New clutch chatters

[pete3323]

I bought an Exedy stage 1 clutch. Hoped for a light clutch feel with good holding power. Exedy flywheel and new stock clutch cable installed as well. Went to pick up the car at the shop. Clutch feel is anything but light. Also, getting bad clutch chatter on take offs. I've never experienced chatter with a new clutch before. I'm thinking something is very wrong. Anyone have experience with Exedy clutch? Is it possible the chatter and heaviness would go away during break in period? Really bummed about this. Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[POOBLAH]

You could try re adjusting the clutch (Just in case they didn't get it right at the shop)

Regarding the stiffness, a buddy of mine had an issue where his firewall was cracked. Eventually he ended up pushing so hard on the clutch it pulled through the firewall. Just something to check... though I'm not sure why that would manifest itself right after changing it out.

[1993cobra]

What kind of HP are you making? To need something other than OEM replacement? Before this thread I had never heard of Exedy, but I googled it and it seems they all chatter and on Exedy's website, they tell you the stage 1 has a harder , stiffer feel. Maybe the clutch surfaces were contaminated, even a bad leaking rear main seal? But after reading several pages of reviews I'd say they are junk. Most are happy with a king cobra clutch, I even used a center force with great results.

[pete3323]

I don't know where u are reading. I bought it from American Muscle and there were 22 reviews all good and described as "stock like". I love people who determine something to be "junk" who know absolutely nothing about a product. Exedy has been around for like 50 years.

http://www.americanmuscle.com/exedy-mac ... -8695.html

[1993cobra]

i typed "exedy stage 1 clutch chatters" in the little google box thingy and hit enter and found pages of the exact symptoms your describing, if you would like i could post up links and even qoutes? with as many negative reviews as i read, ill call it junk. you didnt comment on my contaminated "oil" coment

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"clutch went out on my 04 STI at 65k. had exedy stage one with HD plate installed and flywheel resurfaced as recomeded by the shop. on break in i was told there would be a little chatter and it would go away shortly... never did, got much much worse.
went back to shop and they ended up replacing clutch/pressure plate/re-surface flywheel. upon removal found defective presure plate....
durig break in this clutch felt much smoother and the break in chatter went away as advised..... then oil pickup tube failed.
Motor pulled clutch pulled off etc.... get back in the car to break in motor and i feel the chatter again... WTF!! talked to shop and they said it will most likely go away after a few miles.

ITS GETTING WORSE. why is this happening? and has anyone else had this issue before?"

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I have a stage1 exedy with an ACT streetlight flywheel with about 12,000 miles on it, I broke it in and lately the chatter has gotten worse and tonight it just went completely limp. It never slipped just feels real easy to push the clutch down. I'm thinking the pressure plate is fudged up. Great f'ing night.

any thoughts?????
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I just had an Exedy Stage 1 clutch put in my car as well. The car was in for a head gasket job at 31k.(another story) The CHATTER on this clutch is freakin ridiculous. ITS A STAGE 1! everything I read said this clutch would be perfect for daily driving with mild bolt-ons 350lb/ft torque. Pulling out from a stop sucks, down shifting sucks and reverse is almost un-usable.WTF. Worst thing I've ever purchased. I am seriously considering pulling it out and replacing it with a stock clutch!

Please tell me theres something I'm missing
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I just installed a stage 1 exedy HD clutch, and this is the second one i had. The previous one I had i bought used. I regretted it highly. The chatter was unbearable. This new one I'm 300 miles in the break-in. I love this clutch, it has a tiny bit of chatter, but I don't really mind because it feels like it's going away.

I think they made a bunch of defective clutch's. I'm starting to think it's hit and miss
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how's everybody's Exedy Stage 1 holding up?

i installed mine last summer. still on the factory flywheel. it wasn't too long after that i started getting noises from the clutch area including the nasty, tight vibrations. only way i can explain it is like.. when depressing the pedal and the clutch disc is free, imagine the clutch disc spin off-axis. it basically feels like something got loose. i've had just the basic Exedy kits before with no issues, ever. after first having that experience, i saw a few people on rs25 with the same issues. in fact, one of them had the Stage 1 kit, twice, and both times, they completely failed on him. i'm about to replace my tranny and am really considering getting a base kit. but funds are low. we'll see when i inspect the Stage 1 kit.
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My Exedy Stage 1 clutch kit lasted 37k miles, and it always chattered in 1st and 2nd gear. Hard to drive smooth, it felt more like a solid hub 6-puck but without the awesome grip. It was sort of embarassing to have passengers sometimes. It had a bad odor too like it was always burning up. This was probably the worst clutch I've ever had, for any car. It actually started slipping in 5th at 25k miles.
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And this from their site..."EXEDY organic racing clutches only use premium friction materials that are resistant to slippage and burst. Increased clamp loads give the necessary capacity to handle modified engines. This is the preferred clutch for street and light horsepower track use. Drivability is similar to the stock clutch. Pedal efforts will be slightly higher because of the higher clamp loads. All of our Stage 1 clutch discs have spring center dampers to reduce drivetrain shock"

[1993cobra]

let me know if you want to read more "exedy stage 1 clutch chatter" comments

[1993cobra]

also is it possible you got a stage 2? they have more "pedal effort" and "normal to chatter"

[Georgia Snake]

I don't know anything about this clutch but this I do know. If you read reviews of something off the products web site then the reviews are almost always good, they tend to weed out the bad things of course. If you read reviews off of an independent site then you get more truthful reports either good or bad. So consider the source before jumping to a conclusion.

The Snake

[1993cobra]

you are very correct Snake,

[pete3323]

The rear main had a very bad leak. Rear main was replaced along with the clutch. Those reviews are sure nothing like what was on AM site.

[1993cobra]

Maybe with the bad oil leak they got their greasy oily hand the clutch surface?

[pete3323]

That's what I was thinking. If that's the case is the clutch ruined or can they remove and clean it?

[1993cobra]

They could have cleaned it , but after its been hot I doubt it, might just need a new disk, plate and flywheel probably still hood

[Romo93]

I would have made a U-turn and went back to the shop! That is one benefit of paying someone to do the work, if it's a reputable shop that is. Good luck.

[pete3323]

I did. It's at shop still. Noticed the chatter backing out of the bay. Waiting on a call from owner.