96 LT4 Vette clutch slipping
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Joined: Jun 2015
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96 LT4 Vette clutch slipping
Just bought a 1996 Corvette LT4 Collector edition 157000 miles.
Clutch slipping should I replace it with auto parts store clutch or somebody got a better clutch suggestion.
No rattles, noise or rough engagement. Just slips under hard acceleration. Especially in higher gears
Should I just replace the clutch disk or go with kit? Clutch disc, pressure plate throw out bearing and pilot shaft bushing.
Anybody tried a roller bearing pilot shaft bushing or just go back with the normal bushing?
Don't know if it still has dual mass flywheel or not.
It is however whisper quite in neutral and all gears.
Clutch slipping should I replace it with auto parts store clutch or somebody got a better clutch suggestion.
No rattles, noise or rough engagement. Just slips under hard acceleration. Especially in higher gears
Should I just replace the clutch disk or go with kit? Clutch disc, pressure plate throw out bearing and pilot shaft bushing.
Anybody tried a roller bearing pilot shaft bushing or just go back with the normal bushing?
Don't know if it still has dual mass flywheel or not.
It is however whisper quite in neutral and all gears.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 6,192
Likes: 750
From: near the thumb in the mitten
You will want to replace pressure plate with disc, usually clutch kit comes with atleast disc. pressure plate, and alignment tool some will come with pilot bearing/ bushing. Flywheel will increase cost of kit. At 150k should be the original stuff. As long as no scoring or major damage from heat checking flywheel should be able to be reused. Clean with brake cleaner and scuff with medium sand paper. Throw out bearing should be replaced also just as PM
Last edited by Kevova; Apr 22, 2019 at 11:01 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,482
Likes: 196
From: folsom california
Just bought a 1996 Corvette LT4 Collector edition 157000 miles.
Clutch slipping should I replace it with auto parts store clutch or somebody got a better clutch suggestion.
No rattles, noise or rough engagement. Just slips under hard acceleration. Especially in higher gears
Should I just replace the clutch disk or go with kit? Clutch disc, pressure plate throw out bearing and pilot shaft bushing.
Anybody tried a roller bearing pilot shaft bushing or just go back with the normal bushing?
Don't know if it still has dual mass flywheel or not.
It is however whisper quite in neutral and all gears.
Clutch slipping should I replace it with auto parts store clutch or somebody got a better clutch suggestion.
No rattles, noise or rough engagement. Just slips under hard acceleration. Especially in higher gears
Should I just replace the clutch disk or go with kit? Clutch disc, pressure plate throw out bearing and pilot shaft bushing.
Anybody tried a roller bearing pilot shaft bushing or just go back with the normal bushing?
Don't know if it still has dual mass flywheel or not.
It is however whisper quite in neutral and all gears.
"auto parts store clutch":? you'll be sorry; you don't want to cheap out here; changing clutches on these cars is labor intensive and you only want to do it once; for an idea of what's available and to keep the oem pull type clutch set up, go to the SPEC website; they have every imaginable clutch / flywheel combo.
The oem pilot bearing is a roller bearing; the whole idea behind bronze bushings is that it the pilot bearing does fail, it won't tear up the end of the transmission input shaft.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 93
Likes: 2
Do you think any auto parts store clutch, pressure plate and throw out bearing will be ok?
How about roller bearing pilot bushing.
Been years since I replaced a clutch. Auto parts store was about the only option back then
How about roller bearing pilot bushing.
Been years since I replaced a clutch. Auto parts store was about the only option back then
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 6,102
Likes: 1,981
From: St. Charles MO
"auto parts store clutch":? you'll be sorry; you don't want to cheap out here; changing clutches on these cars is labor intensive and you only want to do it once; for an idea of what's available and to keep the oem pull type clutch set up, go to the SPEC website; they have every imaginable clutch / flywheel combo.
The oem pilot bearing is a roller bearing; the whole idea behind bronze bushings is that it the pilot bearing does fail, it won't tear up the end of the transmission input shaft.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 93
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I figured any kind of bearing failure would eat the pilot shaft. Been more than 30 years since I put a clutch in anything. And auto parts store parts aren't what they used to be. Lot of clutch options for clutch kits on line, but I didn't know anything about them. Figured I would get advice from someone that had already replaced a Vette clutch.
Vette's are like women. Moody and finnicky so its best not to do anything to upset them on purpose. LOL
Vette's are like women. Moody and finnicky so its best not to do anything to upset them on purpose. LOL
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 3,451
Likes: 336
From: Greater Cincinnati Area.
LUK is good. Sachs is good.
I install LUK exclusively for stock replacement applications here and the quality is very good.
Beware the autozone/advance clutches! The "Lifetime Warranty" isn't reflective of the quality of the part. It's how long you'll be messing with it thereafter.
I don't deal with DM flywheels much. I can say I have never replaced one with another.
Everyone I deal with wants a solid flywheel.. But this is an AG area and I do trucks and SUV's most of the time. Those guys do not mess with DM flywheels. They just replace them.
I install LUK exclusively for stock replacement applications here and the quality is very good.
