VP Rattles to bits

[bobby_wayne]

Hi, a few months back I converted my auto to a 2nd manual out of VR commodore and fitted a near new pressure plate and clutch disc. it looked like it had done around 10-20000 klms when fitted. The flywheel was still in good condition as you could visually see the hone marks from where it was machined.

Ok now the problem being that when my misses was driving it something went bang now it knocks extremely loud from the gearbox. I drove it but only in 1st and only 20 feet up the driveway and as you let the clutch out it shudders and makes a loud thumping noise.

I'm thinking the pressure plate has broken in half. When it happened my misses was 2 streets away and she said it drove normal but hard to select gears and was banging and shaking to bits.

before I pull the box out tomorrow, what else could cause this. since I put the box in its always had a shudder on takeoff if you let the clutch out to slowly.

I looked at the centre bearing and it is fine, still only minor movement when you lift the tailshaft up and down and is not flogged out. I doubt the diff is ####ed cause it doesn't whine or anything or knock when driving.

please help.

Wayne

i'll be online all night

[bobby_wayne]

pulled the gearbox out and found the pressure plate still new, no blue spot marks or anything out of the ordinary, still has the visable paint markings on it as though it had come out of a new box. the disk on the other hand, cracked between every spring, the centre completely sheered away from the friction plates. the metal retainers attatching the outer part of the disc all broken, so now the centre of the disc and the outer part of the disc are in 2 seperate pieces, looking at the distance between the rivet holes, approx 3-4mm of material. Other than the disc being completely cactus. This tells me that what ever happened to it was not caused by line lockies up the street. I'm guessing mis-allignment of the disc somehow or maybe the disc was defective when it was installed. The centre where the splines are has twisted so much that when you look closely you can see the steel has stretched so much that the centre is now completely seperated.

What other factors could have caused the disc to explode?

$275 Repco Staff price Heavy Duty Exedy Clutch kit and now it drives like a dream except still the slight shudder on takeoff.

This car has only been on the road 2 months and only my misses drives it.
Moral of the story..."What looks new is not always new".

[monkeys437]

Hopefully it was a defective disk otherwise the same could happen again