Lately I've been experiancing what I think are probably issues with the pressure plate, but I'd like to get some other opinions, things to check or other insight. The symptoms that I'm having is that at high RPM, I'm having trouble getting it OUT of gear, so far it's only happend to me in 1st and 2nd gear. Sometimes it's hard to get into gear as well, but I think that may be more of a synchro issue, as I was having grinds so I put in some synchromesh FM and it helped a lot, to the point were it's at least liveable.

What the problem actually does: When I go to shift, I will press the clutch in and lift my foot off the throttle, I will hear the engine wind down like I left it in gear and just took my foot off the throttle, and the shifter will not want to come out of gear like the clutch isn't depressed at all. It takes about 2 seconds, give or take some before it releases and I can shift.

This only happens when going WOT to redline, and gets progressivly worst with each pass. I'm assuming the heat is not helping, as it seems to get worst when the clutch is bieng slipped, or used heaviliy, i.e a few 2nd to 3rd gear pulls in a close span. The thing is, why would it only do it in the first 2 gears, and not give me any problems from 3rd to 4th and 4th to 5th? Just driving around car shifts mostly normal.

The clutch is a competion clutch 1620 (6 puck sprung disk) using their pilot and TOB.
GSR Trans with LSD
GM synchromesh friction modified fluid

 

Bump for help.

 

Morning bump.

 

if it only happens on those specific gears then they are most likely worn. 2 and 3rd gear is the most used gears so it's normal for them to wear out first......especially if you like to drive hard and have alot of power. You'll have to pull it apart and inspect them.

Good luck!

 

I would understand it if it was hard to get into gear, but my problem is getting out of gear. It's like the clutch isn't clutching when it was depressed. I talked to Competition Clutch today and they seemed very eager to help me with my problem. The gentleman I talked to gave me some suggestions to see if they would help. I will try them and see what it happens. Anyone else care to chime in?

 

Just curious on what their suggestions are?

 

They told me to move the arm on the clutch that goes to the MC in about 2 turns to see if that improves it. He also told me to check the obvious like a leaky MC/SC and lines. I replaced the MC about 2 months ago and bled the system and inspected it then and it was all OK. I've looked at the system here a few days ago and it all still looks fine. I'm gonna move the arm and see if that does anything. Hopefully it works because they said if not it might have to go back for warranty replacement and I'd really like to avoid taking it off.

 

This is odd...I'm trying to think outside the box here and its probably totally wrong, but have there ever been complaints about clutches heating to the point of creating a quasi-vacuum between the pressure plate and the clutch face? The same thing would inevitably have to happen to the clutch to flywheel side in order for it to "stick" together. I'm just recalling some Physics (from over a year ago no less) and remember metal bonding to another polished metal surface if slid together in a vacuum. If heated to a point, all air could, in theory, vacate the area and meet the aforementioned criteria...at least in my mind

Maybe its a dumb theory, but at least i have SOME thought behind it

The reason i doubt its the synchros is because if you were unable to pull the shifter out of 3rd gear, you still wouldnt wind down in gear with the clutch disengaged. Think about it...if you were in gear with the clutch depressed, nothing happens. I drive like that frequently and i'm effectively in neutral.

Bump for answers

 

Yeah, it's kinda wierd. I've never had this happen to me before. Competition has said they haven't heard of this before either. During normal driving conditions there's no problem, it's only after I've gotton on it and taken it to redline 2-3 times that it starts to happen. It seems that once it gets a little heat on it it doesn't want to work anymore.

Your theory isn't dumb schister, as it could happen (theoreticly as you say), and nobody else has an explanation so far. I'm gonna try and do what they say and move the arm, but I'm not really sure it's going to help as if that were the problem I would think it would do it all the time.

My own personal theory is that when it gets heat on it, the springs in the PP get weak and there's not enough tension to pull the engine and tranny apart. The only hole in my theory that I can see is why would it disengage two seconds later (give or take) and the only thing that I could think of to patch that hole is that it cools down enough in those two seconds and tension is regained.

Anothe theory I have is that something is slightly out of spec, and when things get heated up, something distorts enough causing the problem.

Other than that, I have no clue.

 

Just the point that the problem is only 2nd-3rd makes me think it's something in the transmission involved with those specific gears. There's alot of moving parts that are rotating and sliding. If the teeths on the sleeve doesn't line up w/ the other teeths you can have engagement and disengagement issues. The higher the revs the more precise it has to be. For example, the gold synchros is guided so it can only move so much. I have seen those guides wear out and causes it to have more movement or get stuck. Which can affect the sleeve from sliding smoothly. That can play a role. Usually if it's a clutch problem issue then the problem is usually consistent with all the gears. Not to say that this is the problem but just something to think about.

 

I would agree if it did it every time. The thing is, if I were to jump in my car right now and make 1-2 passes real quick, it would be just fine. About the third pass or so, I'm going to feel a little resistance that gets worse every subsequent pass shifting from 1st to second then second to third. I can almost peg when it's going to start, which would lead me to believe that it's some sort of issue with the clutch getting hot and soft. If it was a tranny problem I would think it would do it everytime, or at random times and I wouldn't be able to know when it's about to start happening.

Competition wants me to send the clutch back to them for inspection, so I'll probably end up doing that. I'm going to play with the clutch pedal more, but I don't forsee that fixing the problem. I just have to find time to pull the thing. I'd wish I could try a buddys clutch out to prove my theory that it's a clutch problem and not tranny related, but I don't want to have to re surface my flywheel, maybe twice if CC ends up warranty replacing it.

 

I was having this same problem.. also sometimes when I would come to a stop i'd push in my clutch and my car acted like I didnt and would stall out. Then it started to get hard to put the car in any gear ..but I noticed if I pushed my clutch pedal to a certin spot it would slip into gear fine. I drove it to work like this for about a week and can no longer get it into gear while the car is running. So I just got a new clutch & presure plate hopefuly will be installed tomorrow and im hoping this solves the problem. Ill let you know (oh and my new clutch is a cc)

98 GSR stock clutch 142,002

 

interesting issue....let us know please

 

Please let me know if this works for you. WHat clutch are you going with?