My car screams when I press the clutch pedal

JYOUNYA1 · Post by **JYOUNYA1** » February 13th, 2006, 5:07 pm

Hey guys, if it isnt one thing it is another...Today I was going to work and all of a sudden I pressed the clutch and I hear a sound similar to a (house/car)key cutter machine. It continued then after dirving like that for about a mile, I made it to work...Afterwork I had to make it to my primary job, and it was screeching again, and kinda difficult to switch gears...half way there tp work the clutch was vibrating like a fat girl's dildo, then back to normal. What does this mean? I am gonna end up reconditioning this freaking car before I can mod it up.

~Jay

hgallegos915 · Post by **hgallegos915** » February 13th, 2006, 6:40 pm

ooo seems what happened to me..,first it starts screeching... (bearing wearing out) then if you keep driving it like that the pressureplate's teeth brake (vivration) eventually the clutch will seize to open and you will be stuck in traffic witough shifting..i had to float the gears home in order to drive it :S very scary because if you come to a stop goy gotta start the car in first gear to get it going..not good..

JYOUNYA1 · Post by **JYOUNYA1** » February 13th, 2006, 6:47 pm

Holy CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MAN!!!!!!!!! I could smack five Hitlers and a Hussein right now.

This means I need a clutch and fast, right?

~Jay

Bochek · Post by **Bochek** » February 13th, 2006, 8:00 pm

JYOUNYA1 wrote:Holy CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MAN!!!!!!!!! I could smack five Hitlers and a Hussein right now.

This means I need a clutch and fast, right?

~Jay

not nessesairly, but probably.

my car is doing it, but only slightly, you might get a few more weeks outta it.

Bochek

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » February 13th, 2006, 9:25 pm

Likely the squealing is your throwout bearing failing. In your shoes.. I wouldnt drive it except maybe to a clutch repair shop or to the parts store to get a new clutch assembly. Do yourself a favor.. replace your entire clutch assembly. Pilot bearing, throwout bearing, clutch disc, pressure plate. And check the fork for damage as well. Best to take care of all of it in one shot now and have no worries for years to come. A bit of searching through the forums will reveal what clutch packages are popular and reliable. Cheers

Tunes67

JYOUNYA1 · Post by **JYOUNYA1** » February 14th, 2006, 8:11 am

Tunes67 wrote:Likely the squealing is your throwout bearing failing. In your shoes.. I wouldnt drive it except maybe to a clutch repair shop or to the parts store to get a new clutch assembly. Do yourself a favor.. replace your entire clutch assembly. Pilot bearing, throwout bearing, clutch disc, pressure plate. And check the fork for damage as well. Best to take care of all of it in one shot now and have no worries for years to come. A bit of searching through the forums will reveal what clutch packages are popular and reliable. Cheers

Tunes67

And is this a job a novice back yard mechanic can do?

I have seen one on ebay really cheap....should I bite?

also...I have found:

Fenco Clutch : $117
Excedy: $123
Duralast: $110

Also do you think it is a good idea to change to a steel braided Clutch line(like I even know what that is, just here you guys talk about it alot)

~Jay

PATDIESEL · Post by **PATDIESEL** » February 14th, 2006, 9:26 am

The job itself is not that hard mechanically, but you haveto pull the tranny so it takes a good deal of time. You need a second set of hands too. The tranny can be a PITA to handle yourself under the car.
Get a decent clutch, they will last alot longer and you'll be more happy in the long run. A quick fix is usually a quick breakdown waiting to happen. (cheap E-Bay clutches)
Read the online shop manual for details on ow to change a clutch and ask questions after you've read it.
Make sure to have the flywheel resurfaced at a machine shop too.
Checking the clutch fork is easy. It is a metal fork looking thing that acutally moves the clutch, you'll see it in the shop manual. It should be straight and have all the pain on it except where it contacts the clutch. Make sure to grease the fork's contact points with some brake parts grease or general auot grease. A small thin layer is all that is needed. You don't want it getting on the clutch or flywheel.
The pilot bearing comes with some clutches, but not all of them. If you have to get one make sure to get it for the MX-3. The throwout bearing is always a seperate item.
Make sure to bleed the clutch after you are finished and you have to adjust the clutch pedal too. (again steps are in the shop manual)
I this all sounds too complicated most shops charge about 200 for a clutch job, plus the cost of the clutch and stuff.

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » February 14th, 2006, 10:22 am

Make sure to have the flywheel resurfaced at a machine shop too.

I knew I was forgetting something major LOL

Pat pretty much covered it all.. I will add that the Stainless Steel clutch line is a good idea to upgrade. The job is not really that complex in difficulty. However.. it is very time consuming and can require specialty tools. I tend to cheat when it comes to FWD cars and just have a shop do them. RWD cars are much faster to do, assuming I am working alone. Depends on how much cash you are willing to spend. On my old subaru.. I had the clutch replaced at a shop called Clutch Doctors. Very reasonably priced at $317 after tax. That was including parts and labor. I would recommend getting all of your clutch parts first and taking them to the shop. With the Subaru.. I really didnt care much about the car so I didnt even ask what brand of clutch they used. But in your case where you have mentioned that you would like to build the car someday.. well here is your first opportunity. Invest in a good clutch now and it will see you through what ever mods you make engine wise in the future. Cheers

Tunes67

JYOUNYA1 · Post by **JYOUNYA1** » February 14th, 2006, 11:40 am

Resurface the Flywheel? How much is that, and how long does that take...why resurface?

~Jay

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » February 14th, 2006, 12:09 pm

You want a nice smooth finish to the surface of the flywheel.. gives a good mating surface to the clutch disc so that your clutch engages fully and properly after you shift gears. A rough surface on the flywheel not only may have problems staying engaged with the new clutch but it will cause the clutch disc to wear faster and fail prematurely. Typically most machine shops will resurface a flywheel for less than $25.

Tunes67

PATDIESEL · Post by **PATDIESEL** » February 14th, 2006, 3:17 pm

A good shop will also check the flywheel for cracks. If it has even the tinyest (sp?) crack it will break eventually and kill all kinds of stuff in the tranny, clutch and engine. My local machine shop uses some sort of machine that scans the flywheel for ANY imperfection in the surface.
It usually takes them 24 hrs to machine one where I go so make sure to call ahead.
My place charges 35 to resurface one. Cheap and necessary.

I would also adives the stainless clutch line. It is a perfect time to get one if you plan on any power adding/performance stuff later. Again cheap and easy. If you replace the clutch line go get some "Line Wrenches" they slip over the clutch line and then onto the nut. They are more closed than a open end wrech, but do still have a small gap. A Line Wrench will help make sure that you don't strip the tiny nuts that are used to hold the clutch line to the metal lines.

Good luck, it is a learning experience changing a clutch.