I posted this in Lamborghini sub forum as well. I apologize for duplicate thread I have a 94 vt and have a strange issue. Yesterday I reversed out of garage fine annd put into first gear fine then that was it. As soon ans I got up the block I couldn’t get into any gear. I push the clutch and it won’t release the plate so I can engage in gear.with engine off I put it in gear and pulls strongly so not a worn clutch. I adjusted the rod too thinking it’s maybe a worn clutch to no avail. Clutch master and slave cylinder both working. I see the fork moving. So I’m thinking maybe a worn pressure plate. Any ideas? also I have heard that to do clutch you need to remove engine. Why is that? To me it seems like there’s more than enough room to pull out transmission from underneath. I have no problem removing engine just curious. Look at photos below. What am I missing that transmission cannot come out from underneath? Thank you in advance for any help Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Transmission removal often involves some very small clearance issues. Is there room to remove the top bolts from the transmission to the engine? Is there enough rear clearance to remove the splined transmission main shaft from the engine? What looks good now, often doesn't work when you actually try it. Your best bet is to talk with an expert who actually installed a new clutch on your particular year and model.
It does look tight and I will pull motor out cause I don’t want to undo tranny then get stuck and do double work. I ask because its also said to do starter also is an engine removal job. With some very scraped knuckles I was able to remove and replace starter twice. Took less than 2 hours. So I was asking just in case someone has done it without removing engine. For me it’s always keep it simple. More things to go wrong.
So clutch hydraulics seem to operate but won't release the disc? If it truly has enough travel I've had this issue on cars that sat a long time. I jacked rear tires off the ground, pushed clutch in while in gear/running and had someone else drop it on the ground for me to break the disc loose.
Not sure. Seems super unlikely to me that the disc would ever get stuck to the flywheel or pressure plate but apparently it does.
I have a 92 Diablo, so have a little knowledge on this subject (although I have the older clutch design compared with the VT). Yes, the engine needs to come out to remove the gearbox and get to the clutch. It looks worse than it is, but you need the right hoist setup to remove it. It is easier than engine removal from a Countach (ask me how I know) but still a lot of work. I doubt you need to do this however. As it initially went into reverse and then into 1st gear, I don't think the clutch has rusted to the flywheel. Any leaks in the clutch system? My guess is that the slave cylinder seal may have failed. With the introduction of a few bubbles into the system, when you put the pedal in the clutch does not fully disengage, thus, it will not change gears as the transmission is under load. With the engine off, it will. My Testarossa had exactly the same symptoms, which was the clutch slave seal.
I'm gonna also go with a bad clutch slave. If the clutch was bad, you'd know it because it would slip & or chatter.
I thought slave cylinder too. I put new one in. No leaks. I have car on lift and when pressing the clutch The rod moves full travel. I’m not worried about pulling motor. I also have a gantry so I’m not worried about having right hoist. I was thinking pressure plate maybe lost it’s spring torsion
Same clutch, at least from original production, 94VT had Sachs clutch, Valeo started with the 96Roadster
Interesting, I always thought all VT models had a different clutch design. The flaw could also be at the master, ie it does not push enough fluid to fully release the clutch. Or even possibly an issue with the pedal mechanism. In theory it could even be a bad clutch hose, but I have never seen that. It still makes me think that the pedal movement is not resulting in full clutch movement.
Actually at some point in its life it’s been upgraded to the newer valeo type clutch. I looks like a newer transmission was put in it. At least I’ll have an easier time finding a clutch
I have had this issue on a couple cars before. If you start in gear and push the clutch, can you come to a stop? If you can, does the car pull away when the brake is released? I had a Testarossa that was doing this but it was a fresh clutch from another shop that did it all wrong. The clutch diaphragm could have failed and is causing some drag but isn't stuck. It doesn't take much drag to make shifting impossible. I do believe you are in for a new clutch assembly.
I tried to see if clutch was frozen and tried to break free the clutch plate to no avail. Well looks like new clutch assembly coming up. What is everyone’s take on a Kevlar clutch disc? I will document engine removal and clutch change in Lamborghini section if anyone wants to follow and see. Might as well switch out sensors and such when engine is out
To confirm operation, flushed and refilled the clutch reservoir with DOT4? And change all the water lines too, easier when no knuckle scraping involved at back of motor right above the clutch and use a heat shielding sleeve too as that main feed is close to the headers. And, don't forget to refresh all the mounts (transmission and engine). Kevlar is fine, if you already have a Valeo then maybe send it out for a full rebuild? Apparently gte-engineering.com offers that service.
Yes I flushed and refilled with dot4. I put car on lift before I tried breaking free clutch plate and had someone press clutch inside car while underneath it. Pedal movement and external fork movement seem fine to me. So it’s internal. Either as post above said either the clutch disc springs not working anymore or just a pressure plate losing its torsion in springs. I can’t think of anything else. When weather gets a little bit better I will tackle on taking the engine out. I already did alternator water pump and change hoses a couple years ago so those should be good. What I really want to change are the braided oil hoses as one blew on me a couple years ago so those I was very lucky
There's an inspection hole supposedly - can you have you someone operate the clutch pedal and see if there is release clearance?
Most likely that the rod between the master and slave is out of adjustment. But the clutch might be worn to a level that the throw of the slave is not long enough. If you need a new clutch, go with an OEM clutch. Replace motor mounts and all rubber hoses (especially the one at the front of the motor), spark plugs, wires and do a valve adjustment while the engine is out.
So today I finally got to taking engine out of car. Looking through the bell house openings I see what the issue is. It seems the pressure plate fingers are bent and throw out bearing not making full contact with pressure plate. Tomorrow or Monday I will be separating tranny from engine to see better. My question is what would cause this? I have owned this car for 15 plus years and car was never and has never been abused Image Unavailable, Please Login
So I split transmission apart and found what the issue is. Seems the adhesive rhat holds friction plate to disc loosened up and plates fell off. I think one of the plates doubled up and caused the pressure plate fingers to warp. Flywheel got gouged as well. Perhaps shoddy work or something else caused the plates to loosen up and fall Image Unavailable, Please Login
Im going to post the how to remove Diablo engine in the lambo subforum. It’s always good to keep a record of it
