Does My Clutch Need Adjusting?

[arena314]

so my 96 gt lately seems to be harder to shift then usual. it grabs perfectly fine but when I'm at a stop it's kinda hard to get into 1st and when I do sometimes it'll nudge forward a little bit. the clutch has about 5k miles and I'm not very hard on it for the most part. it's also a little bit more notchy then it use to be I've noticed the past few days. my car has a tr3650 trans swap with a pro 5.0 shifter. the clutch is nothing special it's just an oem replacement clutch pretty much. does it sound like it needs adjusting? maybe the cable stretched? it has a steeda adjustable cable with aluminum quadrant but no firewall adjuster. I know the adjustable cables suck but what do you guys think it sounds like? lmk thanks

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

 

[broncojunkie]

Sounds like your cable might need tightened up a bit. My 98gt (t45) does the same thing. Also, it will scrape a little every once in a while if I shift to fast and don't quite get the pedal all the way to the floor. Wouldn't hurt to try tightening it up just a little and see what happens. It took quite a bit of tweaking with my 88gt clutch cable (new clutch, throwout bearing, pilot bearing, clutch fork, cable, rebuilt t5, quadrant, flywheel, and firewall adjuster). I still had trouble adjusting it to the new clutch, though. I recently pulled the motor and transmission for some upgrades and to straighten out the engine bay. While it's out, I just went in and shimmed up the pivot ball stud to give me a little more "meat". The new clutch, although I'm happy with it, didn't sit quite like the old one.

 

[Moosee1955]

Tighten your cable, just be sure you have free play in the pedal, inch to inch and a half free play. Too tight especially when warm, will burn clutch. You might have to play with the adjustment a little to get it right for you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[arena314]

now when I'm adjusting tbe cable by where it hooks up to the clutch fork do I tighten the nut or loosen it? it's not fully disengaging

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

 

[broncojunkie]

You need to tighten it.

 

[arena314]

what's the best way to go about it should I get under the car and tighten it just a little then test it out?

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

 

[broncojunkie]

By the way, I keep hearing about how the adjustable cables are no good. While most people have better luck with the stock cables, I really have been happy with my BBK adjustable one. I've used it for about 2 years now.

 

[broncojunkie]

Yes, you just get under the car, remove the access cover, and tighten it. I'd start off with maybe a couple complete turns. Take it for a spin and see if it needs more. IMO, getting under the car is harder than adjusting it lol

 

[broncojunkie]

Oh, and it should have a locking nut on it too. Make sure it's snugged up so it doesn't work its way loose again.

 

[arena314]

ok when I gout home I'll get under the car and do it. like I said the clutch grabs great but isn't fully disengaging. so your saying a few turns then test it and go from there?

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

 

[broncojunkie]

Yes sir. You can even leave the access cover off while you test it.

 

[arena314]

ok sounds good I'll go about 3 turns subs see how it is I guess I'll know if I went to tight or not by the way it feels

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

 

[Moosee1955]

After you adjust it, hop in car lightly push pedal, make sure you have free play as I mentioned earlier.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[arena314]

it never had much free play so I guess the guy that did my clutch didn't adjust it very well?

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

 

[arena314]

I tried adjusting multiple times and no luck still hard to get info 1st and second

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

 

[broncojunkie]

You said when you get it into gear, sometimes it will nudge forward a bit. Is it still doing that? There are some other things that could cause it not to go into gear easily from a stop. Wear on the gears and/or slider is one possible reason. Changing fluid (preferably to something a little better than what came in it) could help. I think GM Synchromesh or something similar is generally accepted as being the best quality. This might also help if your fiber blocker (synchro) rings are a little worn, although, worn blocker rings typically result in scraping of gears when shifting at higher rpms. Synchros are meant to act as a "brake" for your main shaft, to stop it from spinning long enough to engage the next gear. So that doesn't sound like your issue. If you're satisfied with the clutch cable as is, then I'd probably try changing/upgrading fluid. Pretty much everything else I can think of to check would involve pulling and getting inside the tranny itself. (I suppose the problem could be shifter related, but I've never had that issue. Maybe someone else will chime in with another option.)

Like I said...I'm having the same issue with mine. Out of sheer laziness, I just deal with it. Usually, feathering the throttle a little or allowing the car to roll slightly forward/backward will let it slip right into gear. I do plan on adjusting my clutch and changing fluid, though.

 

[arena314]

I'm having a mechanic that I know look at it on Wednesday. I'm completely stumped on what it can be

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk