Clutch won't disengage after torque tube replacement

[robertearl]

2000 Corvette 6 speed

My vette started making odd clunking noises when I would first let out the clutch. These became louder and I thought that it might be the front bearing on the torque tube or the throw out bearing. I pulled the torque tube out and discovered that the front rubber coupler was destroyed and that in the process, it had really scored the inside of the torque tube and gouged the mounting lobes for the coupler. Since the inside of the torque tube was really scored up, I bought a used torque tube off of a 99 vette.

When the replacement torque tube showed up I pulled it apart to check the couplers and to my surprise, the couplers were new and it looked like the propeller shaft had been reworked and balanced out. I put it back together and then I noticed that when I had tapped the shaft back in place, it had pushed the bearing on the input end out about 1/2 an inch. I tapped the bearing back into place flush with the end of the torque tube. This is the first time I had messed with a pre 2000 torque tube and noticed that there did not seem to be a circlip or anything holding the front bearing in place. Is this correct on a 99? Also I did not tap it back into place till it bottomed out as it seemed to keep going in. I just stopped when it was about 1/64 of an inch passed the front of the tube. Should I tap it into place untill it bottoms out on a ridge or just when it is flush? The shaft turns smooth and I do not detect any play in the bearings.

I did not replace the slave or the pilot bearing as the clutch was working fine when I started to tear it down. ( Yes I know I should have. ) When installing the torque tube, I had to use a C-Clamp to pull it the last 3/4 of an inch. It did not take a lot of force on the C-Clamp but I could not just shove it into place by hand.

After I had it back to gether, I used about 1/2 pint of fluid to bleed the clutch. I have a remote bleeder on the slave and I bled it untill there were just a few micro bubbles coming out which I assumed was just air leaking around the threads of the bleed screw. The clutch peddle pressure seems normal.

Well the clutch will not disengage. Just to see if it might be dragging a little on the pilot bearing, I put the car in first gear and hit the starter with the brake on. The car lurched forward with force. ( Not a little drag on the clutch but like it was fully engaged. )

I don't think bleeding some more is going to help this problem but I would like some ideas on what it might really be. I checked and the slave is the same for all years of the C5 so it is not the wrong slave. Could I have destroyed the pilot bearing and it is what is doing this? ( When I pulled the torque tube in with the C-Clamp, it did not take a lot of force turning the C-Clamp ) Could it just be that the slave failed on me?

I will tear it back apart and install a new pilot bearing and slave but would like not to repeat this problem and find out for sure what it is before I put it all back together again.

Thanks

Reb

[c4c5specialist]

HI there,

There is definately 1 of 2 things happening.

#1, the master cylinder failed.

#2, you have air in the lines.

Those are the only 2 things that can create this condition your speaking of.

Since you do not have a leak, that is not an issue here.

Allthebest, c4c5