Clutch Chatter?

[chrisnwmsu]

If I release the clutch slowly I get a bad chatter, sounds like something is loose in tranny or transfer case. I rolled around under it and did not see/feel anything that is loose.

Is this just the clutch going bad? or does something need to be tightened somewhere?

Your thoughts?

If I pop the clutch it does not chatter. Mainly when I am pulling in the garage and am kinda riding the clutch in 2nd gear.

[Roy]

Chatter can be caused/related to:
Oil on the disc, weak pressure plate, uneven flywheel surface, or any of those parts being damaged or warped from heat etc.,

[rboltz]

My chatter was caused by "bolt 12" missing. If your exhaust was modified, you may have the same problem as this bolt does double duty. This bolt stabilizes the drive train at the transmission as well as hold an exhaust bracket. See link Bolt #12

Just a thought.

[brute4c]

How old is the clutch plate and has it been sitting for a long time...like decades...with very little mileage?

[chrisnwmsu]

Bolt number 12. I have tightened this bolt twice. I will have to double check it again. I may have to take it all the way out and get a looking nut. The exhaust is original.

Has the truck being sitting. I will put it this way. I bought it in July and have put more miles on it in the last 5 months then is has seen in the last 25yrs. The truck has 15100 miles. I bought it with 14000.

[brute4c]

Ok....your problem may be that the wavy spring in the middle of the clutch plate has sat copressed for so long that it is not longer acting as a spring to take up the shock of being clamped to the flywheel but is like a solid plate.

Mine did this...it also makes the clutch plate get hotter as it is used all of a sudden much more than it was, as the space that the spring provided in the mddle helped act as a cooling area for the plate and the lack of a give point makes more friction anyway.

My truck had 14051 miles when I bought it. In less than 5 months, it had 16000+ and then it happened...

I was cruising along at 55 mph for about 30 miles without having to use the clutch...this was 50 miles into a trip...when I pushed the pedal to coast into a small town and slow down I heard a BANG from the clutch area.

I managed to stop and heard a noise everytime I started to release the pedal...after trying 20 or 30 times, I was able to release the pedal in neutral with no new noises...I managed to finish driving the last 20 miles to where I was going...which was to do the clutch job anyway as I had been adjusting it kind of often due to it wearing quickly.

When we got the disk out, we found the source of the bang was 1/4 of the face of the clutch had disappeared...seems it got hot from being together and swelled...the fact that I hadnt pushed in the pedal so the pressure plate was still squeezing it had let it get hotter and hotter and still hold together until I released the pressure and BANG!

The wavy middle part of the clutch was pressed flat...there is a name for that...found this:

Clutch disc facing springs, also called the cushioning springs, are flat metal springs located under the friction lining of the disc. These springs have a slight wave or curve, allowing the lining to flex inward slightly during initial engagement. This also allows for smooth engagement.

Much clearer that what I wrote...that quote is from:

http://www.tpub.com/basae/91.htm


If you re seeing faster wear than you expect is normal in addition to the chatter, I would get a new clutch plate ready to install...

If it is a 230 truck, pulling the trans with the engine after some of the front sheet metal is off WILL make your life easier...believe it or not.

[chrisnwmsu]

Ok....your problem may be that the wavy spring in the middle of the clutch plate has sat copressed for so long that it is not longer acting as a spring to take up the shock of being clamped to the flywheel but is like a solid plate.

Mine did this...it also makes the clutch plate get hotter as it is used all of a sudden much more than it was, as the space that the spring provided in the mddle helped act as a cooling area for the plate and the lack of a give point makes more friction anyway.

My truck had 14051 miles when I bought it. In less than 5 months, it had 16000+ and then it happened...

I was cruising along at 55 mph for about 30 miles without having to use the clutch...this was 50 miles into a trip...when I pushed the pedal to coast into a small town and slow down I heard a BANG from the clutch area.

I managed to stop and heard a noise everytime I started to release the pedal...after trying 20 or 30 times, I was able to release the pedal in neutral with no new noises...I managed to finish driving the last 20 miles to where I was going...which was to do the clutch job anyway as I had been adjusting it kind of often due to it wearing quickly.

When we got the disk out, we found the source of the bang was 1/4 of the face of the clutch had disappeared...seems it got hot from being together and swelled...the fact that I hadnt pushed in the pedal so the pressure plate was still squeezing it had let it get hotter and hotter and still hold together until I released the pressure and BANG!

The wavy middle part of the clutch was pressed flat...there is a name for that...found this:



Much clearer that what I wrote...that quote is from:

http://www.tpub.com/basae/91.htm


If you re seeing faster wear than you expect is normal in addition to the chatter, I would get a new clutch plate ready to install...

If it is a 230 truck, pulling the trans with the engine after some of the front sheet metal is off WILL make your life easier...believe it or not.

Ohhhhhh, I hate the thought of having to pull this thing apart. I plan to check the #12 bolt tonight. I am sure it needs tighting. I hope there is anough threads on the bolt to get another nut on to lock is down.

I am sure the plate and clutch are not that pure. The thought of removing the engine and tranny does not sound like fun in my little cold garage.

I plan to drive until it stops.

[Barrman]

At least you are thinking right. Pull the engine and transmission. Going the other way of pulling all 3 drive shaft, loosening all the bolts and linkages for the t case, sliding it back and thendropping the trans out the bottom just so you get to work on every thing from underneath is not easier or faster. You get to save a few dolars on coolant you probably need to replace anyway and that is about it.

[kwai]

Also, pulling the engine makes it easy to replace the oil line from the block to the head,
Clean and paint the motor, clean and paint the engine compartment, change coolant, change trans oil, ...

[brute4c]

Ditto to ALL that!!