I recently (December) put a new South Bend clutch in my truck. At first I was tickled with it. Now I am having major trouble getting the truck in gear.<br>I can pull as hard as I can and she wont go. You can feel the truck wanting to pull though. Then sometimes it will go with no problems. It even is hard to get out of gears at times.<br>This is getting very aggrevating. I need help. What could be wrong with the set up here? Any ideas. I am not the only one having this problem. Cattle Hauler is having the same problems. ???

 

CALL PETER!<br><br>Rick

 

Check the slave units.

 

pilot bushing/bearing.<br><br>Don~

 

I would start by checking that your slave cyl. isn't leaking and has plenty of fluid so that when you step on the clutch you're actually pushing the throw-out bearing into the pressure plate.

 

I had the same trouble, and found that my clutch cylinder was not fully disengaging the pressure plate. <br><br>With me it started after about 5,000 miles of hard pulling and a lot of shifting in the mountains with heavy stock trailers. <br><br>I ended up swapping out the flex hose to a stainless braided HD hose and stopped the problem. For what it is worth, I think it was my OEM hose flexing and ballooning so the full volume of fluid was not getting to the slave cylinder.

 

Add me to the list. Con FE installed in OCT 02. Now the truck won't go into gear. My hydraulics have been replaced.

 

Sorry to here of these problems. One thing that is important to remember is, a clutch is a mechanical operation. It only does what it is told to do. The pressure plate is a simple piece of equipment. The throw out brg. pushes on the fingers of the pressure plate and bends the diaphragm down which results in the outside edge of the diaphragm to go up. The pressure plate casting is held fast to the outside edge of the diaphragm with straps. If the clutch operates upon installation then the clutch is doing its job. Nothing can change from this point on. As the clutch wares it will actually release sooner and sooner until it reaches the top of the pedal, and then the clutch has reached its life. All of our clutches are set up to release within a 1/2&quot; of brg. travel. Nothing can change this within the pressure plate...there is nothing to change. This brings us to the clutch disc. If the clutch disc is not laying flat do to us or install or severe heat warp, then this will cause the pressure plate to have to travel further to release it for shifting. If you install the clutch and everything is working properly then you can eliminate a bent disc from us or install which leaves heat warp. Only you will know that. That leaves us with pilot brg. or front brg. of the transmission. If either of these are not functioning properly then this can cause the input shaft to try and continue turning even if the clutch is opeating properly. Lastly are the hydraulics. If the hydraulic system is not traveling properly, the pressure plate is not relieving the clutch disc completely.<br><br>One other thing to consider, what made you buy a stronger clutch, you added a lot of HP and torque to your truck which you are putting through your transmission. You also have a clutch that grabs much quicker and harsher then the OEM clutch. This has to have an effect on the sincro's of the transmission causing some accelerated ware. Many people have gone to different transmission fluids and drastically reduced the shifting problems. What determines this is where is the clutch engaging. Is it notchy shifting or grinding while going into gear? If you have it in gear and start letting out on the clutch, is there plenty of travel before the truck starts to roll or is it right off the floor? If it is right off the floor then you have a travel problem. If it is an inch or two off the floor before you start to move then you have plenty of travel and we need to look into some of the other things mentioned. <br><br>A great combination that has been working for alot of people is Redline MTL and a pint of Prolong. But we first need to determine what is going on.<br><br>Feel free to caLL me with any questions you might have.<br><br>Peter

 

Great post Peter! Thanks!

 

I had this same issue. It showed up two months after my clutch install (July 02), right after pulling my fifth wheel trailer. Went to put the truck in gear and could not get it in for anything. Ended up turning the truck off to get in gear. Also had a heck of a time when doing 1st to reverse (three point turn ect.) As winter came and temps got cold it seemed to get worse. Around Christmas it seemed to just go away. I have been drag racing this truck and everything and it does not miss a beat. I never changed the Slave cylinder or the trans fluid. I now have over 20 K on this clutch and 8K since shifting issues. ???

 

Thanks Peter. I will have the hydraulics checked ASAP. It was fine at first. Now we have problems some times, not all times..<br>I love the clutch. It can take everything I throw at it. I put at least 1,500 miles on it before I really got on it any.<br>I would say its the slave unit by guessing. I will let you know, and pass along the info to Ricki.

 

The problem you're having is with the master cylinder. Fluid is leaking past the front seal and the returned to the reservoir by the rear seal. When the front seal first starts to go sometime it works fine, and sometimes it doesn't. Finally, it fails all the time. If the slave goes bad, fluid will leak into the bell housing, then out on the ground. <br><br>Buy the replacement hydralic cylinders from Peter. It's MUCH cheaper that way.

 

I had the exact same issue - but it WAS NOT the master cylinder, so please be careful telling this guy what his issue is...<br><br><br>Mine was the Pilot Bearing. Worn, the input shaft is allowed to wobble and the clutch disk go off-center, allowing the pressure plate to grip the disk even with the clutch depressed... it's a common problem on the NV4500 trucks.

 

I'm seriously considering an SB Clutch for my truck... has anyone had any trouble with them on the NV5600 trucks? I don;t wanna drop a load like this and have more troubles a couple months later....<br>Thanks<br>-Dave

 

I've had some trouble,like the guys were talking about.
The clutch pedal after install was engaging as soon as it got off the floorboards,I don't shift alot so I did not mind,now it won't go into gear unless I turn the engine off..I don't know if the HYD-X-1.50 upgrade to the hydralics will help,they claim its better (more heavy duty,whatever that means)I hope that means there is a little more stroke,or at least that the pedal will be a little bit higher.
I'll let you all know as I'm ordering one,to add to the evermore impressive list of expensive parts that I'm throwing at this darn truck.