Ed Hughes

Pete is the man...

scarceller

Pete,

I'm curious: why does the shift quality get worse? is it because the clutch drags if the disc is broken? Could you explain more please

Thanks.

whalebird

Pete IS the man...
Good luck Scott. Pulling the drivetrain is a piece of cake and a great opportunity. In the end your car will be very happy.

ron mcatee

Scott, if your car has the original rubber centered clutch disk, it has probably begun throwing the old disintegrating rubber between the disk and the flywheel. Mine did that and I had problems shifting. One way to check it out is to turn the car off and put it in neutral and go through the gears. It should be smooth. Then put it in any gear and start the car, then try going through the gears. If it's difficult or notchy, then the old rubber is geeting between the flywheel & the disk. I think your disk is gone.

User 4221

Thanks Whalebird. I'm looking forward to doing some housecleaning while in there.

Ron, your description fits the symptoms perfectly. It started out shifting fine and then became notchy in 2nd and 3rd as things heated up.

Ron, which clutch did you go with? Spring centered or rubber?

I haven't seen a solid argument for either except "personal preference" and "rubber keeps the gear chatter down".

Is there a performance or longevity difference between the two?

ron mcatee

Time is always against the rubber since it deteriorates. I went with the spring clutch 12 years ago and mine is still in really good shape. The original rubber one was in there 11 years and fell apart when I removed it. I haven't noticed any increased "rattle" with the spring centered clutch and would recommend that option. There are some who would go with the rubber one to cut down on the possibility of rattle. One negative of the rubber clutch is that in approximately 10-11 years, it will probably begin disintegrating again.

User 4221

Excellent points, Ron. From a longevity perspective, the spring clutch makes a lot of sense. With the heat in TX, the rubber may deteriorate quicker.