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Old 07-13-2011, 10:19 PM   #1
zraffz
 
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Stillwater
Posts: 822
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Bad Day at the Track...

I used to race a T5 TA at the track but it was my first time with a T56 in a LT1. On the way down my 95 Formula (t56) was having a slight vibration in the clutch pedal if I didn't apply any pressure to it. I figured since it was the first time I had drove the car in sneakers that it had always did that (I drive to work and town in boots).

Well my first pass down the track I launch at 2,100 RPM and ease into the gas. The tires spun like hell and I kept backing off the gas more and more, I assume because I did that the skip shift kicked in and wouldn't let me put the car into 2nd or 3rd so I threw it into 4th and then quickly pulled it back out and tried going into 2nd without any luck. Rolled for about 2-3 seconds and kept re-clutching trying to get into 2nd without any luck. Finally I threw it into 3rd and it slid right into gear. At that point I knew my time was screwed so after I pulled 3rd to about 5,600 I just popped it into neutral and rolled 100+ feet through the traps.

I stopped to get my time slip and my car started to shake, almost like it was missing very badly. My clutch peddle felt fine at this point and I eased it into gear and started to roll while it felt like somebody was picking up my car and shaking it. At about 2 grand the shake went away so I limped it to a parking spot. Thinking I just blew a head or intake gasket I checked my oil. From there I looked and saw I had two wires sitting on the header. In neutral I slowly revved the car up to about 4,500 RPM and it felt like the bottom end was out of balance... the higher in the RPM I went the worse it got. Their was a slight knocking noise but it was very hard to hear over my exhaust and wasn't echoing through my tail pipes like I normally diagnose with a rod knock.

In that pass down the track I didn't over rev the car at all but the symptoms make me feel like I did. The ride home wasn't much fun either and it was impossible to leave lights without smoking my clutch. By the time I got home (45 minutes later) I had half a clutch peddle left.

End result is a horrible vibration, knocking/chattering sound and a smoked clutch.

I will be hitting it with the compression gauge; it feels like their is a lack of a compression and the feeling/sound says so as well. At this point I know I'm defiantly in it for a clutch and if I'm separating my block and trans I'm pulling the car off the road and building what I want.

Oh and it went 15.6 @ 87 MPH (remind you I spun first to a 2.6 60'), went from 1st to 3rd and let off about 100' before the trap.
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