Clutch engagement point changed
 

Hey guys, new here, but have been on forums without an account for couple years now. I have a 2003 EVO 8

Have an ACT clutch single disc that was changed at 137k miles. I now have 150k miles and for some reason my clutch engagement point has changed.

before change 0%|————/————|100%
clutch engag change 0%|———————/—|100%

is this a symptom of a worn clutch? Or could it be my slave or master cylinder? Car kinda feels like it always has the hand brake on too which is weird.

Thanks
RussianEVO

Im not sure if what your picture is showing is supposed to signify that the engagement point has moved up or down; Im reading it as up, as in right before the clutch pedal is fully released its then grabbing.

Regardless, if your clutch was changed and the shop or whoever did the service did not adjust the clutch after, it should be readjusted. Doesn't sound like anything is broken so just a matter of readjusting the pedal. Crawl under and there is a jam nut and a threaded rod with flats cut into it. I believe the rod is a 6mm and the nut is a 10mm. You'll get the hang of it after playing around with it some.. Good luck!

thanks for the reply! Yes the engagement point or so “biting point” of the clutch has gone significantly up around 90% of full let go. Will try to adjust today thank you

OK, yeah that makes sense, no worries adjusting the engagement point will fix your issue. Its very easy just annoying bc you have to do it on your back and upside down, lol!

Take a look here there is some additional info and some pictures that may be helpful. In your case you should be shortening the rod to move the engagement point back down some.

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...djustment.html

awesome thank you so much!

My engagement point changes with every few launches, it's been in that 90% zone like you describe for years though. I think your illustration is very accurate. Sometimes I adjust the pedal up, sometimes I adjust it down. I go back and forth because I either get shift lockout or sometimes the engagement point feels like it's at 110% so my foot is completely off the pedal and it just kinda goes.

Had a new ACT clutch put in, same **** really, minor temporary improvement. I don't know what it is. Some people say the pedal assembly itself fails after a while.

wow yes exactly what is happening to me! It happened after I WOT in 2nd-3rd and I was like wtf??? I do not understand lol I suppose I’ll have to adjust it but if it’s arm 90% would we be adjust it more out or more in? Still a little confused on that part

As mentioned earlier the clutch rod adjustment is a good fix for this. If that does not fix it, try bleeding the clutch to see if any air got inside the line.

I forgot to add, the actual engagement point is ideally 66% +- 10% of the way up, but it varies from clutch to clutch. You want it setup so that when you push the clutch in, it fully disengages and you can shift at high RPM, but at the same time, you don't want it so high that the clutch pedal is always applying a bit of pressure on the clutch fork. This can prematurely wear out the clutch.

i think that’s what’s happening my clutch isn’t fully disengaging, which is why it all of a sudden feels like I’m driving with the handbrake on.. so initially I need to move this forward then correct?

Correct, you need to screw the rod further into the clutch pedal assembly, which would essentially give you more play at the top in resting position and locate your engagement point down closer to the firewall. Hopefully the clutch does not slip after that.

awesome! Thanks for the clarification :) going to try this now, is there any way I can move this blue sensor out of the way before I do this? What does this thing do anyway lol
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.evo...a8deb5a88.jpeg

You got it{thumbup}. You can carefully bend it out of the way and then bend it back when you are done adjusting the lock nut and rod. It's the clutch start kill switch used so that you don't accidentally start the car in gear. If you disconnect that switch at the back and then turn the key, it will make your car start even if it is in gear (not recommended unless you have a remote start system with custom neutral safety switch). I never understood why people disconnect it all together, but I have had to do it before in emergency cases where my engine died and I needed to ride the starter motor in first gear to the side of the road.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.evo...352ff7b96.jpeg
so I bent it out of the way and loosen’d the nut on the back of the rod, now my goal is to twist the push rod a couple of turns in not out right? Since my clutch is engaging at 90% of letgo? Sorry man huge noob here lol

Correct, You want to screw it into clutch pedal more to lower the engagement point. Also you don't have to bend the switch mount that much :lol: Just enough to make room for a 12mm wrench. After you adjust it, go for a test drive to see what it did to your clutch engagement and it will click really fast for you. From there you can make adjustments to how you like it. Make sure when you bend the switch mount back to place that the little white button on the switch comes in contact with the rubber bumper on the back side of the clutch pedal.

After this, we will know for sure if your clutch is worn out or if it was the engagement point. Remember that air in the clutch line will NEVER cause your clutch to slip. It will only cause it to not disengage completely or have erratic clutch engagement positions

holy crap you are a god! I literally do not grind any gears, no more grinding 1st or notchy 2nd and 3rd, holy crap, turned it 2 full turns inwards, car still feels like it has the brake on, and I’m not getting any weird smells at all hmmm I also checked to see if my clutch slips, I did the old 4th gear wot from 1400rpms, no slip :). Just still wondering why my car feels like it has brake on. So weird!! Ahhhhh, I can’t thank you enough man!!! :)

Nvm I’m crazy, the feeling of the handbrake is gone woooooo!!!! Thank you again pal! :)

With how often I make clutch pedal adjustments I never bend anything. I'm in there all the time, you just need to get comfortable in there and make yourself at home, you'll be back soon

great advice, time for a bleed

i think mine too, doesn’t our master cylinder receive fluid from the brake master cylinder?

