Jerry's Gaskets - RAM Clutch Review

[BigIke]

#1616 began slipping soon after an alternator replacement and the discovery of a few hidden ponies when a manifold vacuum leak was fixed and the secondaries were tied open. Deciding between a stock replacement and the RAM was a hard one; my deciding factor was the level of support Jerry provides us (the correct alternator, after many incorrect units was my experience). Also, our stock parts are getting scarce; an upgrade to the clutch now should make the assembly 'future proof'. I love the clutch, i would buy again and again...


-She's back on the road, driving in rush hour traffic daily!

Install was straight forward, and I've written up a detailed how-to... I went with the 1000$ kit, which is supplied with the least expensive, 13lb flywheel. Prior to disassembly I thought a light weight flywheel because of the slight clattering i could hear at idle, more so when I'd shut it off. I was mistaken, it was the dual mass, all components were in decent condition, save the disc.


-13lb flywheel

Going back together, I measured the depth of the pilot bushing, the new bushing was installed to the same depth. Make sure the clutch is perfectly aligned when torqueing the pressure plate. The anti-rotation pin (installed at 7 O'clock - looking at the input shaft) needs the bolt flats ground down. A 1-1/8 to 1-1/4 hole must be drilled in the bellhousing @ 5 o'clock, this will allow access to align the hydraulic release bearing (HRB) with the anti-rotation pin.


-The flats that are facing out board need to be ground flat, the washer as well.




-Through this hole you can see the HRB, anti-rotation pin

Remove the clutch fork pivot stud, doing so will allow the 45 deg HRB fittings to fit in the bellhousing. When installing the 45's, clock them to roughly 130-140 deg down. When the HRB is aligned with the pin, the fittings will point towards the clutch fork hole. Install the bleed hose on the top fitting. Dress the input shaft bearing housing with wetted (WD40/mineral spirits) emery clothe, Install the three spacers on the input shaft bearing housing. Assemble tranny; flush master cylinder, connect and bleed the HRB.


-This photo show the fittings at 90 deg, note the hoses are touching the bellhousing. Also note, the fork stud is removed.

I drove for 467 miles before I really go into it. For about 300 miles there was a 'clutchy' smell, however, absolutely zero slippage. It will roast the tires like never before, and a swear, the 1st gear torque is going to break the rear suspension. Pros and Cons:

Pros
1. 1/3rd the clutch effort... Seriously, my 10 year old Not Boy 1 could operate this thing with ease.
2. Excellent touch.
3. Crazy fast reving.
4. There is a lot more power, it isn't BS or Magic... Just power.
5. The flywheel rattles, it rattles a lot, and i love it.
6. Amazing grip...

Cons
1. The flywheel rattles, it rattles a lot, and my wife hates it... LOL
2. Without the extra rotating mass, taking off can make you look like a stick shift amateur. I've stalled the car five times... I don't stall cars... It will also die if the A/C on and i blip the throttle (fix will be an increase of 100 RPM when it's tuned).

So the thing rattles, similar to a wore out LS1. If you don't like the rattle, go with a heavier flywheel. I used ZFDocs recommended Castrol 10w-60 2,200 ML. My fill plug was stuck... I filled through the vent hole at the top forward portion of the tranny.

https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php...PAXP-deijE.gif

Jay

THANKS JERRY!!!!

[BigIke]

After much deliberation (Stock vs. Aftermarket), I picked the RAM; the greatest contributing factor was Jerry's steadfast support to our ZR-1 community (Best alternator out there, BTW). Buy the bolts, pilot bearing, skip-shift eliminator, and for good measure, a passenger side exhaust flange gasket (I’m sure Jerry would be more than happy to fill that order). Now is the time to install a short-throw shifter, listed are the differences between shifters:

Fulcrum to ball length (longer length equals a shorter shift, with increasing shift effort).
1.Stock - 1.25” 89-90 detented reverse
2.Hurst - 1.50” no detent, like for like replacement for 95-96 (crash threw)
3.ZF-Doc - 1.75” detented (order well in advance of tranny removal, don’t start until it’s delivered)
4.B&M Ripper - 2.25 crash threw

Items arrived promptly, and well packaged. I limped my ‘Juan’ over to my BFFs lift and we began. I'll list the steps below:

