Freakin' clutch is slipping again......

[Garrett]

Just can't seem to win with this clutch thing.   Last winter I had the car "down" for a few months while I changed the clutch and did a couple other things to the engine.  Thought I had it whipped this spring, but 6 months later it's back.....

The first time I soaked the clutch disc with oil.   I wasn't running proper breathing (and a sand seal on the front) so the oil found it's way out the rear seal and got oil on the disc.  Last winter I replaced the rear-seal, installed a proper breather system,  then replaced the daiken with a copperhead disc.

An old buddy of mine was in town over the weekend, so of course we ran around in the bug a bit.   I found my favorite "test strip" and nailed it.   It might have slipped in 1st, but definitely 2nd and 3rd.    The smell of burning clutch permeated the car.   The car is a full-interior'd '59 beetle.   Best (and only) time at the track so far is a 13.30 in 3 stock gears......now that I am running an ignition system that doesn't miss like nuts over 6000 RPM it might run high 12's?

Clutch is a 1700# Kennedy with a (now) Copperhead disc.  No idea what the breakaway torque is....

I took it for a spin after he left (we're both about 225# - so I was thinking maybe it was the weight?) and I did notice it start to slip when I got it into 3rd at about 60 mph...

WTF?  Am I pushing my luck with this 1700# clutch?  Do I need to step-up or is something else wrong?  I did re-use the pressure plate.....I did check out the pressure plate with a straight edge last winter and all looked okay.

I really dislike removing the engine.  It's a complete pain in the ass.  The engine compartment on my '59 is tight, tight, tight.....

Whaddya think?

[maui]

I would say stage 2 and Daiken or airlock or stock or something lightweight like that. To me, the copperhead is to heavy and at high RPMs it is harder to find the gears. At 7 or 8 grand it will be miss shift heaven.

[Ohio Tom (DdK)]

1. Oil on the clutch disk is usally a bad o ring seal. I would pull the flywheel and check the o ring.
 It's not necessarily the flywheel seal.
2. yes, I recommend stepping up to a stage 2 clutch. Although a stage 1 should hold upto around 200hp. It can be "iffy" at that power level.

[Garrett]

Thanks for the advice guys.  I'll upgrade the pressure plate and change that o-ring.  I know I didn't do that last time around.   Hope there's one in there now that I think about it!

Looks like the motor is coming out again this winter.  Blah.....

Maui - Yeah, funny I did miss a shift to 2nd on that run too..    Bopped it off the rev limiter pretty good at 7500....

[fifty-five]

Check your bowden tube as well I fought my clutch. Went stage 2 with scat woven. It didnt feel right so I finally checked the bowden tube an sure nuf it was bad. I feel ur pain on pullin the engine. 2276 in a 55 is tight, ive only had it in and out about 20 times this year.

[Garrett]

How do you know if the bowden tube is bad or not?   I can check it out.  I think it has the prescribed amount of bend-in-it.   I assume you mean something with your bowden tube was keeping some tension on the clutch and that was making it slip?  Kinda like "riding the clutch"?

[fifty-five]

Mine had the right bend in it if you were measuring it, but right where the cable comes out of the tunnel it had a kink in it. And that was causing the cable to bind up.