PuSha050

well i just got off the phone with the service manager.. seems as if my clutch is good to go. on friday he wasnt pleased with how low the clutch was grabbing and was having problems with bleeding all the air out, but today he said everything is good to go. im picking it up tomorrow bc my new cluster is being delivered in the morning. hope hes not lying

SS4LIfe

when did you order your clutch

SS4LIfe

as far as i know the spec still slip, but if CM sloved there problem then i would go with CM i should be done tonight.

PuSha050

june 8th

soccer1061287

Hey PuSha050, I would call CM and talk to Lonnie and ask if he can verify that you have the most recent. But SS4Life and I talked on the phone today and we both have the same pressure plate, CM240, but I would verify with Lonnie that this signifies and validates the latest pressure plate.

Now for the bad news. I have a hydraulic leak and am bustin ass to try and fix it tonight, cause my car is supposed to be in a show at work tomorrow. My leak is either between the aluminum junction block at the trans that has the bleeder and the part coming out of the trans that it engages to or worse yet, there is a VERY remote possibility that in a sleepless stupor, I did not tighten the line to the new slave all the way. Please let it be the junction block!!!!!!!!!!!

djt81185, I did put a new slave on this time, but I did not the other time. I have 27K on my car.

BTW, the supercharger looks sweet in body color (arrival blue). The eibach springs did not change the ride height much if at all. Purpose was to address wheel hop anyway. My engine is running rich at times with the new injectors but I am sure that once I get the reflash, it will be fine.

2K5SS/SC?

I hope you get the fluid leak fixed! It would really suck if the car had to come apart again! I suppose I could call Lonnie tomorrow to get my shipped.

06black

the bigger issue behind that is that many people dont give the sepcs proped time to break in and sence the 3+ set up use's an EXTREMLY hard compound it taks around 500mi at least before you can totaly beat on them or else they will slip.

djt81185

OK here is where I sit

When we disconnected the clutch hydro line there was 0 fluid in it...none leaked at all...this doesnt sound too good.

How the hell do we seperate the tie rod end from the steering rack from the hub? That bastard is in their tight...do we use a pickle fork (or whatever it is called) to seperate the 2?

also once the axle nut is off the axles just pull out of the hub and the trans right?

Tomorrow we hould have the trans out assuming we can get the steering tie rod ends out and the axles out

thanks,

Dan

Lonnie if you read this I am most likely going to need a new slave cylinder...any idea when those will be available?

soccer1061287

djt81185, I don't think that Lonnie is monitoring this thread. Trevor, their sales guy is. I have a brand new one from my first swap that I did not use. I would be happy to send it to you IF I dont need it. I am pulling my trans back out because the fluid is leaking from inside the bell housing. On one hand, I may have gotten tired/stupid and not tightened up the hard line going to the slave, in which case you can have my other one. On the other hand, I could have a bad slave cylinder in which case I will need the other one. The trans is almost back out of the car, so I will have it out tomorrow night and hopefully part if not all the way back in.

Regarding your questions. You should be able to take like a brass hammer and hit the stud on the tie rod end and it will pop right out. You may have to tap it several times. As far as the axles go, no need to take the nut off at the knuckle. After the cradle is out and lower control arms are separated from the knuckle, take a pry bar and pop the CV housing loose at the trans side and the axles can just stay connected at the knuckle. Before you can drop the cradle, make sure you take both the front and rear engine mounts off, remove the three bolts that hold the intermediate shaft to the engine and remove the two bolts that hold the rack to the cradle. Also, take a bungie cord and use it to support the radiator and associated junk in relative position while the cradle is out. I just wrap the bungie around the upper core support and hook each end to the fan shroud. There are six bolts that hold the engine and trans together. 3 can be accessed from the bottom, 2 from inside the wheel well on the driver side (they are the top bolts) and the last one is much easier if you are quadruple jointed. Seriously, it is accessed from the top, standing in front of the vehicle. It is just on top of the starter. oh BTW, there is no need to take the starter out. Before you take the last of the engine to trans bolts out, there are 3 bolts that hold the trans mount to the transmission. All of them are buried. The best way to get to them is to take out the ECM (disconnect negative battery cable first) and set it in a safe place. Then remove the two nuts and two bolts that hold the electrical distribution box to the car. You can then pull the electrical distribution box up and toward the windshield to get to these bolts. I assume by now that you have figured out that the intake tube is in the way, so if you have not done so, remove it and set it aside. Other than that, it is a piece of cake. Anyway, I started pulling mine for the 4th time at about 10:00 tonight and called it a night at about 12:30. The cadle is out and I need to just pull the trans, diagnose what is going on, fix it and put the trans back in. Sounds quick and easy Huh?

soccer1061287

Dan, dont worry about the fact that no fluid came out. I think there is a check valve in the system somewhere to keep the fluid from coming out. And dont neglect to support the engine before you take out the bolts to the trans mount or you will get a big surprise.

djt81185

We are gonna use the engine cherry picker to hold the engine up tonight..maybe I should window weld my motor mounts as well lol. In all actuality...knock on wood...its not that hard...just time consuming.

So are you saying to not remove the steering rack? If I unbolt the 2 steering rack bolts I shouldnt even need to pop the tie rod ends out (the things that connect the steering rack to the knuckle are called tie rod ends right) because the rack should stay suspended right?

