Trouble with throw out bearing / clutch set up

[Baker819]

I spent a lot of time researching the correct way to set up a clutch a couple thousand miles ago when I had my engine out for a rebuild. Now the engine and trans are out again for a chassis rebuild and I was resealing some leaks and took the trans out for a quick look... only my throw out bearing mangled I thriple checked every thing when It was all apart because I am really tired of having trouble with my clutch ever since I upgrade to the Tremec TKO600 5 speed. Here are a list of the parts I am using-

-Tremec TKO-600 5 speed
-Lakewood bellhousing, clutch fork and adjustable pivot ball
-McLeod 11" clutch kit (Street pro I think... it's nothing to special)
-longer dowel pins that are offset to tune the bell housing in (which it is only .002" off, .005" is the max for the TKO-600)
-Center Force all steel flywheel

It bent in three spots and cracked next to the biggest of the bends which hit the inside of the "C" of the fork.

When I was setting it up last time. I had the flywheel installed and than skipped the clutch and installed the bellhousing. Measure to the pivot ball and took the required measurements and than took the bellhousing off and installed the clutch and than installed the bellhousing again. I know my linkage has always been kind of crooked but I dont think that would effect this? I am making a new frame bracket and a bracket that comes off the bellhousing to perfectly align the two.

I know there are different length throw out bearings maybe I got the wrong one but I know I figured in the size when I did all the math for the set up.

What do you guys think?

I think I am getting to much pressure on the throwout bearing and it must be to close to the pressure plate/flywheel and I need to adjust the pivot ball away from the flywheel.

I will have to reinstall the throwout bearing and see how parallel the clutch fork is to the flywheel.

[imjeff]

It's weird that the flange is bent away from where the force is applied. There should be any pressure on that side. Is it a weird picture angle or is that flange bent the wrong way?

[Baker819]

I didn't think about that. No trick photography, it's bent backwards. Hmmm

[imjeff]

Was your clutch fork chewed up too?

[Baker819]

No, the clutch fork looked really nice. I will go take another look at it in the shop right now though just to be sure.

Called my dad, who builds cars for a living and he was thinking that the hrowout bearing got stuck on the nose cone. I can't tell if it galled it or not because I had it gall it once almost 10 years ago when I first got the TKO. I just sanded the nose cone (where the throwout bearing rides) because I was on a budget and it was only light galling and didn't seem like it would cause me in problems if I just sanded it.

He also told me to measure the i.d. of the throwout bearinging and the o.d. of the nose cone. Maybe it to tight causing it to catch.

[Baker819]

maybe I clocked the throwout bearing wrong in the clutch fork... which caused it to get stuck and than the clutch fork freed it multiple times causing it to eventually bend the rear flange??? Just a thought. How do you guys "clocked the bearing in the clutch fork?

[geezer#99]

You used the wrong tob and/or you have your pivot ball adjusted to far from the flywheel.
When you depress the pressure plate the back side of the fork distorted the flange that's bent on the tob.
What style of fork?
You got a pic of it?

[crazy longhorn]

Originally Posted by geezer#99

You used the wrong tob and/or you have your pivot ball adjusted to far from the flywheel.
When you depress the pressure plate the back side of the fork distorted the flange that's bent on the tob.
What style of fork?
You got a pic of it?

2nd that idea....it sure looks like the fork is over extending, while making the push ? Longhorn

[Baker819]

Sorry had some medical stuff come up with family and swamped at work, will get the picture up tonight. I don't remember the fork having any abnormal wear though. That's why I didn't include a picture. I will get a couple on here tonight though thanks for the ideas

[Baker819]

Sorry more medical stuff came up. I figured out the problem between all the time sitting in the hospital and tonight when I found an old throw out bearing that wasn't bent all to hell. My problems are-

-Part of the transmission (where the lower of the two main shafts comes all the way forward, it sticks out less than .020" but is not suppose to be out that far to the best of my knowledge.
solution- Lightly grind the bell housing where the part is hitting.
- The clutch fork arm is at the wrong angle, I read the instructions wrong, I made the clutch fork paralelle to the flywheel when my foot was off the pedal (1/4" gap between the throwout bearing and pressure plate fingers, like the instructions call for) instead of when the pedal was to the floor. And the
solution- Readjust my pivot ball after I have the engine in the frame with the clutch linkage installed and adjust the pivot ball tell the arm is paralelle with the pedal to the floor.

-Clutch fork seems to have just a little extra material in the middle of the "C".
solution- Grind a 1/8" off and file the edges smooth.

My input shaft bearing retainer has galling from the throw out bearing... I think I might as well replace it now just so it doesn't have any help hanging up on any thing.

The last picture is with the the throw out bearing installed and lightly pressed up against the pressure plate

[68gmsee]

You lost me after "I made the clutch fork paralelle to the flywheel when my foot was off the pedal (1/4" gap between the throwout bearing and pressure plate fingers, like the instructions call for) instead of when the pedal was to the floor."

So was part of the problem the pivot ball adjustment as geez mentioned?

Just curious since that was about the only way I could see the TOB being bent the way it was.

[Baker819]

Originally Posted by 68gmsee

You lost me after "I made the clutch fork paralelle to the flywheel when my foot was off the pedal (1/4" gap between the throwout bearing and pressure plate fingers, like the instructions call for) instead of when the pedal was to the floor."

So was part of the problem the pivot ball adjustment as geez mentioned?

Just curious since that was about the only way I could see the TOB being bent the way it was.

Yes the pivot ball should have been closer to the flywheel. That way when the clutch pedal is pushed all the way in the clutch fork can be pushing evenly on all sides of the pressure plate... lifting the clutch disc off the flywheel evenly. Which makes since. I just got it backwards.

[68gmsee]

Originally Posted by Baker819

Yes the pivot ball should have been closer to the flywheel. That way when the clutch pedal is pushed all the way in the clutch fork can be pushing evenly on all sides of the pressure plate... lifting the clutch disc off the flywheel evenly. Which makes since. I just got it backwards.

Gotcha. I reread it and figured out what you were saying by leaving out the statement in parenthesis. Makes sense.

Either way glad you got it resolved.

[Baker819]

Originally Posted by 68gmsee

Gotcha. I reread it and figured out what you were saying by leaving out the statement in parenthesis. Makes sense.

Either way glad you got it resolved.

Well hopefully I have it resolved. I guess I won't know tell I pull the transmission off again.

[geezer#99]

And why did you grind off a little metal on the retainer clip on the fork. It's supposed to be a bit tight on the tob. Keeps the tob from spinning on the fork.
And I don't see how the tob could gall the input shaft bearing retainer.

[Baker819]

Originally Posted by geezer#99

And why did you grind off a little metal on the retainer clip on the fork. It's supposed to be a bit tight on the tob. Keeps the tob from spinning on the fork.
And I don't see how the tob could gall the input shaft bearing retainer.

I was going to grind metal off the clutch fork it self, not the clip.

The throwout bearing didn't slide in the fork through out the travel of the fork. It believe having the having the distance wrong was the main problem. When the clutch fork is suppose to be parallel with the flywheel it has the most pressure applied and when it not parallel it has little pressure allied. I'm thinking that since the throwout bearing fits so tightly in the fork that it angles the throwout bearing on the bearing retainer... causing it to hang up and gall... and bend the throw out bearing, which is a first.