Nope, the clutch has its own little reservoir.

really? Wtf then I’m completely out of clutch fluid, my small little baby tank is bone dry 0_0... will take a pic this evening

No problem man ;) . If the car rolls freely when you put the e brake down on a hill then the problem will at least not be the brakes. The clutch and brake fluid reservoir are one and the same in my car (and I thought in all evo 8's and 9s) , they just have a little plastic partition in between to keep them from screwing each other over if there is ever a leak. If you stand next to the the driver side facing the reservoir, the right side of it is the clutch side and the left side is brake fluid (they use the same fluid). The right side drains quickly when you bleed the clutch so you have to keep topping off a "seemingly full" reservoir for the fluid to spill over into the clutch side.

This small little tank is suppose to have fluid in it???
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.evo...9c18a727d.jpeg

Shoot I am going to have to go pop my hood now. But I could have sworn my 9 has a separate res as I am pretty sure I remember changing my fluid in it. Might have been one of my other cars. Give me a few!

Edit - Like normal, Pal is correct. Sorry about that. I am still an Evo noob. All my other cars are manuals and have a separate res so thats kinda odd to me.

thanks pal and lumpy! So I think I might buy a new slave cylinder today and see if that helps the feeling of “the brake always on”. I’m also going to try and the downhill test pal said. Also when I’m bleeding the slave do I just continue to top off the brake master cylinder then? That hose goes straight to the small little baby clutch tank 0_0

Correct. Just keep a close eye on the brake booster reservoir and top it off after every 2 discharges from the clutch slave cylinder bleeder valve. It shouldn't take too long to get all the air out of the line (if any). Instructions just in case, simply crack open the bleeder valve, press the clutch pedal to the floor (fluid will come out of the bleeder and the clutch will not return by itself). Then close the bleeder and manually lift the clutch pedal off the ground. This will pull fluid into the clutch master from the brake booster reservoir. I usually do this twice before stepping on the clutch pedal a few times to get a feel for where i'm at. Repeat as needed and keep that reservoir topped off to prevent starting over.

i am a noob as well man haha I only still to this day understand my wife’s Scion tC. Hahahahaha

thank you again pal! Will try this today! :) will update thread when finished. Lumpy I might be texting you for help later today with a nice 12 pack hahahahahhaa

Haha sounds good. I should be free for a bit tonight. At least long enough to bleed the clutch. Thats easy stuff.

Thought I'd add to this because I have a picture of it. There is a clutch fluid reservoir, but its actually inside the brake reservoir in its own partition that only feeds from a notch at the top, that's why people always say keep your brake reservoir topped off when bleeding the clutch.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.evo...cf23fa06f1.jpg

Nice pic, that defiantly sums it up forsure! Btw have you ever noticed the small reservoir on the actual clutch master cylinder? Is it supposed to have fluid in in?

Dude are you still fighting this thing!? If so, bring your car by one of these days and lets figure it out.

Hey lumpy! I basically said eff it, and bought a new entire clutch system. Got a clutch master cylinder, oem slave, oem flywheel and a new act street clutch kit. I’ve tried everything with my dad, we bled it, adjusted it and put a new clutch line in. Problem still happens where engagement point changes everyday... it’s so annoying I just got fed up with it lol. Although I still wonder if I have a bent clutch fork.. so I’m unsure until the trans comes off. I’ll hyu forsure soon, been hella busy lately planning for a marriage and honey moon right now :)

Before you pull the trans again, bring it over. You have replaced everything so I doubt it's a problem with the parts (but see below). If it was a bent fork, it wouldn't have a random engagement point. If it was a cracked fork, maybe but doubtful. You got something else odd going on. I have owned 2 vehicles that came from the factory with a variable distance clutch pedal. The problem was rpm related. If I shifted after a certain rpm, the pedal travel would get cut in half. You could pump it a bunch of times and it would go back to normal. After talking to a bunch of people, most agreed that it was a pressure plate issue. Most saying that it didnt have enough pressure to support the rpm it was spinning. Point being, does your issue seem to be rpm related or it just has a mind of it's own no matter how you drive?

Good luck on the wedding/honey moon planning!

To anyone who is having this problem it was my clutch plate, after everything sit correctly and after 300miles of break in I no longer have this problem :headbang:

Yeah bro it ended up being my clutch, got a new clutch kit from ACT and a stock flywheel from Mitsubishi, after 300miles it’s gone xD. And thanks man! Wedding soon weeeee hahaha. I shall see you soon to help me with my torque solutions bushings! :D:chug: