Clutch/flywheel Gurus, What does this indicate? Options

[Joseph Mills]

The flywheel pictured below has 5k miles on it along with a new pressure plate, clutch disc, throw out bearing, etc.

Clutch slips under full immediate throttle from a healthy four.

What are all the "spots" an indication of?

[Thorshammer]

They are just what you think they are, Hot spots. See this flywheel is an alloy, a mixture of steels to form a given end product, Those spots are from heat. It is common on a clutch slipping problem as yours is. A couple things that will make a clutch slip. Oil, grease those are simple, But many times the flywheel is new to you but is "rebuilt". one of the most common issues is to get a Bus fylwheel instead of a 914 flywheel which can lead to some very odd clearance issues. If you take a straight edge the spots will be raised just slightly, You may need to have the surface machined.Or try this....

Get a rotary scotchbright pad and clean the flywheel surface, don't be afraid to rough it up a bit. The disc will polish it okay. In the workshop manual there is a depth measurement for the clutch disc surface and I suggest you check it. If the clutch surface has been machined and the pressure plate mounting has not it will reduce the clamping force on the disc. This could very well be the problem. Also, does the clutch pedal move freely and return completely, if not it can stick and reduce the pressure plate force.

When Installing a new disc, just a tiny tiny bit of lube on the pilot shaft is all thats needed, I mean tiny. After that the clutch is a pretty simple piece. Enough clamping force and the proper depth will work wonders. Hope this helps.

Erik Madsen