Dis-assembly
1.Take pictures throughout process.
2.Disconnect the negative battery cable. Make sure your Motley Crue cassette is ejected! Don’t want that getting jammed, believe me...
3.Remove the shift boot and all associate jewelry. Remove console for easier lower boot removal and installation.
4.Leave shifter in 3rd gear position.
5.Remove exhaust, if the flange gasket is failed on passenger side, plan on replacement.
6.Remove hoses and cables, remove slave cylinder (donate to ZR1NetRegistry.com member).
7.Support engine
8.Attempt to remove fill plug 17mm allen, better buy one now (passenger side engine). If it won't budge, leave it and attempt removal on deck. If it won't come, leave it. You can fill from the vent tube hole.
9.Remove drain plug-17mm allen. Buy 3-4 quarts of Castrol 10w-60 (45$-Ebay).
10.Support transmission
11.Remove driveshaft
12.Remove torque arm. Unbolt (21&17mm), remove e-brake clip, hammer towards engine, lower engine/tranny pull e-brake cable around diff end. Clear cable, slid the torque arm out.

Tranny Removal
13.Remove tranny from bellhousing (BH). With engine lowered to almost the lowest position, pull tranny. Pull back and lower at the same time to clear the shifter from the tranny tunnel. Don't lose the vent-tube banjo fitting gaskets.
14.Remove BH. There are heat shields, left, right and bottom 10mm.
15.Remove pressure plate (PP) and clutch disc.
16.Remove the flywheel (note how heavy that thing is!)

RAM Clutch Installation
17.Clean new clutch components with brake clean.
18.!!!Measure pilot bearing depth, remove old bushing, install new bushing at same depth (need a depth mic or caliper).
19.Install new flywheel (verify your own torque, Loctite 263). Torque using good-oilfield-practices...
20.Install PP and disk with line up tool, take your time to ensure proper alignment, extra minute here will pay off in hours saved later... Tighten in 3-5 steps, checking alignment as you go.
Bellhousing prep
21.REMOVE the clutch fork and clutch fork pivot stud, remove the cap from the back side of stud. An impact wrench and socket, rotated counter clockwise from inside of the BH will make quick work of the stud.
22.Flat file BH surfaces.

Tranny Installation
23.Install BH, torque to spec, install the 11 o-clock strap on that bolt.
24.Install all shields.
25.Drill an 1-1/4” or 1-1/8” window in BH on passenger side at approximately 5 o-clock. Needed to align the HRB with the anti-rotation pin. Clean debris.
26.!!!Prep the tranny, clean the bearing retainer sleeve with wet (WD40) emery cloth.
27.Remove bolt a 7 o-clock, install the anti-rotation pin in place. *grind the flat edges from the stud hex to ensure that it won't contact the BH opening.*
28.Coat the bearing retainer sleeve, and Hydraulic release bearing (HRB) with hydraulic oil, test fit the HRB, dress the sleeve accordingly.
29.HRB - Install the 45 deg fittings, looking down at the HRV, the anti-rotation fork pointed at 5 o-clock. Clock the 45s at about 145 deg (looking at the fittings, top down 90 deg being 'up' 180 deg is 'down'. Install hoses and hose jewelry, the bleed hose is the 'top' hose. Use teflon tap (wrap with the free end lagging the tightening rotation).
30.Snake hoses through the clutch hole in BH and hang the HRB in the PP fingers.
31.Do not grease the pilot bushing or the input shaft button.
32.Grease the input shaft splines with EP2 grease. (no grease near pilot bushing area!)
33.!!!Install the supplied HRB shim pack over the bearing retainer sleeve.
34.Maneuver tranny in place, ensure shift lever is still in 3rd gear, work input shaft into BH with an input shaft up, tailshaft down tilt. Align the HRB with input shaft. Shimmy the HRB into bearing retainer sleeve. Align the engine and tranny. Using a long screw driver, start the HRB onto the sleeve and anti-rotation stud.
35.Stab tranny, install bolts. If the fill plug was frozen in place, DO NOT install the bolt supporting the vent tube at 11 o-clock!. You can also fill at the detent plug on drivers side, forward of the 1 to 4 skip shift solenoid (it’s a pain in the butt).
36.INSTALL THE DRAIN PLUG!
37.Fill tranny from fill hole or through the vent tube hole. Measure 2,200 ml of the proper fluid.
38.Install vent tube, torque tranny bolts to proper torque specification.
39.Connect all electrical plugs (Install a skip shift eliminator (12$ Amazon).
40.Connect hydraulic hoses, take time to plan a hose routing scheme. Keep hoses away from exhaust and ensure the hoses will never contact the rotating assembly in side the BH.

