Guys, I messed up

"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44) 08/18/2016 at 10:19 • Filed to: None

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I did a bad thing. The Corvette has many flaws but the worst is that it HATES to accelerate under 2,000 rpm. Any less than 2k pulling away from a light and it will backfire and die. I was driving it on my way to the shop to tune the carb when I had to stop on a steep hill. You know where this is going.

After 3-4 tries to get going on this hill, riding the clutch at 2k and failing, the clutch started smoking. I shut it off and rolled back into the curb while 9 AM traffic weaved around me. I towed it to the shop, defeated. What kind of damage did I do? Will I need to replace the clutch? It was almost a brand new unit. Fuck, I’m dumb. Feel like I stepped on the tail of a puppy. I’m so sorry Corvette!

Flavien Vidal > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:23

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If you only did 3 or 4 tries, that did not ruin the clutch. Either it was already dead or it just smoked a bit, you let it cool down and go for it again. No big deal really...

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:23

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don’t you know the trick?

Foot hard down on the go pedal then pop the clutch. You will climb the hill like a smoky hero.

Clemsie McKenzie > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:23

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Totally off topic, but I have to say that Corvette is one of the very few cars that seem more badass with the headlights popped up! I hope you’ll be fine with that clutch, though.

CobraJoe > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:23

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Don’t worry too much, you probably ground a couple years off the life of the clutch, but I doubt it’s completely ruined. Worst case: you glazed the disc and it won’t grab very well until you replace it, but it should still drive.

I’m more curious about what caused the sub 2000 RPM problem.

crowmolly > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:27

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You might be just fine. Worst case is the disc may be a little glazed.

Buy a timing light. This sounds like a timing issue to me. A basic Equus is fine (with no dial-back) and is cheap. A dial back is nice to follow the advance curve but if you decide to go to an MSD ignition or w/e later you can’t use it.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 08/18/2016 at 10:27

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I tried that actually haha but the engine just died.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:27

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When you said ‘you know where this is going’ I thought it was going to be a tire-smoke filled hill climb followed by a chat with law enforcement.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > CobraJoe 08/18/2016 at 10:27

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Well that’s refreshing news. The carb hasn’t been tuned or touched in 10 years. I guarantee its some tuning issue. All I ever did was set the idle at 900 rpm

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Clemsie McKenzie 08/18/2016 at 10:28

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Thanks! They’re zip-tied up permanently for more air flow to the radiator

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Flavien Vidal 08/18/2016 at 10:28

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It was only maybe 40 seconds of trying. But it sure got hot. I saw smoke

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > crowmolly 08/18/2016 at 10:29

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Glazed disc? Sounds bad. Will it remedy itself by driving?

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 08/18/2016 at 10:29

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I wish!

Flavien Vidal > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:35

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Yeah, you’re fine. Clutch don’t self destruct like that... If they overheat they may slip, but it doesn’t mean they’re dead. Also, changing a clutch on a corvette is a 3 hour job if you can rent a lift, so it’s not much of a problem.

crowmolly > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:35

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Don’t worry until you have to. When it cools it might grab just fine. Your disc/pressure plate combo is probably overkill for your engine as it sits anyway.

shop-teacher > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:36

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Don’t beat yourself up too bad.

A: It’s probably not as bad as you think

2: Something like this was bound to happen, really it was.

IV: Worst case scenario, is you you need a new clutch. While that would suck, it’s not like you blew up the motor or wrecked the car.

Chin up now! Look how far you’ve come! I am genuinely impressed that you got the thing driving around in such a short amount of time.

jjhats > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:38

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my dad drove his 65 with a worn out clutch for 2 years before replacing it. and even after replacing it I cant tell a difference. youll be fine but fix that rpm issue

CobraJoe > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:42

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I was thinking it sounded like a timing or timing advance issue, but an old carb certainly could cause some problems too.

I don’t think I’ve tried to adjust a carb in about 10 years...

