobody likes a troll-- take that BS elsewhere.

Thanks - I appreciate it

[Mustangs_Suck]

what part of clutch pedal does the clutch engage? (at top or at bottom). my guess is if its hard to get in gear, then its near the bottom.

so play with pedal adjustment if its not optimized to the middle somewhere (use 12mm open end wrench and look below dash and loosen the nut and twist the rod by hand).

if that doesnt help, then start looking elsewhere.

did you install a new pilot bushing or reuse the old one?

things can happen like a clutch disc installed backwards (believe it or not) or a flywheel come loose (from not torquing down the bolts to 105 ft.lbs with locktite), etc.

so it would really be hard for me to pinpoint just one thing right now without seeing it in person, but i'll try to help you out as much as i can.

It engages just about perfectly in the middle. It has brand new pilot and throw out bearings/bushings.

I've heard of alot of ppl doing that - as far as putting stuff in upside down or backwards - but I've had everything inspected by my dad's mechanic - and he said everything is working correctly and installed properly.

Thanks for taking the time to try and help - I haven't had it act up on me since that one day - and I've been taking it much easier on the car - maybe the mechanic was right about the clutch overheating.....that's pretty much all I can go with.

[Mustangs_Suck]

So, you can't downshift or upshift into 2nd?...and only second?..Seems like an adjustment problem would affect all gears..but still worth a try, especially if this started only after the new clutch installation. You're absolutely certain it's not a synchro problem?

after I drive on it for awhile - and kinda be hard on it - yes. 2nd gear just makes this odd spinning/rubbing noise and it's hard to get into. And yes it's only 2nd gear 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and reverse are all find. As for a synchro problem - yes, we're positive nothing's wrong with it.

lol it seems everyone is kinda stumped - it must be just the way I drive at times - I must ride it too much or something without really realizing it, and it makes the clutch act up. I've been having fun with it, but making sure I put the pedal all the way to the floor before I shift (haven't done any really quick shifts where I might not engage the clutch fully before throwing it in) and I've had no problems so far.

The mechanic said next week he's going to take me to safe place and just let me let loose on it, and he's gonna comment on how I shift/drive etc etc and from that he should be able to see what I'm doing wrong - as all he can assume after driving it and inspecting it is that the problem is because of driver error. So I'm going to get lessons by a pro SCCA driver - hehe should be fun and most definitley something worth learning - as I know I can drive good, but obviously everyone can learn how to drive better - he's driven the car a few times with me in the passenger seat, and some things he can do scare the **** out of me, as I know I'd be in a ditch if I tried it

Thanks for all the help guys - If it starts acting up again I'll mention doing some adjusting and bleeding the system - as that's about all everyone can come with (which does make sense).

[Mustangs_Suck]

lol, well I FINALLY got the thing to act up when one of my buddies who is currently going to UTI (car tech school in chicago) was around. So I took him for a ride, and watched his face go in the "wtf" position when he heard the noise, and I explained to him how it was ONLY in 2nd. His mind was boggled for awhile, but we got to talking and weeded some things out. He thought it might be the flywheel, but I said that'd happen in all gears wouldn't it? and he agreed...so he's thinking I have a pilot bearing that is a little crooked, or a bent shift fork. I told him about the "overheating clutch" and him and his friend (both ASE certified now, not just some dumb college dude's heh) both said that mechanic was dumb for just assuming that was the problem. I've come to find every mechanic has something wrong with them, and this one's is that if he thinks nothing is wrong, then any suggestion you might have, is definitley out of the question....ugh.

So it looks like I'll be taking the car down to him in chicago soon, and they'll get to have some fun with it to see what's going on now...as he said there's something most definitley not sitting right - and is definitley not just some "driver error".

[Nismo_Freak]

Sounds like it is a gearbox issue.

Not much in the clutch can make that noise.

Try rev matching and putting it into 2nd like a synchroless gearbox (double clutch upshift) when it does that.

The only way a clutch will not let you into a gear is if it's engaged, then that is a throwout bearing or hydraulic issue. It doesn't sound like either if you can still engage other gears.

[Ubernoober]

I agree, this doesn't sound like a clutch problem at all. This has definitely been isolated to a gearbox issue. I know the mechanic said the synchros look good, but something just isn't right there. Try double-clutching like Nismo_Freak mentioned while it is acting up again. If double-clutching allows you to get into gear, the synchro is shot. Also, with all the mashing that has been done, I wonder whether the shift fork has been bent. Most likely not since 1st and 2nd share the same fork.2nd gear is the first synchro to fail on the 240SX transmission.

[Mustangs_Suck]

Sounds like it is a gearbox issue.

Not much in the clutch can make that noise.

Try rev matching and putting it into 2nd like a synchroless gearbox (double clutch upshift) when it does that.

The only way a clutch will not let you into a gear is if it's engaged, then that is a throwout bearing or hydraulic issue. It doesn't sound like either if you can still engage other gears.

the transmission has only 64k miles on it and was fully inspected before it was put in. had no synchro problems - no nothing. this noise happened on my other transmission (only after the new clutch and all that was put in) and the mechanic said he can't think of anything else that would be doing it, except from inside the transmission - so we got another transmission - everything inspected to be perfect, he flushed it all out, put brand new redline oil in it, and it's still making the noise.

throwout bearing is brand new - as for the hydraulic system - brand new slave and master cylinders - it *might* need to be bled again though...that's the only thing I can think of for that.

[Mustangs_Suck]

I agree, this doesn't sound like a clutch problem at all. This has definitely been isolated to a gearbox issue. I know the mechanic said the synchros look good, but something just isn't right there. Try double-clutching like Nismo_Freak mentioned while it is acting up again. If double-clutching allows you to get into gear, the synchro is shot. Also, with all the mashing that has been done, I wonder whether the shift fork has been bent. Most likely not since 1st and 2nd share the same fork.2nd gear is the first synchro to fail on the 240SX transmission.

if it's the synchro - why can I get in it perfectly for the most part? As I said this only starts happening after i drive on it for a few hours, and do a few hard shifts. it's like something falls out of place after I drive on it for awhile, and it starts rubbing on something.

[Nismo_Freak]

throwout bearing is brand new - as for the hydraulic system - brand new slave and master cylinders - it *might* need to be bled again though...that's the only thing I can think of for that.

Hydraulic problem would produce itself in the pedal feel.

You have a mechanical issue.

[Mustangs_Suck]

Hydraulic problem would produce itself in the pedal feel.

You have a mechanical issue.

true. well i'm very positive it's not inside the transmission. my old transmission did it after the clutch was installed, and this much newer transmission does it as well - i refuse to believe i have just that bad of luck that I would **** up a synchro that fast after installing this newer transmission.

Something isn't sitting right I'm sure....it'll be going down to UTI at chicago hopefully this week and I pray they find just what the hell is going on with my car, as you can tell - lots of people's minds are just boggled over the issue at hand.

[Ubernoober]

Possible bearing failure may cause mis-alignment of the input-output shaft. Beating on it causes it to go wild and won't let you pull into second.Totally guessing here.

[Mustangs_Suck]

Possible bearing failure may cause mis-alignment of the input-output shaft. Beating on it causes it to go wild and won't let you pull into second.Totally guessing here.

that is very possible too. and lol don't worry pretty much everyone is just guessing at this point...you'd have to hear it to understand, and even then ppl are still just going 'wtf'. Hopefully when I get it to Chi-town the problem will be found and eliminated.