Bleed clutch
41.Remove ECM (driver side, above battery), fill clutch master cylinder (check every 3-4 purges). Purge until the air is removed and the fluid is clear/clean.
42.Use Mighty Vac or another person to free the system of air. With bleed closed, pump 30 times, hold, and open bleed. When fluid stops, close bleed, and signal helper to get after the pumping, repeat until results are satisfactory.

Complete Assembly
43.Install torque arm over tail shaft pushed towards the engine as far as it will go.
44.Jack engine and tranny up. Pay attention to the vent tube, electrical wires, and hydraulic hoses.
45.Move torque arm around the e-brake wire and jack up so the tranny and diff are aligned.
46.Hammer torque arm over the diff, install bolts with impact wrench.
47.Install driveshaft, place the ZF-6 in neutral and rotate drive shaft to install bearing straps and tighten the bolts (3/8”). Hold rear wheels to apply sufficient torque.
HRB and Clutch Inspections
48.!!!Inspect for HRB, or fitting leakage, through the alignment window you drilled earlier.
49.Instruct helper to observe the HRB. Slowly begin to depress the clutch pedal, have him stop you when it begins to move, when the fingers are depressed and when movement stop.
50.Start car, if you had a dual mass get ready, it rattles a lot more than the stock set up. Clutch in and out, listen for the gear rattle to go and come again (shows the tranny is dis-engaging the rotating assembly).
51.While clutched in place your ‘Juan’ in 1st, did the tires move? Clutch out noting when the tires begin to move. Ensure the pedal travel is to your liking. It will be different, because it’s not the same anymore, DUH

Finalize and Test Drive
52.Install exhaust, a helper would ensure that the tips are properly aligned.
53.Drive it, you’ll likely notice that the clutch effort is 1/4 that of the original system. Stay below 3k, don’t worry, although she’ll never be quite again, the noise diminish greatly when the interior is re-assembled.
54.Install interior pieces.
55.RAM recommend 500 miles of ‘non-spirited’ driving. Try to keep it below 4k RPM and do not apply heavy loads in high gears with low RPM.

I’m 100 miles into my break-in and I don’t have a lot of clutch smell. There isn’t any slipping, I feel that if the break-in process goes as planned I’m going to be singing at 7,200 revs for a long time to come, with a system which is a little more ‘future proof’ than finding OEM replacements. I’ll chime in with a long term update as soon as ‘long time’ happens.

Thanks Jerry!

Jay Eichenberg

[efnfast]

BigIke, I'm glad to hear the install went so well. Mine did not. I suspect my case is unique, but don't know why.
I see Ram is now supplying the 45's for the hydraulic lines. I found out the hard and expensive way that you need them.

[BigIke]

Yeah, the straight ones touched the pressure plate when we were bleeding it.

[A26B]

Great, detailed summary of your installation. Very much appreciated.

[BigIke]

Jerry... Thanks man, you're reputation proceeds you... What you do for this community is priceless. The parts i need to return are still at my buddies house. I'll get them today and send them out. My apologies, things have been crazy and i was in Breckenridge for the thanksgiving holidays.

I Hooned the **** out of her yesterday, took my god son for a ride to the store. Sideways at 7200 into second... He and I had a BLAST!

On a sad note, second gear syncros are doo-doo... At hi RPMs i have to really muscle the thing into 2nd and that sucks... Need to start saving up for a tranny, and or rebuild.

[5ABI VT]

Appreciate the pics ! (have more?) I was hesitant to go this route because I already had purchased a fidanza flywheel etc and my setup works great but Im still wanting the ram setup. I may just sell my setup and go this route next spring.

[5ABI VT]

Originally Posted by efnfast

BigIke, I'm glad to hear the install went so well. Mine did not. I suspect my case is unique, but don't know why.
I see Ram is now supplying the 45's for the hydraulic lines. I found out the hard and expensive way that you need them.

Just read your thread really sorry to hear about your experience. Any solution or progress?

[efnfast]

No progress. If it will hold up, the plan is to take it to Pete and have him do some head work. I don't know when that will actually happen. If it makes it, I'll address the clutch issues then. It only slips under high loads - third gear at 6 grand.

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by efnfast

No progress. If it will hold up, the plan is to take it to Pete and have him do some head work. I don't know when that will actually happen. If it makes it, I'll address the clutch issues then. It only slips under high loads - third gear at 6 grand.

Pete was involved along with Bob Gillig; both instrumental in developing the RAM conversion for the ZR-1. I'd say you'll be in good hands, far as someone familiar with the setup and all.

Far as what he/they do to ID the issue and the resolution thereof, I and other will be until then...

Looking forward to seeing you at MR4?? (I'm guessing then is when you might be taking your car to Pete, yes?)