Well, this is VERY interesting. The shocking thing is that nothing in the transmission caused it. The transmission itself did NOT fail. It was my POS centerforce. I am going on record as saying ... if you have a centerforce dual friction clutch ... GET RID OF IT NOW!!!

2 of the 3 alignment dowel pins that hold the pressure plate aligned came loose ... rattled around the bell housing ... shot through the INSIDE of the bell housing into the area where the diff is ... rattled around some more ... probably caught on the diff gear and then finally shot out the bottom of the trans. :rolleyes

Pretty shocking, huh? Comments, concerns, reactions?

I've ALWAYS said that the centerforce clutches suck and CLUTCHMASTERS is the way to go, hands down. This is just more proof. Sucks that you had to find out the hard way, now get a Stage 4 in there and lets see what kind of times you can pull off.





________________________________________________________________________________________
Car Sold


http://hometown.aol.com/ohshootuhh/
www.Fast420A.com

weird! ha ha nobody could convince you it was the pin, good job

Fuck centerforce...sorry that had to happen to you bro. Like Kyle said, throw a CM stage 4 in there and be done with it!

i always found it interesthing CF's can suck so bad in the NVG-350 (or NVT-350, whatever) tranny.. and then when it comes to escort trannies.. almost everybody uses CF products, and they never have problems with them.. it just cracks me up.

interesting how products can vary so much from one style to the next within the same company.

sucks to hear about your loss man.

How much power are the Escort guys putting to the CF clutches?

Most guys that have the trouble with the CF in the NVT350 are high power guys. Most guys that replace the clutch while still NA have no complaints until they bolt on the turbo kits on nitrous kits and then have a slipping clutch.


________________________________________________________________________________________
Car Sold


http://hometown.aol.com/ohshootuhh/
www.Fast420A.com

Do you have any pictures of the remains of the transmission or the clutch?
-=B-=

Maybe the guys at Centerforce have underestimated our power output or something because for other, domestic application, like muscle cars, etc. they have a very good rep.



15.9 @ 86.7mph
97 Eclipse RS

Injen CAI, 55mm TB, P&P Intake, Crower Stage 2 Cams, Hooker Header, GS-T Muffler, AFX UDP, Crane Ign Amp, S-AFC

Good luck getting any type of warranty or replacement. My buddy owns a shop and he called them when he broke three of the springs in the clutch. The dual friction clutch was in a Galant VR4 with a big 16G turbo. He was boosting 20psi with a starion front mount intercooler. The car had less than 1000 miles on the clutch and was broken in like a grandma the first 400 miles of city driving. They said it was not their clutches fault and something was installed incorrectly. They never have issues with breakage like we reported. They said for us to send it back to the wholesaler, have them inspect it, then have them send it back to centerforce. They will then decide if it was a defect and let the wholesaler know what their intention was.

Companies like these are a piece of shit IMHO. My buddy bought 2-3 centerforce clutches a week without problems. Then this happened and they would not do a damn thing. Needless to say, ACT got the business from then on.

Holy crap. :o That's like the JFK magic bullet theory. Wierd. The Centerforce magic dowel.


95 Eclipse RS : 5 speed
Jeep TB writeup - http://www.dimensia.com:81/jimbo/JeepTBfor2gnt.html

Pictures ... here's some pictures.

Here is the exit wound from the inside of the bell housing


Here is the entry wound from the inside of the bell housing


Exit wound from the outside


Entry wound from the bell housing



Pics of the bell housing



And here is the culprit




Well, there you guys go. FYI, it's all getting replaced with a Clutchmasters lightened flywheel and stage 4 non-modular clutch. And for the good news ... the guts of the trans is in good shape. I'm still getting all of it kryo treated while it's out but I don't have to get a new trans and the bell housing is repairable because none of the holes are at any stress points. So I guess I lucked out a little.

Damn....that's quite some damage, Thura.

If I were you, receipt or not, I'd call Centerforce and show them your pictures and try and get a refund, and threaten a suit. If anything, you could vent a little bit. They might be willing to at least send you a replacement clutch you could sell.

Those pics really tell a tale though.

I'm sure he'd do that, but, uh.. that was the CF i replaced after 5000 miles. I got it well lubed with trans fluid from a leaking seal, but didn't burn the disc. It looked okay after being cleaned - it was a shelf ornament, he needed a clutch, well.. i feel bad, really.

I was just glad to hear that internall,y, beleive it or not, the trans was SPOTLESS. Even after spitting a hardened metal pin though TWO CASE WALLS, there was no internal damage.

Of course, karma fucked me for it, as my LSD is machined in such a way that stock axles wont fit, and it leaks trand fluid like no other, but hey - Thura made out okay, and i got home under my own power...

Hey Dino,

No worries. I don't blame anyone for anything that happens to my car. It's my choice to mod it and good or bad I do enjoy it. Remember I actually like it when shit breaks. :) Though it's kinda funny that the CFDF can't hold that whooping ~150-160whp I'm throwing at it. Maybe I just beat on it too much. Plus it does give me an excuse to switch to non-modular like I've been wanting and cryo treat the internals too.

I'm taking you found my trans fluid. What gives with that diff you put in there? If you're pissing trans fluid out the axle seal area how'd you get home? Gimme a call. Lemme know.

How in the hell did that transmission make it 60 miles with little/no fluid? Dayamn, you are L-U-C-K-Y!
-=B-=

Thos are brutal, all the nicks inside the bellhousing look like somebody shot at the trans with birdshot.

I'm always surprised at what abose some parts can take without oil or lubrication. I had an exgirlfriend who was running her car with 1/2 quart of oil, I did the oil change and poured it back into the bottle to see how much there was. 1/2 A QUART!!! That not even enough to submerge the oil pick up.



15.9 @ 86.7mph
97 Eclipse RS

Injen CAI, 55mm TB, P&P Intake, Crower Stage 2 Cams, Hooker Header, GS-T Muffler, AFX UDP, Crane Ign Amp, S-AFC

>How much power are the Escort guys putting to the CF
>clutches?
>
>Most guys that have the trouble with the CF in the NVT350 are
>high power guys. Most guys that replace the clutch while
>still NA have no complaints until they bolt on the turbo kits
>on nitrous kits and then have a slipping clutch.
>

anywhere from stock (130HP at the crank) to 250-300HP, but yeah.. there are definatly a few eclipse's that run higher.

Actually this exact problem has happened to me on a stock clutch nonetheless. I was indeed beating the crap of my car while i was at ATCO in NJ taking off the tree and BAM my engine shuts off. Ends up that the flywheel separated from the pressure plate because ALL the rivets that hold them together broke apart and destroyed my bellhousing and bottom of the differential case.

Yeah i'm proud that i've spilled blood all over the left lane in ATCO hehe
_________________
Vinnie Lima
vinnie.lima@jvllogistics.com
AIM: Kiku888
1997 Chrysler Sebring "Silver XTC"
I4 420a w/ HRC Stage 2.45 w/ FMIC
14.7@97 mph@6psi
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