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Old Jan 13, 2006 | 10:33 PM
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Just had a RPS clutch installed,and broke it in for 550 miles. Started getting into it a little at 475 miles on the highway, easy break in prior to that. Did a few hard launches and for the first two I could smell the clutch. Is this normal? The car seemed to hook up good, I just want to be assured everything is all right.

When the car is cold it grinds a little in fourth gear,and even when its worm during a quick shift. I'm hoping its something the installer can adjust with the shifter.

Input is appretiated. THANKS ROB
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Old Jan 13, 2006 | 10:42 PM
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Originally Posted by 97Rob
Just had a RPS clutch installed,and broke it in for 550 miles. Started getting into it a little at 475 miles on the highway, easy break in prior to that. Did a few hard launches and for the first two I could smell the clutch. Is this normal? The car seemed to hook up good, I just want to be assured everything is all right.

When the car is cold it grinds a little in fourth gear,and even when its worm during a quick shift. I'm hoping its something the installer can adjust with the shifter.

Input is appretiated. THANKS ROB
Okay so heres my disclaimer that I have been posting on all my tech related threads: I drive an F-Body, have never had a vette, BUT they have the same motor and tranny so heres my opinion:

I dont have alot of experience with brand new clutches but IMO grinding is something that needs to be corrected for sure, and im pretty positive it doesnt have to do with the shifter itself, because I have instealled those before, and you cant really mess it up (In in F-body atleast
)
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Old Jan 14, 2006 | 09:37 AM
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ttp
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Old Jan 14, 2006 | 03:21 PM
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I got the RPS clutch and have not had the smell from my clutch only from the rubber when I do some hard takeoffs or from roll ons and my car shifts great through all the gears and I have over 700+ rwhp and lots of tq
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 07:44 AM
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Originally Posted by peter pan
I got the RPS clutch and have not had the smell from my clutch only from the rubber when I do some hard takeoffs or from roll ons and my car shifts great through all the gears and I have over 700+ rwhp and lots of tq

I'd like a quick detail of your break in period. Thanks for the information.

Rob
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 07:47 AM
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could be your tranny syncro's
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 08:05 AM
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you need to break in the clutch some more, do lots of heat cycles, and dont slip it at all, after a few tanks of gas it should be good to go, just try quick shifting and stabbing gears before doing full pull's, but the grinding you hear could be the drive splines having slight play w/ the clutch disc, does it only happen at high rpm and only when you push the pedal?, or is it grinding when putting in gear?, if its grinding going into gear I dont think the clutch is fully disengageing, what master cylinder do you have and did you do the drill mod to the slave line? a stock master and no drill mod would cause the non engagement...


btw, I dont have the same clutch as you, I'm useing the mcleod twin and mcleod master along w/drill mod to new z06 slave...

Last edited by Assassin_808; Jan 15, 2006 at 08:11 AM.
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 08:52 AM
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I treat clutch break in just like new brake pads to new rotor break in.

I’v got the RPS in my FRC. She hooks up tite, and I can’t say enough about how much fun a light flywheel is to drive. While letting the clutch out, just at the point when the disk is slipping, I hear more scuffing noise that a stock unit. My guess is that it’s due to the aggressive nature of the high temp friction material….?

Your 4th gear grind…..it could very likely be your syncro going away. My FRC’s 3-4 syncro went last summer. In my case 3rd gear wouldn’t sync, 4th wouldn’t sync a couple weeks later. During that time I got much better at shifting without the clutch

Last edited by Roadrace65; Jan 15, 2006 at 08:57 AM.
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 08:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Assassin_808
you need to break in the clutch some more, do lots of heat cycles, and dont slip it at all, after a few tanks of gas it should be good to go, just try quick shifting and stabbing gears before doing full pull's, but the grinding you hear could be the drive splines having slight play w/ the clutch disc, does it only happen at high rpm and only when you push the pedal?, or is it grinding when putting in gear?, if its grinding going into gear I dont think the clutch is fully disengageing, what master cylinder do you have and did you do the drill mod to the slave line? a stock master and no drill mod would cause the non engagement...


btw, I dont have the same clutch as you, I'm useing the mcleod twin and mcleod master along w/drill mod to new z06 slave...

May sound dumb, but could you explain heat cycles.
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 10:17 AM
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drive long enough for it to get up to good operating temp. and when your done driving, let cool off (overnight), maybe before you go to sleep at night go out for about a half hour or so, cant get tired of that, haha
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 10:44 AM
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Search the web for Brake Pad and Rotor Break In Procedures, you'll get allot of good hits. Hawk – wildwood etc. Translate what you read about pads and rotors to flywheel / pressure plate and disc. Although not exactly the same, close enough in material and function to make sense of break in and heat cycle.
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 11:00 AM
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Hey Roadrace, if you don't mind me asking, how much does it run to have the tranny pulled to take care of the synchros? Thanks, my 5-6 crapped on me and the others are a little suspect.
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 12:47 PM
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Originally Posted by ziffLS1
Hey Roadrace, if you don't mind me asking, how much does it run to have the tranny pulled to take care of the synchros? Thanks, my 5-6 crapped on me and the others are a little suspect.
I pulled and rebuilt my mine, and a few more since. The T56 isn’t any more difficult to work on than any 4-5-6 speed gear box. Typically the bearings look good and get reused. The syncros are usually worn and need to be replaced. The most common failure I see is the stamped keys in the 3rd/4th syncro assy – upgrade to billet keys is a must. In addition, I always install the carbon matrix friction material cone, that part of the syncro rebuild kit.
I get my parts from G Force Transmissions

How Much does it cost…I don’t know what the going price on an attention to detail rebuild might cost. I spend a more than a few hours cleaning, deburring and check fitting every gear box and diff I work on.

Last edited by Roadrace65; Jan 15, 2006 at 12:49 PM.
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 01:01 PM
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Originally Posted by 97Rob
I'd like a quick detail of your break in period. Thanks for the information.

Rob
When I put my clutch in my car also got a new engine and blower so I only did not put the car through the paces until about 1200 miles after we dynoed the car. This really gave the car some heat cycles, oh I did do some minor boost during breaking just nothing heavy and lots of speed changes nothing constant on the freeway. Now I have had no issues with launches or shifting at 6k from 1st to 5th have not been fast enough to do this in 6th, on the street into 5th is fast. With the hp level I have the tranny is the weak link in my setup as we put in the hardened output shaft and DTE Differential Brace. The clutch was very stiff during breakin and now it is just a little stiffer to me than my buddies stock Z06 setup. Seems from others our trans usually fall apart in the 3 to 4 shift so I am on the look out for this and since I do not know how to rebuild my trans I will more than likely be sending mine to Rodney.
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 02:11 PM
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Thanks for the info....
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 02:24 PM
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Originally Posted by ziffLS1
Hey Roadrace, if you don't mind me asking, how much does it run to have the tranny pulled to take care of the synchros? Thanks, my 5-6 crapped on me and the others are a little suspect.

near 1,500- 2,000 depending on the parts you need
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 02:48 PM
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Cool.....I figured it'd be a pretty nice chunk o' change.
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 04:50 PM
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Does the lightweight flywheel produce any more noise over a stock flywheel?

Thanks
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Old Jan 15, 2006 | 04:52 PM
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Originally Posted by 95vettski
Does the lightweight flywheel produce any more noise over a stock flywheel?

Thanks
I have the RPS flywheel that comes with there clutch and seems about the same, just freed up some hp
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