The Silver Buick's well Silver Buick!

[squirrel]

The trans is a blivet...XXX lbs of crap in a XX pound bag

[TheSilverBuick]

Squirrel's right. I've done the "trans" only thing three times and it took me longer on removal and install than had I just pulled the engine and trans together. Plus now that I have the X-pipe on the exhaust doubles up the pain.

Got the engine out about an hour ago and pulled the trans off and disappointingly enough nothing obvious stands out. There is some scuffing on the trans input bearing support that the throw out bearing rides on, as well as matching scuffing inside the throw out bearing, but I'm not sure if that is the cause or scuffed from the force applied to it. The weights on the pressure plate are fairly loose like they were when installed (at least 20,000 miles ago), and none appear binded up. I don't see any broken or bent springs. No loose debris. So the two things I'm betting on is it was either the throw out bearing seizing on the transmission or the weights on the pressure plate were "sticking" in a place that wasn't allowing the clutch to disengage. I'd be more suspicious of the throw out bearing except when I was at Bamfster's Dan's house and he was actuating the clutch pedal and I was under neath watching it, the pedal would get hard essentially right when the throw out bearing would touch the pressure plate and would slide loose via the return spring I had on it just fine.

So I'll order up a new clutch set with throw out bearing. I've taken some ~800grit sand paper and some green scotch brite to the input bearing support on the TKO and polished it up fairly nice. It's probably pushing 100,000 miles on it, so I may price out a new one, though I hate to remove it when the trans has been so far bulletproof for me and there is no play in the input shaft (it's had three oil changes).

On another note, my valve cover gaskets were/are pouring oil out on both sides. I messed both gaskets up decently enough when I swapped the LS coils onto the engine. So I'll put new gaskets on there as well.

[squirrel]

Was there grease in the recess in the throwout bearing, where it slides on the transmission bearing retainer? (bearing retainer is the proper nomenclature for the part that surrounds the input shaft)

[TheSilverBuick]

Was there grease in the recess in the throwout bearing, where it slides on the transmission bearing retainer? (bearing retainer is the proper nomenclature for the part that surrounds the input shaft)

There was some some, I usually put a small coat of anti-sieze on before the throw out bearing, and the dusty coating of it was still there except where it was scuffed clean to bare metal on metal.

[STINEY]

How are the splines? Any strange marks on them?

Maybe put the clutch disc on the shaft and slide it by hand thru the whole spline range and feel if there is a sticky spot?

[squirrel]

It's not a disc problem, it's a pressure plate or release problem. Pedal was very hard to press.

[TheSilverBuick]

Plus, splines are in good shape, and I could see the disc move as it was released when the pedal was pressed (with a lot of effort).

I just ordered a Zoom clutch set with new throw out bearing included. Should be here early next week and I'll slam it back together next Friday.

[STINEY]

My thinking was that there could be a tough spot on the splines at just the right spot hanging up the movement and causing a very hard pedal.

just a thought.....

[Scott Liggett]

The amount of heat the little throwout bearing takes from both the trans and the clutch is pretty high. The heat will cause everything to expand making the lack of grease in one area a real problem. Stiff pedal will result. Also, while you have the trans out, check to be sure the bearing reatainer's sleeve is straight. Maybe you can get a new one from Tremec, or whomever makes the trans.

If your trans does not slide into the clutch and bellhousing without force. The bell housing may be not centered causing pressure on the bearing retainer and the throw out bearing hitting the pressure plate an angle. Stiff pedal and eventually the front bearing goes out. Remember how the Impala's trans sounded in Vegas at SEMA? That was all the result of the bellhousing not centered.

[langleylad]

Plus, splines are in good shape, and I could see the disc move as it was released when the pedal was pressed (with a lot of effort).

I just ordered a Zoom clutch set with new throw out bearing included. Should be here early next week and I'll slam it back together next Friday.

You guys in the States are lucky to get your parts so soon , I'm taking it that you've ordered on-line . We Canadians usually have to wait at least 2 weeks to get parts from down south if we don't want to pay for over-night shipping .

[TheSilverBuick]

I checked how centered the bellhousing was when I got the scatter shield and it was within the 0.005" spec (or what ever the number was) in every direction. I pilot bushing looks good and the transmission slides into the clutch assembly fine. I don't see any obvious bend in the retainer, and there is no slop in the input shaft and spins smoothly and easily by hand.

Yup, ordered from Summit. Usually comes out of the Spark's warehouse just down highway 50 from here. The tracking currently says Tuesday.

[langleylad]

My parts from Summit come from their Ohio warehouse , I would think that Nevada is closer to BC than Ohio

[TheSilverBuick]

Looking at the tracking, the clutch should be here tomorrow morning. It looks like it ships from Sparks, NV to Salt Lake City, UT then back to Ely. Must run down I-80 to the hub that goes to Ely.

[squirrel]

UPS is like the airlines, they have hubs.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with the new clutch. are you going to take the old one apart to see if there's anything funky with the fingers, etc?

[TheSilverBuick]

I've eyeballed it pretty closely and can't see any differences between any of the fingers. I'm not sure how to disassemble one. Though since it'll end up in the trash I suppose destructive disassembling techniques would work =P