Beware the autozone/advance clutches! The "Lifetime Warranty" isn't reflective of the quality of the part. It's how long you'll be messing with it thereafter.
I don't deal with DM flywheels much. I can say I have never replaced one with another.
Everyone I deal with wants a solid flywheel.. But this is an AG area and I do trucks and SUV's most of the time. Those guys do not mess with DM flywheels. They just replace them.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 3,451
Likes: 336
From: Greater Cincinnati Area.
PS: All of the pilots I've seen are roller now.. When they fail they can damage the input shaft.
I never saw that damage with the sintered bronze bushings.
Are they better? Don't know.. I never measured one for wear at high mileage.
I know they didn't wipe out input shafts.
I never saw that damage with the sintered bronze bushings.
Are they better? Don't know.. I never measured one for wear at high mileage.
I know they didn't wipe out input shafts.
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Oil Producer
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I just did an L98 with a sachs setup from RA. i used the busing that came with the kit, it was copper/brass coloured and so was the one i took out. Also did the rear main seal as it pretty easy to do while u r there.
These days every pressure plate replacement is sourced from China, probably from the same casting molds. No matter what they say, there's no evidence that a SPEC plate or any other is any different or better than the cheapest auto parts store plate (except that Centerforce attaches weights to the diaphragm fingers, but they have a bad habit of coming off). If the OP has an OE Valeo plate in the car now, I'd recommend that he find a shop that knows how to resurface pressure plates (gotta cut the pedestals the same amount as the friction surface) and reuse it.
I've been advised that the bronze bushing is a better option, for the reason you mentioned as well as it being more durable. When I replaced my clutch, the roller bearing pilot bearing came out in many small pieces.
I've been advised that the bronze bushing is a better option, for the reason you mentioned as well as it being more durable. When I replaced my clutch, the roller bearing pilot bearing came out in many small pieces.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,482
Likes: 196
From: folsom california
These days every pressure plate replacement is sourced from China, probably from the same casting molds. No matter what they say, there's no evidence that a SPEC plate or any other is any different or better than the cheapest auto parts store plate (except that Centerforce attaches weights to the diaphragm fingers, but they have a bad habit of coming off)
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 6,102
Likes: 1,981
From: St. Charles MO
Worse yet is the throwout bearing, in my experience. They are all also made in China now, unlike the discontinued OE bearings that were made in Germany by INA. And the Chinese ones are hot garbage. That's actually what failed on my SPEC kit: it blew the seal and sent grease onto the disk's friction material. The second time around, I found an OE Valeo plate modified by GM for its World Challenge cars (lighter and more clamping force) and a genuine new-in-box INA bearing.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 1,362
Likes: 400
From: DFW TX
The Luk 04-142 disc, plate and pilot bushing kit with alignment tool is $245.21 @ Amazon.
Summit has it for $258.99 and they will match Amazon.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/luk-04-142
Summit has it for $258.99 and they will match Amazon.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/luk-04-142
Last edited by Krusty84; Apr 23, 2019 at 09:17 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 6,102
Likes: 1,981
From: St. Charles MO
On the part itself? If so, it must have been sitting on the shelf for a very long time. That is a real find! So to be clear, if anyone finds a pressure plate for the ZF6 application that says "made in US" or "made in Brazil," buy it! Those will be considerably better than anything being made currently, which all comes from China.
PS - It's not that Chinese factories can't make good products. They can, if the company that specs the part pays enough attention and oversees the process. It's just that parts are often sourced from China to hit a price point, and in most of those cases the specs and oversight aren't there.
PS - It's not that Chinese factories can't make good products. They can, if the company that specs the part pays enough attention and oversees the process. It's just that parts are often sourced from China to hit a price point, and in most of those cases the specs and oversight aren't there.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 6,102
Likes: 1,981
From: St. Charles MO
Dammit! You had my hopes up for minute. Turns out that there is no Sachs clutch kit or p/p for a ZF6-equipped C4. So yeah, back to my original statement: no replacement p/p or bearing currently being produced comes from any source other than China, and none of those are high quality...regardless of the brand on the box.
ETA: I think the supply situation for "old-school" push-type clutches like the 4+3 is quite different. That's such a ubiquitous design that there are probably still multiple manufacturers out there. Also, the situation for their throwout bearings is probably different, too.
ETA: I think the supply situation for "old-school" push-type clutches like the 4+3 is quite different. That's such a ubiquitous design that there are probably still multiple manufacturers out there. Also, the situation for their throwout bearings is probably different, too.
Last edited by MatthewMiller; Apr 23, 2019 at 10:37 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
We dont have much of a choice nowadays, even parts on brand new cars is imported junk.
Summit still sells the GM pilot bushing thats oil impregnated, learned about cheaping out there the hard way.
Test fit them first before driving them in and dont try and pull the trans in to the bellhousing with the tranny bolts. Good luck
Summit still sells the GM pilot bushing thats oil impregnated, learned about cheaping out there the hard way.
Test fit them first before driving them in and dont try and pull the trans in to the bellhousing with the tranny bolts. Good luck