Anyone with a 2000 5 speed on the LD9 with a REALLY high clutch point? Only way I can shift without riding/slipping the clutch is with my toes, and it's a bitch when I'm in traffic.

The '00 clutch already has a long travel and high clutch point as it is compared to the '99, but damn, it's gotten worse in the last month or so I think. Everyone who takes my car out for a spin slips the clutch (jerking motion after shifting).
It's so bad that because I got used to it, it's very awkward for me to drive other cars.

Is there a way to adjust the travel as well as the height of the clutch point? Please, save my left leg.

How many miles on it, and have you ever replaced either of the clutch cylinders? It sounds to me like a bad slave, or you have a serious amount of air in the line somehow.

I've got 75,000 miles right now, and the service records for my car doesn't show any replacements for the clutch cylinders.

Can I bleed the clutch line myself? I', guessing it's the same concept as bleeding my brakes.

Yes, but you have a lot less fluid then a brake system, so you must be careful.

I'm guessing you actually need to replace a cylinder, though. That will not be quite as easy.

IMO your going to need to put a clutch in it sometime soon. high engagement means shes nearing the end of her life.


_______________________
** Flat Broke Racing Inc.**

I don't know, as long as I shift with my toes, it's pretty smooth with normal driving. But if I were to shift at 4-5000 rpm, it's hard not to slip it. I wonder if the clutch has been my problem all along, and that I wrongly assumed the car came like that.
I wish I can get a chance to drive another 2000 LD9 to find out if there's any difference.

I really hope my clutch isn't going, because the labor costs alot. But the upside is, it gives me reason to change to a better one. Maybe an ACT?

Maybe I misunderstood the issue you're having, but it sounded to me like you couldn't get the clutch to entirely disengage when you are shifting.

However, the labor for changing either the clutch or the slave cylinder is going to be high, so if you do one, make sure to do the other at the same time.

mine is extremely high to although i have to press it to the floor or its hard to shift. i have a brand new exedy clutch. i also have an extremely light pedal. i always figure its a normal j-body thing



ʇı ɹǝʍo7 | ǝcoMonstǝrs

My 99 has a pretty high release point on the pedal too. It didn't start until after I put in my new spec and vacuum bled the system back in 2006.


If you think about it, a perfectly functioning hydraulic system should only need minimum pedal travel. One that didn't release until the very bottom(floor point) would worry me more I think just because of how much travel the system would be using.

But that might be a concept I have bass-ackwards too.

Actually... i wonder if this isnt similar to the situation i am having....

http://www.j-body.org/forums/read.php?f=41&i=39600&t=39600

What i think my problem is, is that the slave cylinder has to travel too far to do its job... and in my unfortunate case, "to the floor" isnt even enough.. I am still stumped on what exactly is causing the change of throw distance, but mine (before it blew) seemed to go down to the floor pretty easy, but never really stopped... like even at the floor it hadnt fully compressed the clutch fingers... so i would pump it... and before i ever got firm resistance, i would get a POP... and then a bunch of fluid on the floor. ( i am pretty sure my clutch needed more throw than my slave was designed to reach, so i would hyperextend the slave and blow a seal before i even got to the end of travel)

So I am fairly certain my issue is regarding the length of throw of the slave... I have a 98 flywheel, and centerforce DF clutch setup on my 02 getrag tranny. From what i read on here, the centerforce dual friction pressure plate isnt as tall as a stock setup... so the slave has further to move before anything happens, and also needs more fluid (pedal travel) before it reaches full disengagement.

So for those of you with different pedal feel on a new clutch, this is probably similar to what i am dealing with... but obviouly not as extreme. Might just be the height of the new clutch is different than the old one, thus your slave travels more or less than normal to do what it needs.

a thinner worn out clutch would actually disengage with less pedal travel than a new thick clutch would....

slapping in a fresh new setup would actually give you more pedal travel until you wore things down.

A worn clutch would still have the same pedal throw as a new clutch, but it should disengage alot sooner in the travel.

Remember the pressure plate doesnt move, and is under the stress of the springs to clamp down. stepping on the pedal should always move the pressure plate fingers the same distance, against the springs, away from the friction disk, no matter how thin it is.


So if you are finding the SAME clutch needs MORE pedal travel as time goes on, I would have to imagine that you would be looking at a fluid issue... air in the lines, a bad slave / master, or a leak somewhere, which is causing you to get less fluid to the slave with the same amount of pedal travel.


On the topic, just wondering what the deal is with master cylinders... i just noticed a warning in my slaves box saying that "if you use a new slave with an old master, the slaves warranty will be voided." i am just curious, what about a master could cause damage to a slave thus voiding warranty? I mean apart from crap in the system, or low pressure, what in a master could hurt a slave? It isnt like there is any way for a bad master to get TOO MUCH pressure and blow out a slave is there? there isnt any sort of pressure regulator in the master is there? Just makes me wonder if there is something more to a clutch master than there is to a brake master... and i am missing an important detail here. with brakes, old masters just get worn seals and loose pressure.... and short of contamination in the lines, there isnt anything a "worn master" could do to hurt a slave any more than a new master would.

High engagement is normal. If it has changed recently then you might need to bleed the clutch. You should not be complaining over a high engagement point, it is actually great for racing. If you are using your toes (which I do not see why), maybe you need to move your seat up some.



FU Tuning

Ken, it really sounds like your slave was going on you before. It sounds similar to what mine was doing on me before I started losing fluid.
The odd thing is that I could never find any fluid anywhere when I was losing it, so I tried the master first, since it was easy, but it didn't fix the problem so I sucked it up and changed out the slave. That, of course, did the trick. Proper pedal travel, proper clutch engagement.

I would possibly agree with you on that.... except for the simple fact that before my engine swap my clutch was just fine.

i only did the clutch because i nearly doubled my power output, and figured my stock clutch with 95k miles probably wouldnt last too much longer if i put her back in...

so i found a good deal on a 5k mile old centerforce DF setup from a guy who totaled his cavy... it didnt come with a slave, and mine was old, so i figured while i had it all apart i would just slap in a new one.

the engine has not even been fired up yet, the tranny has not even made a revolution yet... all i did was bleed the new slave... and step on the clutch a few times and found myself dumping fluid.
figured i just got a bum part...
bought another slave...
dropped tranny, slapped it in, bolted her back together...
bleed clutch, stepped on pedal...
POP new puddle from new slave...


so unless someone at the autoparts store was using the slave before they gave it to me... i would have to disagree with you and the fact "my clutch was going on me before" because "before" my clutch and slave were just fine, just old and high milage... and the "Current" stuff hasnt even made it out of the garage yet.

Sometimes I'm not the most observant.
I didn't realize until just now that you were the one who posted the other thread. LOL
I've responded to both of them, and I was thinking your post here was the OP.

Yeah, you have something different going on, and I think there is something with the prongs of the clutch being further away or something.

A high point of engagement is good for racing? How so?

It's not that I can't REACH the clutch pedal. I'm @!#$ 5'11 so that's not short. But it's the foot action. If I use the sole of my feet on the clutch, I don't have enough leverage to make the pedal pause right at the point of engagement to balance my throttle. If I use my toe, I can dig my heel into the carpet and raise up the pedal right where the point of engagement is.
I don't know if that's clear or not, but in short: using the sole of my feet causes a pause between shifts because I miss the engagement point where I need to pause. It causes the car to sway a little between shifts, and it's just annoying.
The point of engagement is just that @!#$ high! The amount of travel, as well as the need to use my toes causes my freaking left shin to get sore, and almost seize up in traffic.

I've been told that it's possible to make an adjustment so that the point of engagement could be lower. Is that true?

Our car is not adjustable, only thing that will change it is bleeding it, if it needs it. If the engagement point is high that means you do not have to push the clutch in far to shift, you can stab it s to speak while racing. I shift with my toes (always have) even on my old 97 Z24. To me I do not see a problem.



FU Tuning