Clutch shudder

I had a similar problem with a new setup. I pulled the remanufactured pressure plate and had it rebuilt. That was the cure. Tough love but it's a real world.

Jim

Many things can cause clutch shudder but "recently appeared" are your key words here. The clutch linkage could have come loose, or the rear main is beginning to leak and contaminating the disc and/or flywheel. Also, maybe the disc is worn down enough now to score and burn the flywheel.

Certainly check the linkage first. New bushings for the linkage are cheap and easy to do.

While you have it apart be sure to check the pilot bushing. That is an often overlooked part that sometimes can cause shudder.

Did you apply sealer to the flywheel bolts?

Many people believe they have a rear main leak when in fact they get oil out of the flywheel bolts - they penetrate into the crankcase area and can leak. I had a clutch go bad due to this.

Also, have you been in heavy stop and go traffic recently? If so, you could have developed some hot spots on the flywheel - these can cause the clutch to chatter when engaging. The only way to resolve this is to re-surface the flywheel. This can also happen if you slip the clutch a lot or have been slipping it racing.

In addition to what others have said, you might try putting the car in 3rd on an incline and dumping the clutch. Sometimes this will help burn off and irregularities of the clutch disc. Can't hurt to try, but it will smell gawd awful! <img src=images/icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>

hi tony, i am the person who replaced the clutch in that car when peter s owned the car. The flywheel was machined and it was a brand new diaghram clutch plate, pressure plate and thrust race that was fitted to that car. It was running perfectly when peter had the car, the only way to rectify the problem will be to remove the gearbox and inspect the clutch plate for broken springs and the same for the pressure plate also inspect the flywheel for severe hot spots. any problems please dont hesitate to call me, my phone number is in the club magazine.....big al

If this is the case then my apologies, the vehicle that i am refering to that was owned the the formentioned peter s was also sold to a tony, so i was just trying to shed some light on the issue ...

just another quick note, that this is not the car that i changed the clutch on so again my sincere apologies, there are 2 tony's on this web site from australia

Honest mistake. I am the Tony who has the other K. The clutch in mine is still fine. Cheers Tony

Don't just focus on the clutch - anything loose in the driveline could contribute. An easy one is the trans-crossmember rubber mount. They rot easily, esp. when they get oily under there. Only costs a few bucks to replace as well.