Also I thought we had to remove the axles and the nuts so we took the axle nuts off last night...do you know the tq specs to put them back on...if so well throw em back on tonight before we drop the rest of it out so it is easier. Also we discovered some distrubing stuff while we were under there...the pinch bolt for the lower control arm on the passenger side lost its nut and was just chilling in their extremely loose. Also the drivers side still had the nut but was loose as well. Should I use semi-perm locktight when we put it back together? also should we use semi-perm locktight on the pressure plate and flywheel bolts?

Lastly how do you know when ur flywheel needs resurfaced?

Thanks,

Dan

soccer1061287

Dan, You can use the cherry picker to hold the engine the entire time the trans is out. With regard to the steering rack, I have found that it is easier to maneuver the axles out if you remove the tie rod ends. And yes, I just leve the rack hanging by the pinch to the steering column shaft. Don't know the specs of the axle nuts (gooten tight with an impact wrench). As far as the pinch bolts on the lower control arms, my guess is the mechanic from the previous clutch job did not tighten them. Mine have never come loose and do not have locktite. Also, my opinion is that since the pressure plate bolts are always in tension, that I tighten them up and have never had one loosen on any car. As far as checking your flywheel, just throw a good straight edge across it in about 3 different clocking orientations, looking for gaps. If you see more than about 0.002" gap, you might want to consider resurfacing. Ideally, if you have the flywheel off, I clamp mine down to the table on my milling machine and run the table back and forth with a dial indicator on the spindle. That way you can get a finer reading of the entire surface, but is probably overkill.

Well, I am trying to cheat on pulling my trans this time by not disconnecting all the stuff on the top of the trans and just moving the trans back about 6" to get clearance to tighten the slave cylinder fitting.

SS4LIfe

so your slave is leaking and you are taking it back apart, i had to stop putting mine backe together last night was too tired to lift the tranny back in i know you say if it doesn't go in smooth something is wrong. but there is no one to get it in smooth with out a tranny jack or something.

vandy0419

I read through the first three pages and didn't feel like going through all 9, but I just wanted to throw something out there, so if it has already been mentioned, then I'm sorry.

I ordered the FX400 for my RL. I haven't had it installed yet. Someone else with the FX400 had problems getting it to disengage. They will put the car in first, put the clutch pedal to the floor, give it gas and it moves.

There is a solution for this and possibly all the issues you guys are having with the FX300. The Time Attack Cobalts do this as well....

Get an adjustable master cylinder for a 98-04 Corvette...there...I have a guy I am getting one through for $180 and this will take care of everything with problems shifting between gears, etc. It will also correct the problem with the clutch not disengaging. I am ordering the master cylinder and having my install probably the last weekend of June so I'll let everyone know how it goes with the new master cylinder.

SS_SC_Cobalt

vandy they fixed the problem with pressure plate spring changes, the old ones were too stiff, contact CM and get the latest revision...

PuSha050

yea but if someone has the old pressure plate springs on a clutch already installed, this would be a lot cheaper alternative than paying for the labor of clutch removal and installation (AGAIN)... so please let us know how the install goes and how it works in solution to your problems

SS_SC_Cobalt

personally I prefer a proper item than a bandaid!

PuSha050

i understand the "band-aid" analogy, but looking at it a different way, the stock master cylinder is obviously quite weak and we wouldnt need less-stiff springs if it could handle the original pressure plate springs CM provided us with?

right? i dont think upgrading to a corvette master cylinder --AS LONG AS IT WORKS-- is band-aid--**** thats a pretty good upgrade in my eyes (considerin cobalt-corvette.. cobalt-corvette--cobalt<corvette ) .. providing the stiffer pressure plate springs and clutch assembly arent defective, that they are just too stiff for the stock master cylinder

soccer1061287

Be aware that there is more than likely some modifications to be done to fit the corvette master cylinder in the cobalt. Also, Pusha. I would suggets that the cobalt issue is more with the capacity of the slave cylinder and not the master cylinder. So a stronger master cylinder will be risky with respect to the sealing ability of the slave cylinder. Maybe it will work fine, but now you have components of the same system with two different design intents and requirements.

PuSha050

understood captain

vandy0419

Actually my friend thats doing the install said the lines should match up and thats why it needs to be between the 98-04 vette master cylinder. I'll let ya know whenever I get around to having him install everything.

06black

yea vandy please keep us updated on this...sounds like a good idea.

CobaltSS313

there is no need to get a vette master cylinder if you have the right clutch and pressure plate plus the slave cylinder they give you(same as stock only brand new) everything should work just fine, there should be no need for modification

SS4LIfe

well mine still isn't working still no gears

and when you turn the key to the on position it just keeps clicking like i'm trying to start it, The first time i started it needed a jump box and it started fine the next time it would just keep clicking i'm towing it to the dealer tomorrow and if they can't fix it its going to be the first SS in Crazy Rays junk yard or take a huge lost and trade it in

EVO VIII!!!!!!!

2K5SS/SC?

SS4Life, do you have the latest version in? Lonnie says there are 3-4 confirmed installs with the newest pressure plate design that work perfectly.

I called CM today and I should see the final version at my doorstep Friday. I'll be installing it on Saturday. After that I'll either be in a good mood or ready to tear someone's freaking head off.

By the way after the dealership scratched the hell out of my door and fried the electrical under the hood, they're still going to try and charge me for the clutch installation! They fixed the electrical and the car runs fine, and they repainted the whole side of the car so it matches perfectly, and now they don't want to pay for the clutch install!