Throw out bearing or Hydraulic?

[Hitch]

Well after a few months of purgatory waiting for the machine shop to complete the machining. I now need to figure out why the throw out bearing failed after about 11k miles. This car is #68 so it's an early car that has a remote slave cylinder. I trying to figure out how the TOB failed and it appears it has riden on the clutch fingers for the last few months. I'm wondering what others have done.. Thanks

[Hitch]

Has anyone else had any problems with the lower serial numbered cars having a problem adjusting the free play. It seems from reading the posts about hydraulic TOB that it may be best to figure out the mechanical TOB. Has anyone else experienced the lack of ability to have good free play as well as disengaging the clutch.

[blykins]

You'll find that this is the crux of the hydraulic throw out bearing world. Failures, leaks, and more failures.

In the end, you'll pay a ton less for a good fork/TOB/slave cylinder and it will be very reliable. If something does happen to the slave, you don't have to drop the trans to get to it.

I've had several calls in the past few weeks from customers looking to switch from one to the other. I tell prospective customers to avoid hydraulic bearings like the plague.

[Tim Brewer]

Well, the thing is that Backdraft doesn't make cars with engines... it's two seperate pieces, the car, (Backdraft) and the engine, whoever built it. But, hydrolic TOBs do fail if they are set up wrong. The newer ones are much better and are less likely to fail.

[thunderball]

I am using a hydraulic throwout bearing form a stock pontiac gto..going to a tremes 6 spd. After putting it together i dont see how there could be any issues?!!? i did change the bleed tube (which instead of it being a 6 inch hard tube that squirts fluid into the bellhousing for bleeding) to a stainless braid long line that reaches to the intake manifold. Super simple to bleed the clutch and handles a performance clutch and 600hp no prob.

Which tranny are you using? Maybe a foolproof fix would be a 5/8 wilwood hydraulic clutch( mounted next to the brake cyl), hard lined to a flex line next to the tranny and a hyd throwout. Run the bleed up to the engine bay and it doesnt get any simpler.

If you need some pics i would be glad to email you.

chris.

[RICK LAKE]

Thunderball I hope you have the line(SS) clamped down in the bell housing. It's real easy for the clutch assembly to pull TOB line that are not hard tube into the plate and rub holes through them. Have seen this many times.


Hitch You need to check a couple of things, first the clearance length between the surface of the TOB to the fingers on the pressure plate, You make be over extending the TOB and causing not enough return with no pressure in the line. You have pressure and Vacuum working with these bearings to pull the TOB off the fingers. The other thing is a clutch pedal stop. This will stop over extending the bearing. We have GM car with over 100k miles and no leaks or failures of TOB bearing. Last thing is to bleed them once a year and have new fluid in them and flush out old fluid. Alot of aftermarket TOB need spacers to get the correct length to have complete engagement and release. Rick L.

[Mac VABCH]

I have to agree with all but Brent on this one (sorry Brent). I switched to HTOB after loosing 3 to 4 Slave cylinders. They do take some time to setup correctly. The bearing height and a pedal stop are the most important. They are more difficult to install. You have to drop the transmission. But they work great!!!

[thunderball]

hey rick. I think youre the rick that gave me a lift to the auto parts store at gateway last year for a new mechanical fitting for this very line,lol. Except that was a faulty piece of hose that sprung a leak.

Yes, you need to have a flopper stopper on the line so it doesnt move and a clutch pedal stop with the hyd slave or tob is very important.

chris.