What do puck style clutches love? Traffic. Also needing some technical advise 

"sony1492" (sony1492) 08/12/2018 at 21:21 • Filed to: Lexus

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Id really prefer not to spend an additional $220 on a flywheel if I don’t need to considering a new clutch is already $400 from Collins adapters.(and that’s the only place I can buy said clutch/flywheel) So tell me what you think of this flywheel after the jump.

There is a slight lip on both edges of the surface, crazing, obviously some discoloration from heat, none of the cracks span the whole surface but they can be felt.

This is after some cleanup

4kc > sony1492 08/12/2018 at 21:27

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I vote for either getting it properly machined or replaced, I’d be too worried about having to spend that 400 on the clutch twice

LOREM IPSUM > sony1492 08/12/2018 at 21:31

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Hopefully someone who knows for certain if a resurface is going to be a good idea or not for that particular unit will chime in , but imo if you have doubts, pony up and get a new one. If it fails, you’re gonna need one anyway, and another new clutch, and god only knows what else.

Exploding flywheels are no joke. Perhaps irrelevant, but many drag racers use hardened shackles around the casing because the shrapnel has been known to go through the firewall like a hot knife through butter. Occupants too, for that matter.

sony1492 > LOREM IPSUM 08/12/2018 at 22:02

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I hadn’t even considered that it could fail in such a spectacular way. I’m now leaning towards just buying a new one, and selling this one on ebay.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > sony1492 08/12/2018 at 22:12

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Flywheel materials are in good enough condition to warrant further checking. You can’t visually pass/fail a flywheel outside of obvious materials problems such as cracking, excessive scoring, heat damage, and the like.

There are some cracks that concern me, which is what the professionals are going to look at. They might be killers, or they might be perfectly fine. I’d find a reputable shop in town that NDT’s in house rather than shipping it out though. Always assume a flywheel can’t be turned unless you already had it checked and confirmed.

And be glad your flywheel is only $220. The absolute cheapest flywheel I deal with is $390. Do NOT ask what custom solid billet flywheels cost.

Urambo Tauro > sony1492 08/12/2018 at 22:19

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I s t h e r e a minimum thickness for flywheels, just like there are for brake rotors? I would imagine so.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > sony1492 08/12/2018 at 22:19

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Scrap the flywheel...if there's any heat damage at all then I'd personally not take the chance. If it was a dual mass flywheel then I'd scrap it regardless.

sony1492 > Urambo Tauro 08/12/2018 at 22:32

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Pro bably, but the way it only heats up on one side complicates the question of minor cracks

sony1492 > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 08/12/2018 at 22:38

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I have doubts that any shops within a 100mile radius have any equipment more advanced than a lath e. I’ll call around though and see what the,” local” shop says.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > sony1492 08/12/2018 at 22:51

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What city/state? I can see who I can round up that’s at least relatively local. A lot of the best shops are not automotive shops.

sony1492 > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 08/12/2018 at 23:03

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Eureka Ca, i s going to be the nearest place that will have anything

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > sony1492 08/12/2018 at 23:16

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Ah, NorCal. :/ Try Wally’s Engine Shop, 607 California St, Eureka, CA. 707-443-6785. They’re old hands at engine machining , so I’d trust them without a full NDT. 

RacinBob > sony1492 08/12/2018 at 23:44

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It really comes out to how you drive it and what you are using the car for.

If it is a street car, any flywheel with a well driven clutch is good enough because there is no heat, and no wear, Even if it is a road race car, as long as you don’t slip the clutch it is fine. I have never worn out a pressure plate or flywheel on any of my cars in 34 years. If it is a drag car and you are slipping it a lot or if you live in the in the mountains and dumping a lot of heat into the clutch , buy new.

Usually if you see a blue flywheel assy you are seeing somebody that drove a car with a slipping, worn clutch disk and burned it down. My opinion is if you put a new disk into it and drive it sanely, it will be fine. I base it on using horrible looking brake disks that worked just fine. Its a gamble but if money makes a difference and you know how to drive and not abuse a stick, its one I would take.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > sony1492 08/12/2018 at 23:49

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Is it really worth it to save $200? After all the effort to get the clutch in and out, why not replace all wear parts? Flywheel, clutch, pressure plate, pilot and throwoit bearings?

I mean, you’re already in for $400, what’s another $200? Do you really want to go back in there to replace parts if they are wearing improperly or worst case, they fail?

Just seems a bit penny wise and pound foolish to me.  How long do you anticipate this clutch to last?  50-100k miles?  If so, it’s small money for a bit of insurance.

RacinBob > sony1492 08/12/2018 at 23:51

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Ps, if it is the ‘88 to ‘91 Civic. Keep the pressure plate and flywheel, to replace them is more than the value of the car! Consider a slightly grabby clutch as patina.

That is unless that car has a K24 swap with turbo.....

pip bip - choose Corrour > sony1492 08/13/2018 at 05:01

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get it machined if it isn’t a dual-mass type

sony1492 > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc 08/13/2018 at 05:17

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I plan the clutch to last about 3 years which is what this one lasted, after all the bit I’ll be in $1000. My question was mostly if this was normal flywheel wear or excessive, from the responces i t looks a little more heat damaged than average

sony1492 > RacinBob 08/13/2018 at 05:23

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Civics getting an ebay clutch to keep it drivable, this is qbout the sc400 to 350z trans

sony1492 > RacinBob 08/13/2018 at 09:12

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With this clutch the only way to get moving into traffic gracefully was to slip it until you were up to speed, the faster you drive the less slip was necessary. It will get very abused, I think ill go with a new or resurfaced plate.

RacinBob > sony1492 08/13/2018 at 13:38

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I can’t argue with buying new and peace of mind.

As for the last one, I don’t see anything alarming, I see just the stuff from running a disk down to the metal. Usually bluing is the result of continuous slipping and not normal start stop driving. W ere you driving it when the last clutch failed?

If you think about it, the clutch has about the same mass as a brake rotor yet has far less work. Bluing and cracking are usually the result of somebody in the hills or on the interstate at high power with a disk that is slipping. The plates get super hot with no cooling and so all kind of bad things happen. As long as that is not the case, it’s just a hunk of steel that acts as a friction surface.

We it mine, I’d run it as is or if convenient have someone surface it. But then again I am a cheap racer. Still though, I can’t argue with peace of mind.

sony1492 > RacinBob 08/13/2018 at 14:21

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Th e amount of slipping to get up to speed from a stop with any grace was substancial, but I am owner #3 on a quasi racing clutch over the span of 2-3 years.  The clutch didn't fail but the car burned down and I was saving my manual swap tidbits. As for the last thing I did; One long burn out that was probably half clutch and half tire smoke, because I'm now learning this clutch was rated for less power than I was making after the turbos

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > sony1492 08/13/2018 at 14:50

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I understand.  I was thinking you were looking to save some money.  

RacinBob > sony1492 08/13/2018 at 20:11

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Oh, I suspect if it was just street acceleration there wouldn’t be much wear to talk about. Regular acceleration doesn’t take a lot of HP because RPM is low and you are not slipping once out of first gear. But...... doing burnouts is a totally different story. If you are putting out 130 HP or more and 25% or more is dissipated in a a side slipping clutch, things get toasty in a hurry.

I guess we killed this topic. Have fun,