Trooper Clutch Maintenance Discussion

rocmoc · March 5, 2009

I want to start this thread now hoping it is resolved BEFORE the maintenance is required. The CLUTCH! I believe/know one of the weak links as more performance is added to the Trooper is the clutch.

What is the replacement? I have no idea and will not be replacing with the factory clutch. My fall back plan is to take the clutch to a clutch shop and have it rebuilt with strong pad material and possibly strengthen the pressure plate. IDEAS!

rocmoc n

Lenny · March 5, 2009

Getting the clutch out has got to be a major effort.

Lenny

rocmoc · March 5, 2009

Just have to pull the engine. Done that before!

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

Russ · March 5, 2009

I was wondering if anyone has had many problems with the clutch? How long, on average, do they last under normal circumstances?

rocmoc · March 5, 2009

Someone a while back on the Arizona site had lost a clutch. There was never a follow up post so not share if it was the real deal.

How long the clutch will last depends on the driver. The more you slip the clutch the shorter the life of the clutch. I am placing a greater demand on my Trooper with the larger tires thus the concern to try and have a solution. I am trying to slip it a little as possible but on one hill last weekend things got really wicked. I had to slip the clutch in a major way for the first time ever and this raised my awareness of a future need to replace the clutch. I personally have never blown a clutch in my lifetime on anything.

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

rocmoc · March 8, 2009

No clutch ideas?

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

Anylizer · March 21, 2009

Hi guys... haven't been around for awhile.... "snowmobile season" Will offer some input here. We have a real bad dust problem here in N.E. Nevada. We call it "bug dust" pure flour somtimes gets to be 1-2 ft. deep. What I have seen from a couple of customers is that enough of this bug dust gets piled up in the pressure plate and it won't release when you step on the pedal. I think the bell housing needs to be seal a little better, possibly w/ silicone sealer. as far as a replacement clutch assy. I thought possibly Center Force might be able to cross over or make a good clutch for us. I just haven't had an opertunity to ck it out yet. I also believe that the pressure plate clamping force could be increased which would be better yet. One problem I see w/ this is the clutch slave cyl. mounting would need to be reinforced to keep it from flexing when applying theclutch pedal. My .02

Lenny · March 31, 2009

Been reviewing post to better consolidate them into specific subject areas. Ran across this post and now that I have the bigger tires, I can relate real well to rocmoc. My first thought would be to see how much extra clearance there is in the bell housing oround the clutch. Possibly we could adapt a larger diameter clutch to fit into the available space. Going to a larger diameter will be the first thing I look at when the time comes. Then with stronger springs and better friction material I think we coluld resolve the potential problem for good. IMHO

Lenny

flatbed · April 7, 2009

I think we could use a cerramic clutch with a better preasure plate and be fine, A lot of the cup cars use 8" clutches, we also use small clutches in dragsters, they are just multiple disk.

Lenny · April 7, 2009

Not to lighten the clutch issue, there is one thing I mentioned before that would go a long way is getting rid of a lot of work the clutch has to do. Today I picked up four sets of planitary gear sets that came out of the older 350 Chevy automatics. These planitary gear sets give an aprox 3:1 gear reduction. They look pretty tough and have all roller bearings and have 4 planitary gears for good strength. All gears are helical cut for smooth meshing. My plan is to see if I can come up with a way to put one at each wheel with a lockout system so I can switch them off so to speak when not needed. When rock crawling with the big tires, I'm working the clutch real hard at times. A lot of these times I would prefer to just crawl, I mean really slow crawl. The planitary gears would allow me to do this while taking a lot of stress off the driveline. So far I have $55 into all four planitary sets including input center gears and output splined shafts. The guy had a bunch of them, an old transmission shop. I'll keep everyone informed.

Between this and flatbeds clutch shop, we'll be able to get Bull Dozers unstuck.

Lenny

ksimpsy · April 7, 2009

Lenny I will be first in line to buy a setup from you when you get that working.

buffalocreekmudslinger · June 7, 2009

I was wondering if anyone has had many problems with the clutch? How long, on average, do they last under normal circumstances?

i havnt had any problems but i was in a mud hole and was playing in it and i filled it up full of mud and had to pull it and clean it up but i put a new one in it and just put the old one up it was in good shape though. that dang driveling goes right through the bellhousing and when your in mud it sucks it right up and filles it up with it.

FlyCanadianGuy · June 12, 2009

i havnt had any problems but i was in a mud hole and was playing in it and i filled it up full of mud and had to pull it and clean it up but i put a new one in it and just put the old one up it was in good shape though. that dang driveling goes right through the bellhousing and when your in mud it sucks it right up and filles it up with it.

How much was the new clutch?

buffalocreekmudslinger · June 12, 2009

How much was the new clutch?

i got it under warranty beleave it or not

ksimpsy · June 16, 2009

i havnt had any problems but i was in a mud hole and was playing in it and i filled it up full of mud and had to pull it and clean it up but i put a new one in it and just put the old one up it was in good shape though. that dang driveling goes right through the bellhousing and when your in mud it sucks it right up and filles it up with it.

I just got back from a weekend trip and had a bit of clutch issues. Firstly, I got into a really tight spot and smoked it a little bit but not bad I just think that if we had a stronger clutch unit I wouldn't have had a problem. this will really be a concern with more torque. secondly I was riding in a bunch of clay mud type holes and after a while i noticed that i couldn't got the trooper into gear because it wouldn't stop turning so i had to shut the unit off to change between forward and reverse. so this cut my day short and I had to return to camp to consume some beers. but on my way i stopped in the river to wash off and as usual i drive in so the water is almost over the rockers and leave the trooper running. after cleaning up I left the river and carried on but all of a sudden my clutch worked like new. It is obvious now that in all the mud I packed the pads full of mud and the river cleaned it up. I sure wish I knew this before I headed back to camp.

My idea for a solution would be to seal off the bellhousing and put 2 snorkels on it to circulate air to keep the clutch cool and dry.

sorry about the long story I will try to get pictures of my predicaments.

rocmoc · June 16, 2009

ksimpsy, Daven at Farr Offroad in Farmington, NM, Tel # 928-242-2709 has found a aftermarket upgrade, met him at the UTV Rally. Good guy, give him a call & a little business. He did a lot of legwork to find a replacement. I think the clutch was made by Performance Friction. Good vendor, I have used their brakes on my race cars and presently have them on my truck.

Side note: getting closer to working on the Trooper. Toyhauler is fixed and son is coming this weekend to help me with the new roof. After that the Trooper moves up to number two on the To Do List.

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

ksimpsy · June 16, 2009

rocmoc, is this clutch beefier with better friction pads and a stronger holding pressure?

thanks, Kevin

rocmoc · June 16, 2009

Daven was working with a clutch specialist and the indication was it was a stronger & better clutch. I will be putting one in myself while the trans is out. Sure can't be weaker!

rocmoc n Mexico

buffalocreekmudslinger · June 16, 2009

I just got back from a weekend trip and had a bit of clutch issues. Firstly, I got into a really tight spot and smoked it a little bit but not bad I just think that if we had a stronger clutch unit I wouldn't have had a problem. this will really be a concern with more torque. secondly I was riding in a bunch of clay mud type holes and after a while i noticed that i couldn't got the trooper into gear because it wouldn't stop turning so i had to shut the unit off to change between forward and reverse. so this cut my day short and I had to return to camp to consume some beers. but on my way i stopped in the river to wash off and as usual i drive in so the water is almost over the rockers and leave the trooper running. after cleaning up I left the river and carried on but all of a sudden my clutch worked like new. It is obvious now that in all the mud I packed the pads full of mud and the river cleaned it up. I sure wish I knew this before I headed back to camp.
My idea for a solution would be to seal off the bellhousing and put 2 snorkels on it to circulate air to keep the clutch cool and dry.

sorry about the long story I will try to get pictures of my predicaments.

any ideas how to seal the bell housing cause the driveline goes right thru it? i tryed to wash mine out i couldnt get it clean enough had to pull the eng man was that a pain.

rocmoc · June 16, 2009

any ideas how to seal the bell housing cause the driveline goes right thru it? i tryed to wash mine out i couldnt get it clean enough had to pull the eng man was that a pain.

Not yet, but I will be pulling my engine next month and will get back to you. BUT, any tricks or pains you can share about pulling the engine. I am going to take digital pics of all the wiring and present state of the engine to help with the reinstall. What should I look out for?

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico