I have had an ACT on my Maxima for a while now...and I was wondering: How do you know when it's nearing the end of it's life?

Normally I'd look for slipping, but I'm not sure the disk will ever slip with the kick-*** plate this kit has.

Has anyone experienced an ACT clutch slip?

 

Well, usually when it's about to go, you will have problems putting it in first gear, and in reverse. Those are the two worst. Other than that, slipping is really the only thing I can think of.

 

Uhm...why would I ever have problems putting it in 1st or reverse? As long as the pressure plate/to bearing are fine (should outlast the disk by a long shot), the transmission is completely disconnected when putting it into gear.

 

Talk to any mechanic, and they will tell you, that when a clutch is about to go, you will have problems in first and reverse. I don't know the exact reason.

 

ive had mines for about 8 k now or some thing like that. I think it wont slip when it breaks, it will just not work at all.

 

I have talked to several mechanics, and I've had clutches go on me. I've only seen the '1st and reverse' thing in another post on this site; I've never heard it from anyone I've talked to, and I've never experienced it myself. I don't see how it could be used at all in determining the life left in the clutch.

My question was related to the ACT specifically. A normal clutch will slip when the disk wears down. I want to know if the ACT will do the same. I suspect it won't because of the strong pressure plate.

 

You can check your tranny fluid for fragments of clutch pad particles, or metel shavings. Usually when the clutch gets near the end of it's life it will leave larger pieces of worn clutch materials in the fluid. I am not sure about the maxima 5spd's but I think they have a hydrolic clutch so I would check to see if the fluid level is realy low. Kinda like when your brake pad's get thinner the fluid level drops in the resivor...

 

Hasn't anyone gone through an ACT around here?

Maximus101:

If you ever get clutch disk fragments in your transmission fluid you have more problems than can be helped...by anyone. Read up on how clutches work and you'll see why.

As for my car, it's fine. I have an ACT with <10k on it. I was just curious if the disk will ever slip. I wondered if the pressure plate was strong enough to hold right down to the rivets on the disk.

 

My fault I was thinking of an automatic!!! Don't get so sensitive. Why don't you just call the company. There only like five miles away from where I live. Maybe the best information you can get is from the manufacturer...

 

It's all good...I wasn't bashing ya; sorry if it came across that way.

Good idea; maybe I will give ACT a call, though it's been my experience that manufacturers often times don't know much about their product.

 

It's cool, for some reason I was thinking about my firend's El Camino that I just did a tranny service on. He didn't know why he had no reverse sometimes & when I pulled down his tranny pad I showed him all the black clutch particles at the bottom of the pan. My fault... If you want I can call ACT for you tomorrow & ask them your question so you don't have to call long distance. Email me with your question, Year, Make, Model & what stage clutch you have at likwidvinyl@aol.com So it's easier for me to access your info & so i have a faster way to get ahold of you........

 

Thanks for offering, but I don't mind the long distance...my boss will foot the bill

I was just hoping to get some input from someone who wore down an ACT. The kit's only a few years old; maybe there aren't any worn out ACTs around.

 

free bump -

I just got a call that I need to get my ACT clutch replaced. I'm going back to OEM . The ACT lasted about 50,000 KM (30K Miles). NOT what I had expected from it.

I had problems with shuddering, and with burning the clutch. It won't be as fun to drive anymore, but it'll hopefully last longer.

I personally won't go ACT again.

 

I think my clutch is on the way out after 70k miles and within the last few months I have noticed the clutch fluid in the resevoir getting lower and lower, I've actually filled it twice in the last six months or so. So maybe this is an indication of clutch wear?

 

No, that's an indication of a fluid leak. Check your slave cylinder.

Sryth, if the ACT doesn't slip as it wears out, then eventually you will wear through the friction material and start to hear metal on metal noises, just like with worn through brake pads. Before that happens, though, you should experience a difference in pedal action - the clutch will engage at a lower pedal height as it wears. It may get to the point where you can't depress the pedal far enough to disengage the clutch. I think that's what people were talking about when they said it will get hard to shift.

 

Bump from ancient times...

I just pulled my ACT off to replace it with an Exedy while I'm putting my transmission. It was destroyed...down to the metal rivets. The bad part: I didn't notice a damn thing...the only reason I was replacing the clutch is because I got a good deal, and the tranny was down already. The clutch felt ok, even though it was tearing up my flywheel.

I'm sure if I were looking for symptoms, I may have noticed something...but nothing that made me think "my god, I need a new clutch".

 

That's scary. Exploding clutches are not a Good Thing.

 

ummmm what? the clutch is nowhere near the tranny fluid and is kept seperate, there will never be any kind of clutch dust or fragments in the fluid

 

One good way to check without blowing your clutch up is to check the pedal travel. At idle very slowly let up on the clutch (like your going to inch forward) and take note how far up you have to lift up on the pedal before it grabs. You lift up a far distance (like greater than 3/4s, i'd guess), make fixing.

 

Didn't notice much, if any, difference in engagement height in the pedal.

Here's some images:

Pressure Plate:


Clutch Disk:


I don't have any photos of the flywheel, as I had to get it to the machine shop immediately or wait until Monday.

 

Wow, I have wondered about this myself.

I have felt the grab point come a little further off the floor and I get a bit more shudderig, my stage 1 has been on for about 35-40K.

 

I have a heavy duty ACT clutch. No problems as of yet.

 

That's the point...I would have said that too, had I not removed the clutch and inspected it. Everything seemed perfectly normal, despite the damage I was doing to my flywheel.

 

Someone told me, that ACT offered a replacement clutch disk for about $100 so u wouldn't have to replace the whole clutch kit when it started to slip but now they dont offer it anymore, Is this true?

 

If you catch it before it gets down to metal. The point of the thread is that it doesn't slip...ever. So, it's likely that when you go to change it, you will need the flywheel resurfaced, and a new pressure plate as well. That's pretty much the whole kit.

I've never heard of people resurfacing the pressure plate...maybe it's possible.

 

Because the pressure plate would need to be removed from the clutch cover and springs, the answer is no you can't resurface the pressure plate. (Well, it would be much harder than coughing up the change for a new PP)

The trouble with changing just the disc is that the flywheel and pp will have high spots from wear. The disc that came off has corresponding low spots, so they can still fit and engage smoothly. A new disc will be much flatter, and make high spots a problem again. These high spots are almost invisible to the naked eye. You can resurface the flywheel, but not the PP so that's why they recommend replacing the disc and plate together.

Dave

 

^^^ Good info Dave.

 

the pressure plate also has hot spots, the blue scoring, which promotes chatter and doesnt grip as well as one without the hotspots