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I have a problem that is strange enough to, I hope get some technical creativity going.

I have a '73, that I have completely restored, soup to nuts with the help of Guy and Gregory Trigaux. The engine is a completely rebuilt Cleveland running about 400 hp on the dyno. New master cylinders and hydraulic lines, no air in the system, and the clutch has been adjusted by pros.

Here's the problem, when the car is cold, it shifts beautifully, when it gets hot, about an hour or so,the clutch won't release properly, to the point you can't shift the transmission.

This car has the clutch pressure reduction setup. Any ideas?
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Don't limit your trouble shooting to it being a clutch issue. When you are stopped in gear with clutch all the way in, does the car want to creep forward? If so, the clutch is not releasing. If no, then it might be something else that is causing hard shifting.

Having the wrong gear oil in the box has been known to cause hard shifting when the fluid gets hot. You want plain Jane API GL4 or GL5 80W-90.
Similar symptoms: At the start of a drive, everything is great. All gears shift smoothly, clutch engages about half way up the pedal stroke. Drives like it is supposed to. After about 10 - 15 minutes, the clutch won't fully disengage at full stroke.
http://www.realbig.com/piperma...010-June/123749.html

Solution: That problem was that the new slave did not fit snugly into the hole in the holding bracket which allowed a slight movement of the slave.
http://www.realbig.com/piperma...010-June/124010.html

Scroll down the page to "Clutch Help" to read the complete saga.
http://www.realbig.com/piperma.../subject.html#123762
Thanks very much for the thoughts guys...you've given me some new ideas!

Dave, when the car is cold and the clutch is in, there is no creep, but after heating up there sure was. At one point the difference was so great, I had to shut the car off to put it in gear, the the starter almost couldn't turn the engine!

Garth66, thanks for all the links

Rob
quote:
I can solve the problem by zeroing out the slop in the slave


That sounds like the wrong clutch disc. Are you sure that you have a Pantera specific clutch disc? Use a feeler gauge to measure the clearance between the clutch disc and the flywheel, both cold and hot. You can do that through the inspection / vent opening on the upper left side of the bellhousing.

John
Rob,

The spacer plate is easy to spot. Just look at the edge of the bellhousing where it meets the engine block. There should be a thin (~.070") plate between the bellhousing and the engine block. If you are under the car and looking aft toward the bellhousing, you should NOT see the flywheel (unless someone made a lower cover plate).

John
quote:
By the way, MC, and slave are new

How's the fluid in your new clutch MC look? There were some recent threads here and on the DeTomaso Mail list discussing bad MC's - if you're fluid has turned dark within only a few miles of driving, your master cylinder will need replacement again. Note that this doesn't explain the symptoms you've described, just something to check.
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