swap issues, Clutch related Options

[bccentaur3]

Hey guys, I'm in the middle of a 2nd gen 3sgte swap. I installed the stage 4 competition clutch with my factory s54 tranny. I'm am not done with the swap yet, but the motor is in. When I push down on the clutch pedal it just drops right to the ground. It won't spring back. Did I do something wrong? WHat can I do to solve this issue? And when I look at the clutch cylinder it doesn't move.

[Havok1997GT]

did you drain the fluid at anytime?

[bccentaur3]

no not the brake fluid. I drained oil, gear oil, and coolant. I left the brake fluid and power steering fluid alone.

[Havok1997GT]

You sure its still sealed up? like have you checked for leaks?

This post has been edited by Havok1997GT: Jun 10, 2008 - 11:14 PM

[stephen_lee]

you hooked up the hydrolic lines, right?
i'd check clutch fluid, then bleed the clutch just like you would brakes.

[bccentaur3]

Everything clutch related is hooked up. So you're telling me to bleed the whole clutch system?

[lagos]

no not the brake fluid. I drained oil, gear oil, and coolant. I left the brake fluid and power steering fluid alone.

You forgot about the brake fluid for your clutch hydraulic system. Its on the fire wall, next to the brake fluid.

You need to reconnect the hydraulic lines on your trans, refill the system with fluid, and bleed it.

[bccentaur3]

Bleed all of it out?

[stephen_lee]

no! just untill there are no bubbles coming out of the line.

[Smaay]

is it possible that the throw out bearing forks came off in the bell housing? i have seen this happen before

[Batman722]

first bleed the clutch line at the slave on the tranny.

[bccentaur3]

alright I bled it, but I don't think I did enough. The clutch is soo smushy. Does that mean I still have air bubbles in my clutch line.

[Havok1997GT]

its not a funny thing to do. its pretty hard to do. If you still have a smushy pedal then you didnt get the air out. A trick we tried was when you bleed it make sure that if its going to suck back in that its sucking in fluid, not air. Like bleeding break lines. When you open the valve to release air, after the air releases its going to allow air to flow back in, if you rig a line to a clean cup or the bottle itself, when it sucks back in it will only suck back in fluid. this is make it a lot easier and will help you make sure that you are getting all the air out.

[bccentaur3]

What do I need connected to crank the car over? For some reason I go in to turn the key and I get nothing at all. Where do the grounds go? What are the important components needed for sure for a car to crank over?

[Havok1997GT]

i think there is a sensor in the Clutch pedal or cable that will not allow it to start usless the clutch is in. When you get Keyless starters they have to remove it. But i for the life of me cant remember whats its called

[bccentaur3]

And how the hell do you extend the throttle cable?

Dude I know that. I just think its the way I hooked up my grounds.

[soulshadow]

What do I need connected to crank the car over? For some reason I go in to turn the key and I get nothing at all. Where do the grounds go? What are the important components needed for sure for a car to crank over?

I Had this problem the other day too. Seems like I had no ground wires at all connected to the engine so my starter wasn't getting any connections. I check all your grounds and make sure you have plenty going to the motor, battery and chassis it self.

[bccentaur3]

okay. How many grounds do we have? I know 2 coming from the tranny. How many from the wiring harness?

What about the throttle cable?

[Havok1997GT]

at this point i probably not being very helpful, but it would seem to me that if you have a sluggish pedal, its not because you grounds arnt connected right

[Havok1997GT]

ok. i was kinda looking around in the User guide that Griff handed out some time ago and i found an PDF file about System Wiring Diagram. It has something about the Tranny wiring in it and it looks like it has the ground information in it, but i cant make heads or tales of it.

http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showto...39&hl=Griff

[lagos]

alright I bled it, but I don't think I did enough. The clutch is soo smushy. Does that mean I still have air bubbles in my clutch line.

Do you know exactly how to bleed a clutch? I have a feeling that your just not doing it right.

[stephen_lee]

when i bled my lines, i used the aerator hoses from fish tanks(so i can see through) and bled the fluid into a clean, clear bottle until clear fluid came out. but then i also drained ALL the fluid first.

[bccentaur3]

See the problem is my brake fluid is filled with dirt. Maybe its clogging the lines. How do I clean out the system?

[scooterman]

when i did my clutch i messed up and had the slave cyclinder pin missing the fork, pedal went right to the ground

[malecrod]

Yeah, I would flush the entire system clear of the old and dirty fluid cause it might cause premature failure of your master/slave cylinders. Then buy a new brake fluid and fill and bleed again. The bleeding is not that hard, the main thing is to get a hose that fits over the slave cylinder nipple tightly so as not to allow any air in. Next is to dip the other end of that hose into a brake fluid-filled jar again making sure not to allow any air to enter from that end also. Then the rest is basically having a help pump and hold the pedal till you open and close the slave cylinder valve(nipple). Do this several times till no air bubbles come out and pedal feel right.
hope this helps. good luck with the swap.

This post has been edited by malecrod: Jun 13, 2008 - 10:40 PM

[scothaniel]

I've had good luck with taking throttle cables to performance cycle shops and having them extended / replaced.