NV3500 Clutch Question

[SierraIndiaTango]

I have a 96 K1500 with, what I assume is the NV3500, codes say it is a "Manual 5 Speed Getrag 84mm 4.00 1 OD" all aluminum case, decided to replace the clutch since it was releasing at the very top of the pedal, and I thought I had another clutch

I have another NV3500, but it is an older style I suppose, since it has a slave cylinder pushing a clutch fork, rather than a hydraulic throwout bearing

my question is this, the clutch/PP in my truck are pretty far gone, cracks in the PP surface and the clutch is paper thin on each side(original clutch), I have a brand new clutch for the other NV3500, but it is slightly different, my clutch is about 12", the other is only 11" and the PP is different, it will all bolt together of course, but the fingers or, diaphragm are different, if you lay bother pressure plates face down, the original PP diaphragm is about a half inch shorter

I assume this would cause a clearance problem with the throwout bearing? I have never really dealt with a hydraulic throwout bearing setup before

not sure what year truck the other transmission came out of, or if it is indeed an NV3500, its a 5 speed with an all aluminum case as well, and it came from a 2WD truck of unknown year and make

thanks in advance

 

[sewlow]

Changing a clutch can be a bee-atch of a job. I wouldn't take a chance with parts of questionable origin, or unknown compatibity. It might work or it might not. I would suggest to get the right NEW parts & do the job right & only once. I hate taking apart something that I just spent a bunch of time putting together, because I tried to short-cut the job!

 

[LoudnLifted88]

you can get a clutch kit from advance auto for right around 130 ish i bought mine there a few months ago and i havnt had problems with it i would just buy the one that is the right one for your truck instead of trying to make one work it can be a pain. when you could buy the right one and be alset just make sure if you replace the throw out bearing you put it in the right way because i learned the hard way what happens. the clutch wont work right and youll have to pull the tranny again to fix it

 

[SierraIndiaTango]

This is all very true, changing the clutch is a bit annoying, but I have a racecar shop to work out of, so its not nearly as bad as it could be lol I have worked in the dirt before.. no fun

the hardest part about getting the transmission back far enough was the "quick connect" on the throwout bearing, it did NOT want to come off, I suppose the proper tool may have made it easier, but it did finally disconnect, I just slid the trans back far enough and strapped it secure, may be fun getting the alignment tool and everything back in, with the limited space

I will probably just buy a new kit from advance, I did not know they were that cheap to be honest, with a life time guarantee as well.. even though that seems odd for a clutch


what should I look for on the throwout bearing? I don't really know how to test it, it looks alright just pretty dusty thanks to the clutch, 175k miles on the factory clutch will do that I guess

 

[sewlow]

More important than the throw-out bearing is the cone on the front of the tranny that it slides on. Make sure that it is not scarred in any way. I always replace that when I do a clutch job. They're cheap.
If you buy a kit, just use the recommended compatible t/o bearing.

 

[LoudnLifted88]

the clutch kit from advance comes with the tool a new pilot bearing throw out bearing clutch disc and a pressure plate

 

[SierraIndiaTango]

I just got my clutch kit in today, it came with the clutch disc, pressure plate, pilot bearing, alignment tool, the little tool for disconnecting the hydraulic line, and a tiny pack of assembly lube

but nothing else, no throwout bearing and it was $250 something but I got it for $164 total, neither advance nor autozone could get the hydraulic throwout bearing it seems, I am a bit confused by this whole setup honestly, they kept saying they could get a slave cylinder.. but I did not think this year transmission had a slave cylinder, if it does.. I sure did not see it lol

the other NV3500 I have does indeed have a slave cylinder, it bolts to the transmission and pushes the clutch fork, my transmission just has a braided steel line that goes into the bellhousing and attaches to a hydraulic setup that pushes the throwout bearing, which seems to be part of the whole setup, I took a picture of what I am talking about http://i.imgur.com/03Zm3.jpg not sure why it came out so huge, but oh well

that is whats inside my transmission right now, it has some surface rust on the throwout bearing, but when I first removed the trans, it was nice and shiny albeit very dusty, small groove worn into it but nothing too deep, could someone explain what I am looking at exactly? my best guess.. would be that the thing with the lines running into it, is considered the "slave cylinder" for this setup, and it pushes the whole spring loaded deal forward just like a clutch fork would, but is it possible to remove the throwout bearing? tried to get it off and it does not seem to move, is it just stuck? or is it built into the whole setup

again, the truck drove fine but the engagement was at the very top of the pedals travel, and in 4th or 5th gear, if you gave it too much gas it would slip, the old clutch disc was worn down paper thin on each side, pressure plate was also worn pretty bad with stress cracks and lots of heat discoloration

 

[Dangermandan843]

My question is… do I need a clutch fork

 

[Dangermandan843]

I have a 1993 z71 that I’ve recently put a jasper 350 in, the 700r4 shift solenoids are now failing and I have a nv3500 with an internal slave cylinder . I don’t know if I need a clutch fork or not , I’ve never installed a clutch before and need some pointers for my swap

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

I have a 1993 z71 that I’ve recently put a jasper 350 in, the 700r4 shift solenoids are now failing and I have a nv3500 with an internal slave cylinder . I don’t know if I need a clutch fork or not , I’ve never installed a clutch before and need some pointers for my swap

If it's internal slave there is no fork. You do need a new pedal assembly though. Also master cylinder and hydraulic line.

It's fairly simple. You need to install a pilot bearing into the end of the crank. Bolt on the flywheel and torque to spec, I recommend red loctite on the bolts. Stick the alignment tool in the disk and hold them against the flywheel. Then the pressure plate assembly goes loosely on. Double check alignment tool and make sure everything is good, and then torque it down. I also recommend loctite on the pressure plate bolts.