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v6 t5 clutch shudder

markovr

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I know there are plenty of posts on the subject but I was wondering if anyone has actually fixed the shuddering drama that seems to be prone with t5s
Its not confined to commodores....on the web ,the shuddering seems to plague many different cars with t5s.
I am prepared to change anything in the setup if I can just get rid of this shuddering.
On a hill from a standing start where you have to slip it it is damn near undriveable.
When I first got the car it was perfect not a shudder...nothing under any load.After a year or so the clutch started to slip when accelerating so I had to change the clutch/throwout and of course had the flywheel machined .The spigot bush had spun in the crank so I got another and belted it in and it seemed tight so I put it all back together with new fork rubbers and it went well no shudders.... I always support the gearbox when attaching it to the bell housing.
I used a clutch industries kit from repco like the old one was .I have never abused the clutch apart from the odd slip on a hill.After some time the clutch pedal action (only when the engine was running) stopped being smooth and it put a sort of vibration through the pedal and in came this shudder but I lived with it until I felt motivated to fix it. Engine mounts are also replaced.
After a while I took it all apart again and replaced the clutch with a excedy one (standard pressure plate) and did the throwout bearing as well and machined the flywheel again (there was no noticeable high spots or discolouring).The spigot had spun again so this time I soaked it in oil for a couple of days and then loctited it into the crank and let it dry so the bond would be perfect.
The old throwout bearing had been doing some pretty good grinding on the fingers of the pressure plate and the plastic inner bore of the throwout bearing that has a small spline on it had worn on one side completely away with some wear also on the bearing retainers surface that it runs against.I asked about it and I was told it wasnt too bad so I left the retainer like it was and smoothed out the wear so it wouldnt catch and lubed it sparingly and put everything back together.The bloke I bought it from told me the clutch industries clutch kits are not very good and that explained why I had this shudder It went good for a while...no shudder...no vibration... no noise ...perfect.
After a while the shudder returned, vibration although not as bad has returned and the shudder seems much more severe when the engine is hot
I have bought a new bearing retainer and steel throwout bearing retainer from mal wood for when it comes apart again.
I have never considered the flywheel face but I am willing to try anything to fix the thing. I have read some of the newer friction surfaces can cause shuddering too.
I was just wondering if anyone else shares these problems and has had any success fixing it?
 
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GTP 85

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What sort of clutch plate do u have? Asu prob kno button clutches will always shudder cause there is little cushioning. Even a HD organic may shudder depending on what sort of cushion they put in the plate. The only t5 equipped car I have driven that was dead smooth had a brand new stock replacement clutch
 

markovr

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What sort of clutch plate do u have? Asu prob kno button clutches will always shudder cause there is little cushioning. Even a HD organic may shudder depending on what sort of cushion they put in the plate. The only t5 equipped car I have driven that was dead smooth had a brand new stock replacement clutch

Whatever is in the excedy kit for a standard setup
 

Tom_1569

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I have the same problem, gives me the ####s some days.
My next thing is to replace the flywheel, clutch, and fork rubbers and clip, spigot bearing etc.
But considering a Excedy replacement flywheel is $750, im in no hurry lol.
 

VrWagz1

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Way back when i first got the wagon ,i had the clutch replaced. I went for a daiken HD clutch. It shuddered terribly for atleast 8 weeks, but then went away. I was getting worried it wasnt going to go away. But now to date i have no shudder.

Could it be though mark that the 3rd party friction materials have a better grip. Causeing a biteing effect on the flywheel as you let it go. Basically grabing the flywheel, causing the engine mount to compress and then the mount rebounding? Or could it be the clutch springs are doin the same thing(compressing and re-bounding), maybe they need reducing in size.

The fix could be a heavier pressure plate, and a less grippy clutch plate.
 

markovr

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Noticed that the engine has a miss somewhere just off idle at the takeup point of the clutch and this seems to be transmitted down the driveline to the clutch...even at idle the engine puts out vibration that you can feel through the wheel and that seems to stay through the revs right to the critical takeup point. Ive considered asking a tune specialist if anything can be done to tune this out but havent got around to it.The car has extractors and a low restriction exhaust , a solid axle type lsd 308 diff and a kand n filter....id be interested if any of this could influence the tuning...I wouldnt think so but Im open to possibilities.
 

Draimond

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Same kinda issue here too

1996 VS V6, new engine mounts, new excedy HD, fly machined, pacemaker extractors (burning thru the clutch adjustment nut... cause its made of $%^$ plastic!) 1 year later:

shudder sucks, heat makes it worse, drive like ur moma with no issue, watch automatic mazda 2's flog u off the line... drop the clutch with the gas and afta some smoke ur ahead! however, conventional peak hour in the city makes my clutch leg bigger then the other.

A clear cut solution would b too much to ask for, so I'll just say, Thats why we love Holden :) It aint a commodore unless u can hear the lifters clack, the rods bend, the back right wheel spin as u fire it up.. with 1 liners down the street. its all good.

But if there is a solution that aint, get a new 1, then i'm listening!
 

Cpt Awesome

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Just puttin it out there i got it too just started happening in the last week :(
 

Draimond

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So... if you have a t5... you have clutch issue. I wonder if Holden ever put a recall out for this...
 

tezza

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Mine has had the shudder since Ive had it and mine has more to do with the load and the amount of slip you give it when taking off.

Light load (ie flat or downhill) the shudder is non existant.
Up hill giving it a bit more it shudders but if you slip the clutch longer then its smooth.

Ive just put up with it. Some cars (Landcruiser) are notorious for clutch shudder
 
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