Water ruined my clutch?

**getcha01** · 05-25-2009, 04:00 PM

I just installed my spec clutch and built T56 in february, and havnt even raced it yet...I only have boltons,LT headers,3in catless y-pipe, so nothing crazy, well the clutch was working great until 2 weeks ago I got caught in a downpour and could only do 30mph to see the road, then I hit prolly a 3in 50 ft long puddle and hydroplaned and water went over my windshield and all, and I was in 3rd gear and heard the rpm's go up. Well when I got to a stop sign and took off it revved to about 3,000rpm before clutch caught...the next day was even worse it would rev till 4,000rpm before catching, so I took it all back out after just having it in 3 months and there was carbon all over everything, my stock LS6 clutch I took out before didnt have much carbon anywhere at all and was shot....well I called spec cause my clutch is warrantied still, and they are bein good about it all, and he said sounded like water or hydraulic fluid got on disk...well the slave wasnt leaking, so I took it to the guy that did my tranny work, he very reputable with T56's, he said from the look of my bellhousing,disk,flywheel,and press plate he said he was 100% sure water got up in it, and he said he actually see's that a lot with vettes and F bodys....has anyone else had that happen?...its like someone dumped a cup of water on my disk and slopped wet carbon all over everything

**02cetransam** · 05-25-2009, 04:04 PM

I find this hard to believe

**Cutlass** · 05-26-2009, 04:10 PM

Yeah I've heard a wet clutch not gripping well but usually after the clutch dries out overnight it will work just fine. Offroad guys experience this occasionally.

**Y2KPewterSS** · 05-26-2009, 06:26 PM

I'm not buying the water ruined the clutch either. I would guess you not putting a new flywheel in has more to do with your ruined clutch than water.

http://ls1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113269

**getcha01** · 05-27-2009, 04:18 PM

This guy that built my tranny has built and delt with over 1500 T56 tranny's in vettes or F bodys, and he said when you have a daily driver car like that and you get caught in a storm just a half a cup of water can get into the starter hole or the slot in the bottom of the bellhousing and the hot press plate and flywheel get hit with cold water and it takes the heat tempering off, and thus is why the flywheel got ate into so bad and press plate is distorted....The stock LUK clutch I took out last year had about 50,000mi on it and the stock flywheel was wore .007 thats it....so I had .005 taken out on the resurface and installed the shim that came with the spec clutch kit....they say its worthless to buy a new flywheel unless its wore .015...well I installed the spec stg 1 clutch and its been in for just 80 days and after I hit that huge rain in the road my check engine light flashed on and off all way home and clutch slipped...then next day it would hardly move, so it didnt dry out, after that 3inch deep puddle which is up to my oil pan and tranny plus I was going 30mph, it just pretty much made the disk like butter and threw drenthed clutch carbon all over, everythings covered....now its all dry but the flywheel is wore about .050, and the press plate is warped and the metal is like blue from the water hitting the hot metal is what my tranny builder said....spec is being nice about it and they said it has happened before too...I guess most of you have alternative vehicles or you arent forced to drive in tornados lol...it pretty much melted the flywheel away after the heat treating on it got weakend