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > shop-teacher 08/18/2016 at 10:44

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Well thanks! I could use a little boost this morning. It was a rough start to the day.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > jjhats 08/18/2016 at 10:44

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Ohhhhh yeah. RPM issue is getting fixed TODAY. Not doing this ever again.

bob and john > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:47

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K, next time, just rev it up and dump it. Tires are cheaper then clutches

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > bob and john 08/18/2016 at 10:47

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Tried that. It just stalls.

crowmolly > CobraJoe 08/18/2016 at 10:50

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Joe, you and I posted almost the exact same thing. Disc is fine, bog sounds like timing. LOL.

If it is a timing issue it will feel like a different car when he gets it back.

shop-teacher > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:53

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You’re welcome. And no doubt! I’ve been there. After I stuffed the Roadmaster into the whoops and went home on a wrecker, I felt like a total sack of ... terrible person. Oppo helped cheer me up then too :)

Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:59

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My Bel Air does the same thing, if you try to launch it, you stall. I have no clutch I could burn though.

Hope there’s no damage

Seat Safety Switch > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 10:59

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Glazing a clutch isn’t the end of the world. You might have to drive for awhile before it starts acting normal again but it will be alright.

DipodomysDeserti > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 11:00

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Backfiring and dying at low RPM’s usually indicates you’re running a bit lean. Check for a vacuum leak or richen her up a bit. Smoking the clutch ain’t that bad. It will probably smell for a few days. If it was newish you’re probably fine. I smoked my clutch and a supped up WRX I had a while back flipping a U turn. There was traffic coming, so I rode the clutch a little too much in order to keep the RPM’s up so I could launch it once I got pointed in the right direction. When I let the clutch out, it just kept slipping and wouldn’t engage the transmission. I let it cool off a bit and it was fine. Smelled for about a week though.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 11:06

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I thought it was going to be a stall and roll back crashing into an idiot (that would be sitting to close) behind you.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > shop-teacher 08/18/2016 at 11:07

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This post made my brain hurt

Rico > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/18/2016 at 11:11

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Lol what?! His project car stalling out and rolling back into someone makes them the idiot?

bob and john > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 11:12

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When I say rev it up, i mean like 6k foot to the floor and launch that mofo

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Rico 08/18/2016 at 11:13

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all depends on distance.

It bothers me when people feel the need to be 6 inches off someone’s bumper waiting at a light on a hill. No one thinks about the potential roll back in any vehicle.

Future next gen S2000 owner > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 11:13

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Nothing some money and a few beers won’t fix. Before you know it, you friends will be making fun of you and you will laugh. It will be an epic fail story you can retell.

Rico > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/18/2016 at 11:16

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I guess but if I think stall out and roll back I’m think that car is moving quite a bit more than 6 inches, even a car length or more seems to come to my mind. I also don't like people who drive up people's asses for the record.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/18/2016 at 11:23

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I'm glad it wasn't this.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 11:35

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Clutch might’ve just been getting hot? I wouldn’t worry about it too much as it doesn’t sound like you were TOO hard on the clutch, especially if it was new, but I wasn’t there.

Good luck! :)

Captain of the Enterprise > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 11:45

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I just wanted to say I like your vette

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Captain of the Enterprise 08/18/2016 at 11:49

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Why thank you!

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Future next gen S2000 owner 08/18/2016 at 11:49

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A problem that can be fixed with beers and money is not a problem worth fretting over I suppose.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 12:11

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I’m sorry. I hate hurting my car too, so I know the feel. Yesterday I was in a super big hurry and I didn’t even let the engine and car warm up properly, I hopped in and put the pedal to the metal. I always tell the car I’m sorry when I have to do stuff like that.

On the bright side, I think it will be okay, worse case is maybe a new clutch. Do you know what kind of material it is? Organic, sintered, or something else? Organic clutches will “glaze” if you get them too hot, I know this because I did it in my WRX. I thought I’d wrecked the clutch but after a bit of normal driving it was fine again. I’m not so sure on other clutch materials, but fretting over it now won’t do you any good, so just wait till it gets back from the shop and see whats up.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Snuze: Needs another Swede 08/18/2016 at 12:17

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Agree on all points. The clutch (if the seller told the truth) is a brand new replacement unit for the Corvette that year. Not sure on material.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 12:34

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I would second skycharismo and check (better replace) the Bain of my existence, vacuum lines. Little Hose clamps work wonders to save sanity. Had an issue where my car kept flipping lean and it was one stupid line that would occasionally come loose.

shop-teacher > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/18/2016 at 12:34

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Why? Has my writing gotten that bad?

