5 Speed Clutch Release ?

[jeffscarstrucks]

Hi,I'm new to the forum but not to the site...always good info here! I am chasing a clutch release problem and was looking for some ideas before I take it apart AGAIN. About 5kmiles ago I put in a disc,pressure plate, input bushing, throw-out brg, and bearing retainer on the front of the trans(the old one was worn from the throw-out riding on it over time). I put three clutch masters on it before I did this work not knowing the bearing retainer was worn and causing high pedal presure. Fast forward to now and I am having a very high pedal pressure in the last third of the pedal travel and the clutch won't release completely. It seems to work the first couple of times of the day but gets worse from there. It is a dual mass flywheel and it seemed OK when I had everything apart. I considered changing it to a solid but it seemed a little pricey when I wasn't sure it would be a good idea. I did some searches and read about the heated clutch fluid but didn't see any real conclusion on that front. This is a 93 2wd crew cab dually. I was hoping that there is something simple I'm missing here but it seems pretty straight forward. Thanks for taking the time to read this as it is aleady too long. JEFF

[Turbo Al]

I assume that you replace the throw out arm -- the one the thow-out bearing is attached to. Did you replace the Pivot ball?? This is the pivot point that the throw out arm sits on. If you didn't then you will most likely have to replace both the throw out arm and pivot ball as a set or you will be chasing your problem a little futher down the road again. You could try greasing the pivot point to try and narrow down your problem futher.

Al

[RT]

What Turbo Al said!! We both went down this road a while back. Very stiff pedal at the bottom of travel. Eventually you will blow either the master or slave cylinders in the hydraulic clutch. Pivot balls and clutch forks are easy to replace and cheap. Yes you have to take it apart again. Get a new pivot ball and fork from a GM dealer. They last about 150K, a little more if you remember to grease them. I have 215K on an original dual mass flywheel. On borrowed time? Maybe, but it keeps on going. RT

[jeffscarstrucks]

Thanks Guys, I did not replace the arm or the ball but will have them in hand before I take it apart again! I looked at them and didn't notice or feel any odd wear but that's not under any load of course. I did kill the master cylinders when the bearing retainer was bad, it had two obvious dips in it that would keep the t.brg. from sliding freely. Was the heated fluid issue ever found to be an issue (as long as I'm there)? I should work on this soon and will report back. Thanks again, JEFF

[Turbo Al]

You are welcome, and BTW welcome to the forums :cool:
The only time my clutch fluid overheats is when I drag my trailer up the Coquihella Hyw which I think is the longest steepest in B.C. and will eat your car, truck or anything else alive if there is anything wrong with it. So towing somewhere around 5,000 lbs it overheats right at the top of the longest grade. I don't have a problem shifting without a clutch so I really don't give it much thought. Maybe all it needs is a little extra insulation around the line where it runs past the exhaust pipe. This is also the only place in Western Canada and the Western U.S. States that gets my clutch fan to come on.
Also make sure that you get the correct parts as there are two different setups for Chev trucks light duty and Heavy duty -- I don't have the part numbers but you want the Heavy duty setup and make sure they match the ones coming out of the truck.
Good luck
Al

[jeffscarstrucks]

Thanks again, Most of my towing is my enclosed race car trailer which is only about 8k lbs but it is close to home. I do tow my flat trailer a good distance up to 14k lbs once in a while but this is pretty flat country in the midwest. The dealer parts guy is a long time friend so he'll take good care of me on the parts thing; it's more a matter of me taking time to work on the truck and not toys that seem to dictate the progress level(went to a welding open house today instead of working on important stuff...DUH). Thanks, JEFF

[jeffscarstrucks]

I finally got around to working on the truck yesterday and found the pivot ball and arm were on there last leg. I have been around this stuff for a while and never even gave them a thought! The ball was begining to break through the back of the arm...it's a wonder it was still releasing at all. I can not begin to thank you guys enough. you have no idea how long I've been chasing this, I spent more time talking about it than I did fixing it(4 1/2 hrs). Thanks Again, JEFF

[Turbo Al]

Hi Jeff,
You are very welcome Jeff, believe me you are NOT the first one to miss the pivot ball and throw out arm wear.
Al