• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

4 speed clutch issues

The flywheel has been resurfaced each time, there has been plenty of meat on the disk left each time. Rarely beat on the car, but ONCE in awhile do I dump the clutch at a stop light and spin the tires...yea sure, but I drive it real easy almost all the time. The input shaft is fine, no oil on the disk, BUT that does not explain a brand new disk and PP slipping right out of the gate. I checked the fork underneath the car and it has a small bit of play in it and so does the pedal, so still back at square one. Going to put it on the lift this weekend.
The guy that does it for me ( I do not install clutches) has been doing it for over 50 years and I have seen alot of his work with others and they are all very pleased with him ( he is baffled also). I grasping at straws here, but the only thing I have not replaced is the flywheel. I purchased it form Brewers ( it was an original flywheel ...reconditioned by them). All of the other parts, Z-bar, fork was purchased from them new. I'm going to check to see if everything lines up. Just feels like the clutch is not fully engaging but yet have free play. It has been suggested that there was 2 different lengths of throw-out bearings back then ( a long one and a shorter one), but I can not find that there was anything like that. Hope to put it on the lift this weekend and look at it. Also the adjustment on the rod is all the way out. 23 spline 143 tooth flywheel
 
So you resurfaced the flywheel 4 times? On a refurbished Oem from Brewers? Yeah time for a new one and go SFI.
 
The only thing that I can see hasn't been mentioned is the possibility of the disc being installed backwards.

But I think you would have more problems than slipping if that were the case.
 
when you have it on the hoist loosen the bolts on the pressure plate evenly until there just finger tight! how far is the plate off the flywheel and is it the same distance all around!
might give you an idea if the springs are being engaged enough to apply force and if the pr-plate/cl-plate have issues!
 
I don't see how he would have installed the disk backwards. Even when I tried the dual friction disk from centerforce, there is only one way that can go on since the 2 surfaces are different. Yes I have resurfaced the Flywheel a few times, but even when I first received it from brewers it was all good.
 
......(what the heck is a
10.95" clutch, for example?).....
10.95" = "scalloped" and bolt up to the 130 tooth fly wheel........
upload_2020-10-16_8-32-28.png



....there is only one way that can go on since the 2 surfaces are different......

FWIW, Yes the surfaces are different but it is possible (although unlikely) to install a B&B disc backwards IMO.
Below is a 10-1/2" MP disc centered and sitting on flywheel (130 tooth) bolt heads does leave a small gap here. (.030" faced off this FW)
Wrong.....
upload_2020-9-23_8-54-9-png.png


Correct......
upload_2020-9-23_8-55-35-png.png
 
Thanks Dave, it is a 69 car, the 440 is a 74, A8333 is a 69. The hays part number I purchased is:
HAY-85-301
hay-85-301_xl.jpg
 
BTW, anyone hear of different lengths of a throw-out bearing being used on a 440/A833 set up?
 
HAY-85-301

Max Horsepower Rating
611
Max Torque Rating (ft.-lbs.) 583
Lol, I think I would need an OC spring on that.

Seems you have something going on that ultimately causes slippage with "any" clutch set. Could your flywheel be so thin the disc springs are bottoming out on the crank flange bolts? Do you have the correct bolts?
 
Can I tell you they are 100% correct, no, but I purchased what brewers told me and the bolts were from ARP and were listed as fly wheel bolts, I do not see and "scratch" marks on the heads of the bolts. I agree with you, something is wrong as to why this keeps happening. Thin Flywheel...I would doubt it, only because the disk should still be completely against flywheel when the pressure plate is totally released. Also when I first installed it, it would have had to come from brewers that way, I would doubt they sold me a bad one, but I even called Wayne from brewers yesterday and explained what was happening and he even said it there was too much taken off the flywheel it still should not slip. We are putting on the lift in my garage in the morning and taking the load off the adjustment rod to see if the fork has any play in it.
Here are the ones I put in. Still trying to find out if there were 2 different Throw-out bearings for 440's
arp-240-2801_xl.jpg
 
That same clutch has stood up to hundreds of high rpm launches on slicks in my car.

If you had a throw out bearing problem, or an issue with pedal adjustment, you would show wear on the press plate fingers.

Those pressure plates ship with spacers between the fingers and the cover that limit movement. They must be removed after installation. Is it possible they are somehow left in?
 
They should all fall out on the first clutch depression and be sitting in the bottom of the bellhousing if that was the case. MY own rendition for install, so you don't warp the plate. 40 year old clutch pressure plate, still works like a champ..
beerestoration2017 078.JPG
 
Since we pretty much covered everything, one last thing is throw out bearing square to fingers on pressure plate?
 
Shouldn't matter it's in or it's out and the throw out bearing shouldn't be touching it at all when in...
 
All good advise, not sure how much I will be able to see tomorrow since I am not going to pull the transmission. But I will let you know.
 
10.95" = "scalloped" and bolt up to the 130 tooth fly wheel........
View attachment 1014727




FWIW, Yes the surfaces are different but it is possible (although unlikely) to install a B&B disc backwards IMO.
Below is a 10-1/2" MP disc centered and sitting on flywheel (130 tooth) bolt heads does leave a small gap here. (.030" faced off this FW)
Wrong.....
View attachment 1014734

Correct......
View attachment 1014735
Ok, not to try to hijack this thread....
But given that I would be keeping the 11" heavy-assed factory flywheel and the 11" bellhousing behind
my 440, what are my NON-diaphragm choices out there now?
Nothing made by RAM, please - I'm not impressed and even the throwout bearing seems wimpy.
Another thing I will see is done with mine is I'll be fetching a new clutch lever, too.
Oh....and what's with this 11.95" clutch setup that supposedly works on the 11" flywheel?
 
Last edited:
Since I'm not real happy with the RAM HDX B&B clutch in mine (due in no small part to the dude I had
slap the "new" 18 spline in there NOT having the flywheel resurfaced, the idjit), I've been checking
out what's out there for 18 spline 11" clutches.
But...
Short of the RAM stuff, there aren't any other new B&B clutches being made in that size, it appears?
Not Hayes, not McLeod, nada. I don't really know that much about alternatives (what the heck is a
10.95" clutch, for example?). I have the heavy 11" factory flywheel, the factory 11" bellhousing, etc.
along with the 18 spline, so I'd just as soon stick with all that.
The struggle is real...
Mcleod rebuilds pressure plates. I had them rebuild my Borg and Beck pressure plate last year.
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top