I have an inline fuel pressure gauge on the winshield and pressure is reading @s low as 20psi during crank.

Cranking sounds like the battery is dying, but battery tests good. Changed to another known working good battery and same situation.

I let her sit for about 15-20 min on trickle charge while using the search "fuel pressure"...

Came back and first few cranks sounded very promising. Then right back to dead battery feel yet battery load tests fine..???

I'm putting on trickle charge for the night and will report back in the morning...???

 

As soon as I finished typing this thread, went over to the car and she started right up. All I did differently was hold the gas pedal to the floor. She went threw the warm up cycle, and then held idle at 800 for awhile (5 min) I contemplated about taking her for a spin around the block. Get in the car as soon as I pressed in the clutch... immediate STALL.

Go to restart and battery seems dead. Load test & battery = fine.

Come to realize the clutch is engaged & slowing the cranking to a dead battery type halt.

If the clutch pedal is to the absolute floor and the car is in gear, during cranking she lunges foward. I adjusted the pedal rod as far as she has & same thing....??

 

Sounds like a hydraulic problem. When was the clutch master and slave cylinders replaced? At bare minimum, when was that system bled?

 

Wouldn't a hydraulic problem cause it not to engage...??

Shifter in neutral and clutch pedal to the floor in order to get a crank feels like the motor and trans are still engaging, thus the dead battery symptom.

 

No. When you depress the pedal and force pressure on the hydraulic system the slave will pivot the clutch fork, which disengages the clutch from the flywheel. So although you're depressing the pedal, there may not be enough hydraulic force to fully disengage the clutch.

 

this sounds about right.
The starter would be trying to roll over the trans too when you try to start,as even if the trans was in neutral there would still be some resistance.That extra resistance could hinder your starter from rolling over "the way it should".

Try Bleeding the clutch.That is the first obvious option.
Another "dangerous option" not recommended is to somehow push back the Clutch fork on the top of the transmission all the way back and attempt to start the car.
This would need to be done with 2 very communicative people and again is VERY unsafe as the car could lunge if your battery is fresh and your trans remains engaged.,so although I am telling you this,do it at your own risk.
IF the car starts easily then you definitely know it is hydraulic and you can start the hunt for the hydraulic problem...and that is either a bad master or bad slave...or a leak.

 

^^^^^ You bribe this guy with enough flannel shirts and maples syrup, he'll volunteer to be the poor soul standing in front of the car pushing on the fork while you try and start it

 

after the breaker bar incident (see spacer thread V8 Section) I am wondering why there are 5 of you Daniel..But Ya..I'll try anything once.

 

I dropped the transmission...

 

Well.......... that would do it!

 

What would / could cause that...??

 

Mileage... abuse. Both.

 

She has a ACT Street / Strip Pressure plate and 6 puck springless clutch... I did do a nice handful of doughnuts the day before on drag radials too like a show off...

 

The parts stores don't carry pilot bearing replacements any longer so I had to go into the parts stash... Come to find out on my own the N/A vs TII's are different... the chewed up bearing that came out was the same as the N/A. I put my parts bearing in that came off another TII I had run for a good 3 years w no trouble. See the pic:

The dirty lower one on the right is off my spare TII transmission.