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > shop-teacher 08/18/2016 at 12:35

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you know damn well what you did

shop-teacher > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/18/2016 at 12:38

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Come on now, it’s not that bad.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > shop-teacher 08/18/2016 at 12:41

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A, 2, IV

You didn’t even go to three.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 08/18/2016 at 12:41

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This car hardly has any vacuum lines. They’re all gutted.

shop-teacher > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/18/2016 at 12:43

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Yeah, that was the joke.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > shop-teacher 08/18/2016 at 12:46

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oh i know it was intentional. Doesn’t make it less evil.

shop-teacher > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/18/2016 at 12:48

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Evil? Corny, yes. Bad joke, most definitely ... but evil?

Takuro Spirit > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 13:01

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Sounds like a carb rebuild or at the LEAST a choke adjustment is in order (too much air or fuel getting dumped in at low RPM causing issues).

Reason 234 why I hate carbs.

GenuineAlexReid - The Reidus > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 15:24

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It’s fine.

CobraJoe > crowmolly 08/18/2016 at 15:45

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Hey, great minds and all that.

I just recently figured out a timing issue with my Thunderbird. It had less torque down low than I was expecting from a 5.0 and didn’t seem to care about the octane of the gas I used (even after bumping compression slightly and trying to advance the timing more). Turns out something wasn’t right with my timing light or my harmonic balancer slipped. Set the timing by ear, and now it’s a lot better to drive.

Though a carb could easily cause that problem too... My friend put a 4bbl Holley on his Pontiac Lemans 400, and it would run extremely rich just off idle, turned out the previous owner of the carb stuck a power valve in the secondary bowl for racing instead of the dummy plug.

Die-Trying > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 18:37

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how does it spin over when you go to start it?? does it spin real fast?..........if it does you probably can advance it a good ways.......... check for vacuum leaks, with some carb cleaner, or wd with the car running.......... spray around the base of the carb, the intake, where it meets the heads. if the rpm increses, you found the leak......... baseline on most carb idle mix adjustment is 1.5 turns out from bottom....... hook up, and max out a vacuum guage for fine tuning........

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Die-Trying 08/18/2016 at 21:30

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Solid advice! I’ll start tinkering on it tomorrow

Die-Trying > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 21:36

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keep us posted on what you find..........

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Die-Trying 08/18/2016 at 22:05

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Will do for sure! Thanks for the knowledge!

Die-Trying > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/18/2016 at 22:29

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no problem, and remember, you gotta let old stuff warm up for a while......... they run like crap until they hit operating temp, in the 160ish range(mine loves 190)....... until then it pops, and stumbles, hesitates, wont stay lit. once it hits temp, its a whole other story. pulls great, nice tip in, idles for days.........

just something else to think about.........

Die-Trying > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/18/2016 at 23:33

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have come close to doing that........ these days, after i stall it in traffic (seldom anymore) i put it in low, put my foot in the gas, and crank on it, till it starts.......has worked out much better.............

theanswerisstillno > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 08/19/2016 at 00:41

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I believe those headlights are vacuum operated. Could be the source of a vacuum leak. Vacuum leaks can cause low rev problems because at low revs a little extra air can lean out the fuel/air ratio. At higher revs and throttle openings the extra air becomes insignificant and the engine runs ok. Be carefull messing with carburators ! Sometimes after ‘adjustment’ they never work right again. And yes warming up helps a lot. Get a block heater or pre heat the engine somehow. Had an old econoline van with a carb v8. In the winter that thing took FOREVER to warm and run smooth. Plugging it in for even 30mins made a big difference.