ROSHX7

Dammit, I was like timing my car tonight, just aiming for some 0-60mph, hoping to try some of the ideas I learned on this forum. But she couldn't take it...after doing 1 timing, I shifted from 1st to 2nd and the REVVS just dropped almost a good 1000rpms, before it started trying to climb back up again. I let it cool down a sec, and tried again, same thing, a bit better, but definitely no more squeeling the tires between shifts...it feels like I have an AUTOMATIC car now, kinda slips into every gear very smoothy!

So can u guys help me decide what I should get? Should I go with an OEM Mazda Clutch like the one I got in there right now? I don't plan on modifying my car any further for a while, so will a OEM Clutch do? What about those clutches you can get from UAP NAPA or those Auto Parts shops, are those any good?

Scott 89t2

the revs should drop when you shift. if the clutch was gone the revs would be shooting up, not down.

do some WOT 3rd gear runs. if the rpm climbs faster then they should against the speedo, the clutch is gone.

either go OEM, or ACT.

easy p-cheesy

Scott's right. if your clutch was gone then it would be slipping, causing it to keep the revs higher than what they should be until it catches. when my clutch went, I was going home (after taking it up to 121mph) and going in pretty much all gears, if you pushed down on the gas considerably more it would just start reving (without gaining much if any momentum).

ROSHX7

Damn, the whole experience left me SCREWED UP!!! Sorry guys, I mean yeah, when I shift, the REVS GO UP...but the car doesn't move much, not with force. It seems like the REVS are climbing but the car isn't moving much.

RotorDemonGXL

Yeah, losin' a clutch sucks... You sorda feel like your drivin' like a granny. I replaced mine with a Bonez Street-Comp Clutch set. I like it a lot... only bad thing was as soon as it was installed, it snowed so I never really had a chance to see what it could do. Definately more stiff and it engages lower to the floor. Used the stainless steel clutch lines too! RX-7.com hasn't dissapointed me yet.


1988 GXL
Bonez Street-Comp Clutch
Bonez Superflo Cat
Jacobs Spark Plug Wires
GRex Front Strut Bar
K&N Cone Intake
Removed Power Steering (Not the brightest idea for winter or parallel parking)

ROSHX7

There is an EL' CHEAPO clutch kit from FENCO called DynaPAK clutch, anyone know if that is WORSE then a MAZDA clutch?

go_speed_go

If I were you, I'd avoid a cheapo clutch. It's gonna take half a day or $$$ to instal it. You might as well get something that you know won't take a crap on you after a few months of 'abuse'.

If you go with a factory clutch, give these guys a call: http://www.trussvillemazda.com//parts.html They sell at 20% less than dealer costs.

Otherwise get a clutch with a good reputation - RP, RB, ACT etc.

asherwood

I just put in a Fenco "DynaPac" clutch in 5000km ago, still seems alright for the most part...

The things that seem a bit troublesome is the noise that the release bearing makes when the trans is in neutral and the foot is off the pedal, it kinda whines, quite annoying! The other thing is when backing up on a hill, the clutch chatter's.

So far for normal driving it seems fine, no problem spinning the wheels

The clutch in there before this one was also a DynaPac, but it only lasted 16,000km the only reason that I replaced it with the same is that Fenco replaced it under waranty!

If that wern't the case I probably would have choosen something else, problem is that there are a lot of choices unfortunatly not many available up here in Canada.

At this point I will run this one till it fails...

ROSHX7

Eh thanks for the reply, did you try launching the car with the FENCO clutch?...how did it hold up? Also, do you think that the problems with your clutch could have been a bad installation job? What happen to the 1st clutch that FENCO had to replace it?...thanks man

asherwood

Never tried revin' it up and dropping the clutch, but I have given her on a corner when pulling away and it seemd to pull well spinning the wheels, a power shift into to second gear netted a good chirp too, unfortunatly I've never had a known good clutch in this car to compare this one to.

The original owner had the Mazda clutch replaced by the dealer at 49k km, and they used a Fenco, the work order shows the parts used and the charge from the machine shop for the flywheel (In Vancouver by Summit Mazda). It could be dangerous to assume that they did everything right, but how hard is it to get it right anyway! But after only 16k km the first Fenco unit died...

I don't know why the stock unit went so soon, but who knows how much he slipped it, I know pretty sure that he did not drive it hard, the wear on the TPS cam never went past 1/2 way!

When I put the second Fenco unit in I did everything by the book, the only things that I did not replace were the rear main oil seal(no leaks) or the pilot bearing (good fit, no play), the adjustment of the slave cylinder position and the pedal free play are by the book but it is still not the best feeling clutch I've owned! The girlfriends Protoge is a manual transmission and it has nearly 160k km on it and it still works like a dream on hills! no chatter or burning smell...

My problem is that the Mazda clutch was way over priced, and as I said before the Fenco parts were free under warranty (3 years/60k km).

Maybe there is some other part of the equation about these clutches that has to be checked or adjusted to make them work better, and if anyone knows what that is I wished they'd share the secret!

I asked in these forums before about the correct measurement for the distance between the flywheel surface and the mounting boss(critical for proper clamping pressure), but did not get a number, the machine shop that I had do my flywheel said that they take the same off the mounting boss as they do the flywheel surface. But, this assumes that the last time the flywheel was ground they did it right!

I have some rough measurements of what it was before and after, and if your interested and I can find them, but who knows if their right.

ROSHX7

Thanks for the comprehensive reply on the Fenco clutch!!! Really appreciate it. I don't have much money to spend on my car right now, being Xmas and all, so might just go and get the FENCO and see if it lasts me at least 1 year, I don't really care. In a years time, I'd have saved up enough money to get a good ACT clutch. What does a clutch JOB involve? Is there something that you have to do to the FLYWHEEL you said?

asherwood

To get mine out I removed the following: heat shields, complete exhaust, drive shaft, shifter, slave cylinder and transmission.

As for the flywheel, most manufacturers will NOT warrantly the clutch kit unless the flywheel is machined. This is a stepped flywheel and usually costs between $40-$50 to get done.

The toughest part is getting the flywheel off the engine, it is held on by a rather large (~56mm) nut torqued to over 300ft/lbs! I had to make a ring gear brake to stop the flywheel from turning and borrow an impact wrench with enough power to break that sucker free. Then made a puller to pop it off of the tapered shaft, I wouldn't recommend prying against the engine, do it right and avoid any new problems.

The replacement is pretty much the reverse of the removal, being careful not to get any grease or oil on the disc or friction surfaces. Torque everything to spec and make sure the pedal free play is correct and you should be set. Seek help if you've never done one of these before, it's not hard but there are things to watch out for.

Once I had the flywheel back the re-installation of all the parts took me about 6 hours (by myself) to a drivable car.

Good luck!

ROSHX7

Man, you've been so helpful so far...just one last question! What would happen if I didn't get the FLYWHEEL machined? What sorta problems might creep up?

asherwood

Well, in a general sense the friction surfaces are much like a set of disc brakes, you have a friction disc riding between a pair of machined surfaces.

Over time the surfaces develop a wear pattern and the disc matches it. When you introduce a new disc without maching the surfaces, just like new pads on the non-machined rotor they quickly wear to match the ridges and valleys on the metal surfaces.

This is where the problem starts, this seating-in process shortens the life of the friction pads, can increase the chance for the metal and disc to glaze over (slip) and until the friction material is matched to the metal you have reduced the maximum amount of torque that can be transferred from the engine to the transmission(or brakes to the wheels).

So, problems may include reduced service life, possible glazing, reduced maximum power transfer, no warranty and the worst of all having to start the process all over again WAAAYY too soon.

Depends on what you're up for...