Burnt clutch again!, Any V-8 guys have bad luck with KEP too? Options

[wbergtho]

I have had my trans off & on so many times in search of a clutch package that will hold 470 ft lbs of torque (I've seen alot more...BTW) and all I wind up with are scorched pressure plates and burnt out discs. Last time KEP told me that they had to rebuild my entire 930 pressure plate and sold me their 6 puck racing disc...which coupled to a stage 1 pp...will hold 700 ft lbs of torque! Well....it did not!!!!! It lasted about 1.5 months of street driving and 7 runs at the drag strip. Sorry KEP, I'm not getting my moneys worth. I'm thinking of buying a Centerforce pp to see if is better that KEP's junk. Maybe a clutchnet disc...Hell, I'd rather put bubble gum in my bell housing before I try another KEP piece of shit! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

[jasons]

Just brainstorming.... Could your FW be at fault? For example if you had the FW re-surfaced and they didn't match the depth to mount the PP, you may not get enough friction.

[aircooledboy]

I had bad luck with KEP's kevlar disk. I understand that there can be issues with the break in, yada yada yada, but the PO was a pretty smart guy and he said he did it right. I got the car with about 9K on the disk, and it slipped like a beotch before I turned 10k. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) Heat warped the press plate, and I had to dumpster the whole mess.

[andys]

Bill,

My friend Terry has a 930/KEP setup behind a 500HP 383 SBC. No issues to date that I know of. He has had it out to Willow Springs several times already, so it has been driven hard.

Can't recall his handle, but the fellow with the tube frame 535HP car uses a 930; I'm sure he'll chime in with his experience.

Though yet to turn a wheel in anger, I'm using a Quarter Master 8 1/4" button flywheel/clutch assembly (bronze/ceramic friction).

Andy1

[sean_v8_914]

Im going with teh "flywheel cut too deep/not fully engaged" theory. I used to do burnouts in my 400 HP V8 every day for a year with no slippage issues. something is wrong in there, fix it before you fry your new Centerforce too

[drive-ability]

Since I went to a lower HP motor (320 / 350) I chucked my *** stuff and am using straight 930 PP and disk. This car isn't being hammered during clutch engagement, so it's working fine for me. I had the same feeling about *** and went to something I know is lighter but can trust. I had some odd problems with *** and just couldn't see banging my head on the same block wall anymore. I would check everything out and go to another brand.. I too had a kevlar disk and it chattered from the first engagement, what a pain in the ass, furthermore I sent everything (flywheel, T/O, disk and PP along with the pilot bearing) to *** and still had problems... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

[marks914]

My KEP stuff has been fine for 5 years now, no probs, even with the new higher power.

Mark

[jimkelly]

i do not think i ever read a bad word about ... until today. curous as to what others have to say but it looks like any actual or perceived ... flaw is specific to the sbc/930 transaxle combo ??

[byndbad914]

Can't recall his handle, but the fellow with the tube frame 535HP car uses a 930; I'm sure he'll chime in with his experience.

Hehe, dats me.

Damn Bill, you are definitely having issues with that setup for some reason. Are you using a stock bellhousing transaxle (they have 2 styles in case you weren't aware, a short bell in the first 2 yrs and then a long bell thereafter). I ask because I wonder if you have a short bellhousing trans, but it is really a long one cut down and maybe they f'd that up (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

Otherwise, when I ran my car in CA and then tore down for the tube chassis, my pretty new clutch had clearly marked hot spots which implied the PP or their flywheel wasn't perfectly flat and signs of spinning. They assured me it might have to "wear in" a bit which I thought was BS, but I just slapped it back together and figured screw it, I will run it 'til it breaks. Now that I am in CO I am down at least 100HP so I am not able to torque it as much, but it is still together and I hammer on it at the track. I plan on being at the track Thursday as well to hammer it some more.

You do a lot more driving than I do tho' so I may not be going thru these issues just due to the fact I don't put the miles on as fast and don't sit on the clutch much (no stop and go driving). In fact, I am so scared of the f'in thing when I drive it around town a bit I kick it into neutral for red lights and so forth and never sit on the TO bearing even.

My long term plan is if I have a clutch issue, I will yank the flywheel and send it to Tilton so they can make a dual-disc 7.25" "flywheel" for me which will probably cost a pretty penny. then WEVO has a hyd TO bearing for the 930 with dual disc setup and it is Tilton, so I intend to just tell tilton to set me up with the correct TO or get WEVOs, and run a Tilton dual-disc. That would hold your torque no problem, have a lighter clutch pedal feel, everything. But I bet that is around $2K in stuff, tho' I have $1100 or so in the Kennedy screwball setup.

[army dude]

Oh this is not good. I get my tranny tomorrow and am going with KEP stage 2 stuff. SHould I bother or just send it back and get something else.

I hope you get this figured out, I am looking up to ya'll for blazing the path. Best of luck!!!!

Ian

[andys]

What I noticed on the KEP 930 flywheel, was how very thin it was between the friction surface and the surface against the motor. To me, it looked like there's not much thermal mass there to withstand much in the way of street type driving. You could definately see a heat pattern of the surface of the steel. These are simply observations that I made, and may be of no concequence. This may however support what byndbad914 talks about with how much use it sees.

Andys

[LS6/914]

No problems with the KEP setup. Currently putting mine into a 415 Bill Mitchell custom for a buddy (it all goes to the daughters college fund) Ive never experienced any concerns. I would start measuring first and pointing fingers later.

[rick 918-S]

Don't have a 930 box but I have KEP stageII. I have 200 easy miles on mine. If I ever get a break from work and get my engine out I'll let you know what it looks like. Sorry to hear your still screwing with this.

I second the dept of the flywheel to the PP mounting surface. Check that depth twice.