83 FJ60 Clutch Problems on H55 & 5.3L Vortec (1 Viewer)

[meatloaf]

So my truck got the vortec swap & h55 around 4 years ago... clutch parts were from Downey which is now out of business.

The symptoms: since I got the truck back from the swap I could hear a 'rattle' when the truck was idling in neutral, I would depress the clutch pedal a little and the noise would go away. Also, around every six months or so the tranny would grind while shifting into gears, especially reverse & 1st gear when taking off. I would adjust screw on the slave cylinder and shifting would be good for a while. The 'rattle' has never gone away. Lately I have been adjusting slave cyl screw more and more often and the tranny grinds really bad, esp reverse & 1st gear. I can even hear clutch noise when i take off until I shift to second gear. If I try to start my truck in gear with clutch depressed all the way in, the truck moves or tries to move. All this sucks, epecially when I have to travel the interstate during rush hour and this is my daily driver.

• What could be the problem, other than bad initial setup?
• Since Downey is now out of business, where & what brand of clutch components should I get?
• Do I order parts for the vortec or Toyota?

TIA,
Luis

 

[alaska60]

I am having the exact same symptoms.... I'm running 383 v8 with the h55f tranny! My grinding is mostly trying to shift into 3rd I have to synch it just right to not grind!

 

[alaska60]

You want a Toyota clutch by the way not a chevy.

 

[meatloaf]

I have to synch it just right to not grind!

I am having to do this alot also...

 

[meatloaf]

You want a Toyota clutch by the way not a chevy.

Thanks. any suggestions on brand?

 

[lehiguy]

You deffinitely have some disengagement problems. First, bleed your slave cylinder and make sure it isn't dead and check the master as well. Noise aside, your release hardware should be adjusted so that when the piston is all the way IN the slave cylinder, there should be a small amount of play between that and the release arm. The release arm should be making the release bearing contact the pressure plate at that point. That way, you know you will get full movement of the release arm and not blow the piston out of the slave cylinder. A return spring will keep the release bearing from riding on the pressure plate. If that doesn't get it, you may have a dead pressure plate or a badly deformed disk. Oil contamination (or grease) will cause the disk to stick to the flywheel and/or the pressure plate. I went through this last year. I got over zealous with the grease when I put in a new motor. It wasn't long before it got where it shouldn't be and my clutch just wouldn't release properly. BTW, are you using a Mark's adapter or something else to mate the 5.3 and the H55?

 

[rover67]

I learned that with my Mark's adapter (h55f and 5.3 also), it was possible to adjust the clutch so it pushed the pressure plate in TOO MUCH. that caused all kinds of problems.

Advance Adapters will be able to set you up with the right centerforce pressure plate and clutch disk. Just tell them what adapter you have.

 

[lehiguy]

The first generation Mark's had no adjustment on the release bearing carrier, second generation stuff does. Also, the first gen stuff had a different spud shaft and pilot bearing which had some problematic behavior. It would be helpfull to know which you have.

 

[meatloaf]

BTW, are you using a Mark's adapter or something else to mate the 5.3 and the H55?

I learned that with my Mark's adapter (h55f and 5.3 also), it was possible to adjust the clutch so it pushed the pressure plate in TOO MUCH. that caused all kinds of problems.

Advance Adapters will be able to set you up with the right centerforce pressure plate and clutch disk. Just tell them what adapter you have.

The first generation Mark's had no adjustment on the release bearing carrier, second generation stuff does. Also, the first gen stuff had a different spud shaft and pilot bearing which had some problematic behavior. It would be helpfull to know which you have.

I have the Advance Adapter, which I belive is the same as Marks? I will need to look for the reciepts when I get home though...

Thanks,
ML

 

[meatloaf]

Another question, is the clutch fork bendable? What kind of metal is it and can I heat it up to bend it? This might make it a little better.

Thanks,
Luis

 

[lehiguy]

Another question, is the clutch fork bendable? What kind of metal is it and can I heat it up to bend it? This might make it a little better.

Thanks,
Luis

If the engagement angle of the release arm looks out of whack, chances are you have something out of adjustment, either the release bearing carrier (if yours has that feature) or the release rod between the slave cylinder and the release arm. The release arm should not be heated.

 

[meatloaf]

If the engagement angle of the release arm looks out of whack, chances are you have something out of adjustment, either the release bearing carrier (if yours has that feature) or the release rod between the slave cylinder and the release arm. The release arm should not be heated.

I am going to try to bleed the slave to see if that does make any difference, or not. If not, I will tear it down to see what I find. right now, only 2nd & 4th gears seem to work ok

 

[alaska60]

what ever happened here?

any news?

 

[rover67]

FWIW I tore mine apart a few weeks ago and noticed that the spud shaft was not hitting the pilot bearing. I had to extend the pilot and shim the spud out to make it all work. I am sure that was causing some issues because the thing behaves totally differently now...


Also, I went with a stock style LUK clutch from AA. I like the feel of it a lot better than the centerforce clutch.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/166720-new-heart-same-soul-8.html