Throwout bearing.

[Chris_32212]

I feel your transmission woes brother! I had a clutch fork bend backwards bad enough to crack. I used the opportunity to upgrade my ehaust from the headers back, upgraded to a stage two clutch and a fidanza flywheel. When I got the car back from the shop, the cags had defeater wasn't installed and I was forced to do a bunch of 1st to 4th shifts and now it grinds when I try to shift into 4th. I was laid off and lost my house last year and am a full time college student so my Z just sits now, broken and bruised with no end in sight.

Chris

[rhipsher]

Originally Posted by Chris_32212

I feel your transmission woes brother! I had a clutch fork bend backwards bad enough to crack. I used the opportunity to upgrade my ehaust from the headers back, upgraded to a stage two clutch and a fidanza flywheel. When I got the car back from the shop, the cags had defeater wasn't installed and I was forced to do a bunch of 1st to 4th shifts and now it grinds when I try to shift into 4th. I was laid off and lost my house last year and am a full time college student so my Z just sits now, broken and bruised with no end in sight.

Chris

Now that really sucks. Loosing the house. This econemy blows. Another one of my Z friends just got laid off thursday. It sucks bad. There may be more of us collecting aluminum cans pretty soon.

[jonszr1]

rick when you do get her apart ck the pivot ball for the fork and the fork for wear

[rhipsher]

I will. But three times in 3 years. That's one transmission pull a year. And I knew two weeks before it happened that something was getting ready to go down with it. When I would pull up to the light and leave it in 1st gear even with the clutch pressed all the way down it felt like it was trying to pull as if the clutch was slightly engaged. That aint normal. And I started smelling my clutch a little more than usual. Once I get up in there I'll double check all the flywheel bolts and crank bolts to make sure everything is still torqued properly. Either way I know the drill. I'll have to change my user name from rhipsher to ZFRick.
Actually I'm leaning toward the Spec stage 3 plus. Its way overkill for what I have now. But considering that within the next 5 years it's going to Lingenfelter for the 415 build I'll already be set with a clutch thats good for 800hp and still streetable. http://www.lmperformance.com/spec.asp

[Ccmano]

Originally Posted by rhipsher

I will. But three times in 3 years. That's one transmission pull a year. And I knew two weeks before it happened that something was getting ready to go down with it. When I would pull up to the light and leave it in 1st gear even with the clutch pressed all the way down it felt like it was trying to pull as if the clutch was slightly engaged. That aint normal. And I started smelling my clutch a little more than usual. Once I get up in there I'll double check all the flywheel bolts and crank bolts to make sure everything is still torqued properly. Either way I know the drill. I'll have to change my user name from rhipsher to ZFRick.

You may have hit on something here. Three times in 3 years makes it highly suspect that there is something else going on that causes this failure. The odds of getting new 3 bearings to fail in the same way 3 times in a row must be astronomical! Start buying lottery tickets...
My guess is that there is an issue with the clutch master and/or slave cylinders. Probably allowing only partial disengagement of the clutch disc and thereby damaging the bushing or at least something to that effect. Be careful you don't end up with a worn out 2nd gear syncro as well. If it were me I'd be looking a little deeper into what was causing this.
Just my 2 cents...
H

[jonszr1]

i am thinking that the pivot ar the fork might be worn . i know when bill redid the clutch on my black car 7 mo after i did it he found that both had become worn and was causing the clutch to want to stick at certain points of the travel

[FULLPWR]

I just changed the clutch out saturday, and i wanted to share this info.
before I pulled the tranny probably year or so ago i started buying different parts i thought i was going to need.
I bought a clutch fork from a forum member just in case.
when i was putting the housing together with the ball stud and was trying to decide which fork to use old or new old.
the one i pulled out of the car wobbles when its laid down flat, the fork tangs are not the same ht, so when i pushed down on one fork tang the yoke part of it where the slave pin hits would lift up.
The new old one did not move at all period. Though they looked perfectly the same, im glad i laid it flat.
I guess when the t/o bearing broke apart it may have twisted my fork ends.

[scottfab]

Originally Posted by rhipsher

my steering wheel shakes once I reach 59mph and up and once I hit 80mph it smooths out a bit.

That sure sounds like a lost balancing weight.
Well at least that what it was on mine.