New clutch installed and car won't move
 

LIke the title says. Car was driving fine. I pulled the transmission to replace the rear main seal and all clutch components (disc, pp, throwout and pilot). I put everything back together and the car will not engage. I can shift into different gears but when I release the clutch the car doesn't move. The funny thing is I can shift around the gear box with or without the clutch pedal depressed. It feels like the clutch is not engaged with the pressure plate when the pedal is not pressed. There are some gargles and whirrs when I press in the clutch.

Is this a clutch issue or could I have accidentally did something to the input and/or output shaft during removal and installation? I did visually confirm that the pressure plate is engaging and disengaging when you press the pedal. I wonder if there might be to much initial pressure in the slave and it is partially disengaging the clutch?

I'm not sure what happens if you get it wrong, but I always have to stop and make sure the correct face of the clutch disc is facing the flywheel. IIRC it will 'sit' both ways against the PP. ??

Remove the slave cylinder and see if you have the same symptoms. If so, pull the trans, ensure clutch disc is facing the correct direction and check pilot bearing. Did you clean the pressure plate surface?

Does the clutch pedal feel right, or does it flop down to the floor or have a great deal of resistance?

Did the throwout bearing lock into the pressure plate?

Dale

The disc could only go on one way that allows it to contact the flywheel.

Now that I think of it I did not clean off the PP with brake cleaner before install.

The pedal feels functional like it should and the throwout is locked into the ring on the PP.

That will not make the car not move - it might cause slippage at peak torque, but not total lack of drive.

So I tried to adjust the clutch pedal at the master cylinder to try and eliminate any "preload" on the slave. It didn't do anything.

Next I unbolted the slave cylinder and left it hanging by a few threads to ensure that it wasn't disengaging the clutch. Still didn't do anything.

Finally I unbolted everything and dropped the clutch to find....

Click Me for Video

Thanks Rockauto.com! First they send me a kit that has a push type pressure plate then they ship me this as a replacement. The PP seems right but this clutch disc is way off.

Wow that sucks!

I've had a few things from Rock Auto that were the wrong part. Really have to double-check what you get from them.

At least you know 100% what the problem was now!

Dale

I'm not sure how I missed it but I swear the clutch alignment tool fit perfectly when I went to install it. I don't think I forced the input shaft in and ground down the teeth because there are no metal particles anywhere.

I think I used my old disc to verify the new clutch alignment tool was the same as my older one before I cut off the tip to ensure proper engagement (Dave's advice in another thread I think). Then maybe I slapped the new disc on the flywheel, inserted the alignment tool without checking engagement and bolted down the pressure plate. But I swear I tried to rotate the alignment tool while tightening the pressure plate and felt it lock up.

May be I'm just getting older.

Did the clutch come with an alignment tool? If so you would have used that one which would have matched the hub of that clutch.

Dale

Jesus, what a mess! I've started ordering mainly from reputable RX-7 specific vendors when I can't get the part from mazdaspeed motorsports. I just don't have the time for double checking and doing the job twice anymore.

Was this the reman clutch set they have on closeout right now for $90? I almost considered buying it for science and seeing if it was decent.

I second Rock Auto being sketchy and sending garbage 1/2 the time.

I recently bought an FD ignition switch from them that looked a little funny. Decided to test resistance on it before installing and it was really high in every position. Popped the switch open to find scorched and worn contacts. It was an original FD switch in brand new packaging! To add insult the switch from Mazda was less than Rock Auto charged!

I ordered the "M-Pact" one for $126. I was actually just after a new throwout bearing and had to replace the rear main seal again. I figured another $70 for a new clutch and PP while I was in there wasn't a bad deal. This is on a flip car so either the new owner will not care (it'll be newer than the XX,XXX mile one) or they will upgrade anyways. I did find some reviews on other car forums saying that the brand was a decent stock clutch before I bought it.


Yes it did. The new tool and my old tool both fit my old disc perfectly and had the same part number stamped on them. Neither of them worked on the new disc. Interestingly this new disc has "EXEDY" all over it and not "M-Pact". I'm guessing the wrong disc got into the box.

Update. A few months ago Rockauto finally sent me the right clutch kit. I installed it without a hitch and have logged few thousand miles since. The pressure plate seems really soft at the clutch pedal but that's not really a bad thing. After a few hundred miles I've been giving it some 2nd and 3rd gear pulls on the highway and the clutch holds without slipping.

Overall I'm satisfied with the performance for a $126 clutch kit but just make sure that they send you the right one!

side note: I had to order a new trans output shaft seal and Rockauto sent the wrong part again. Ended up going straight to dealership.

The video is no longer viewable... So what was the issue with the original clutch kit ordered? I'm assuming like you said, the clutch kit they sent had a push type clutch pressureplate? Wouldn't it have been easy to notice this because the Pull type Throwout bearing wouldnt Lock into it, and the pressure plate wouldn't have the lock ring?

BTW, I have gotten the wrong part from Rock Auto before as well. You get what you pay for sometimes.

Glad to hear you resolved the problem!

Dale

Kit 1 was received with the wrong pressure plate. This was obvious so it wasn't installed.

Kit 2 was received as a replacement for Kit 1. The PP was correct but the clutch disc had the wrong diameter for the input shaft and was not catching. Somehow I installed it without noticing even with the alignment tool. I didn't realize this until transmission was bolted on and wheels were on the ground but not spinning.

Kit 3 was received as a replacement for Kit 2 and had all the right components.

Ahh, okay, gotcha. Thanks for the clarification. I ask this because I'm about to purchase some parts for my five speed conversion. Debating on getting that clutch kit they have on closeout. After reading this, I'm definitely going to keep an eye out.

Oddly enough, now that I think about it, I bought a clutch alignment tool and a reman clutch disc from RockAuto for the FC I worked on. The alignment tool would not fit the disc I bought from them as well. The numbers said it should work, but it didn't. I ended up having to get a clutch alignment tool from a local auto parts store. Interesting how that's a few issues with clutch components from RockAuto. I've never had issues with them otherwise, aside from an issue with an RX-8 fuel pump, but from what I read the pump itself had a design flaw, so that wasn't RockAuto's fault, to my understanding.

Price and cost. Two different things.

Frankly a clutch isn't something I'd cheap out on. I've seen a number of cheap clutches delaminate or slip.

Exedy makes some top quality clutches and they go from OEM replacement to performance, all with very fair pricing.

Dale