ATLRoAcH

Also, I know for a fact something is wrong with the clutch. If it wasn’t the clutch involved it wouldn’t be acting the way it did. We did use the competition throwout bearing so I’m leaning towards that. I should know what happened in a few days when it’s opened up. I hope it’s just clutch and throwout bearing I need. I hated the Competition clutch with a passion anyway.

windhund116

Heavy aftermarket clutches can cause premature thrust bearing wear. Too much crankshaft lateral play, due to worn out thrust bearing = difficult starting and engine dying, unexpectedly. The bottom end of engine will need inspection, if this is the case.

Sorry.

ATLRoAcH

I get what you’re saying but when the problem happened the engine was revving in neutral and I grinded the gear trying to get it in gear. Then I realized the clutch pedal didn’t come up and pulled it up by hand and it was after that the engine died. Like I said the clutch is hard as hell about 2-3 inches from the floor and when I press it as hard as I can it frees it a little and it tries to start some but not enough. The clutch pedal just feels all kind of wrong and the engine revving up in neutral before I pulled the pedal up leads me to believe it’s unrelated to the engine and something in the clutch flywheel area is locking everything up.

B serious

Bypass the clutch safety switch and try to start it. Does it still have trouble starting? Any metal flakes in your oil?

Bypass the clutch safety switch for good.

You don't want a heavy clutch AND the factory clutch safety switch anyway.

Basically, you do not want to need to push the clutch pedal to start the car. You can cause a lot of engine damage when using the factory pedal actuated switch with a heavier clutch.

I strongly suggest bypassing it...BUT making it so you need to push a button to bypass it. Don't just jump the wires.

Also remember...with any clutch (especially a heavy one) stay OFF the clutch pedal until you actually need to push it in. Dont spend time idling with the pedal pushed in at a light or stop sign. Be mindful of how much time you spend with the clutch pushed in. Avoid traffic jams, etc.

B serious

From your earlier posts, it sounds like the clutch lost a spring and the spring lodged itself to constantly engage the clutch.

However...if that was the case, your engine should still start in neutral. Because...you can lift your foot off the clutch pedal in neutral, and the engine will still run.

Hard to tell what's up. I would check for metal in the engine oil though.

d1000rr

My CompClutch Release bearing failed in under 400 miles of use during the break-in period (Competition Clutch Stage 2).
They offered a replacement Release and I declined because I had already bought an OEM one to replace theirs. They ended up reimbursing me for the cost of the OEM Release bearing.
I will say their customer service is pretty good.

ATLRoAcH

I do think a spring popping out and getting lodged is possible. Competition clutches are infamous for the springs coming out. I won’t rule anything out but with the way everything happened I really think something happened in the clutch area. It always sounded horrible from day one. Springs constantly rattling while cruising and even worse when the clutch was disengaged. I never hold the clutch in at stop lights. I always keep in neutral when I’m not moving. I even quit decelerating in gear and just kept in neutral when slowing down because of how awful the clutch buzz was.

ATLRoAcH

As soon as I find out what failed I’ll be calling Competition or InlinePRO. I was just guessing 6000 miles when I first posted but I checked and it’s more like 3000-4000 miles on this freshly built engine and brand new clutch. I hope I get good customer service with who ever’s product failed. Hell I only went Competition for the clutch because InlinePRO gave me a good deal and recommended it.

ATLRoAcH

Update on this, my clutch fork somehow came off and wedged itself down and had everything locked up. We fooled around with the fork through the hole but can’t get it to work properly to shift but the engine did start up and run fine so no problems there. Look like we’ll have to pull the trans off and fix it. I’m going to go ahead and replace the throwout bearing and any little part in there that I can. Anyone know why my clutch fork would do that?

I wonder if some of that rattling sound I was dealing with wasn’t only clutch buzz but also the fork.

Slowcrash_101

Maybe the hanger/locating tab on the fork broke. I'd get a new guide sleeve for the release bearing.