Can anyone describe how the throwout bearing fits into the fork on the LT1 Clutch? Mine seems to be rattling inside the fork. I wonder if its how it was placed inside the fork. On mine it is just riding inside the fork. Should it clip in or anything?

 

No, no clips or anything.

On our 94 (and I presume on your 95 as well), the Release Bearing (aka throw-out bearing), has 4 'ears' and the fork has 2 'fingers' that slip in front of the 'ears'. When the fork is depressed, it just pulls-back on the 'ears', otherwise it just 'rides' in the area between the ears and the pressure-plate spring fingers.

However, the clutch actuator (slave) cylinder has a "piston return spring in the actuator cylinder which preloads the clutch linkage and assures a small load on the release bearing with the clutch release fingers at all times" (quote from FSM page 7C-3) when the clutch pedal is NOT depressed, this normally preventing any rattling.

Perhaps the actuator cylinder is starting to fail, has air/heat expansion/vacume in the fluid due to old/moisture riddled or has built-up a 'lip' on the piston/wall and is preventing the normal light pressure against the fork (due to normal age/wear of the clutch disk/pressure plate/Dual-mass flywheel).

If all else fails, consider replacing the actuator (slave) cylinder, it might solve the problem.

You might also review http://www.zfdoc.com for lots of good ideas/info

hope this helps...

 

The other, and more likely suspect, is the clutch folk pivot.

I've heard this many and time and even expirenced it first hand.

Do NOT over look this.

 

On our 94 LT1 ZF 6-speed, just prior to a complete clutch job, the fork pivot was also backing out, due to some prior 'mechanic' , who did not replace the pivot's locking nut during a prior clutch job.

The symptoms were both a lower disengagment/engagement point on the clutch pedal, and a metal to metal rubbing noise when the clutch pedal was depressed all the way to the floor (fork was rubbing on spinning clutch housing).

However, whereas I did suspect the backing-out pivot (thanks to this forum), it was impossible to confirm until the trans and bell housing was removed (because the locking nut is in front of where the trans sits against the bell housing and there is virtually no way to see into the bell housing to 'see' it backing out).

However, interestingly, we did not have a rattle of the clutch fork in the release bearing. Perhaps because our actuator cylinder's push-rod was able to self-adjust outward (as designed) to take-up the extra play.

Have you checked the clutch fluid? does it need fluid? If so, maybe the actuator has self adjusted outward to its max/lip/seal limit and hence the rattle.

FYI, on the LT1/ZF6 clutch, the fork is mounted to the pivot-ball, which is attached to the rear of the bell-housing underneath where the trans is attached. When the clutch is depressed, the actuator cylinder pushes the fork forward, the fork then pivots on the 'pivot ball', and then the fork 'pulls' the release bearing rear-ward to disengage the pressure plate from the clutch disc (hence why it is called a 'release bearing', instead of the old typical 'throw-out' bearing).

Hope this helps...