Is this the most bent Clutch Diaphragm you've ever seen? (PIC)

This is on my 2005 TRD Sport 6-Speed V6 4.0 with 115k mi on (I believe) the OEM clutch.

I've been googling images of bent clutch diaphragms, fingers, etc and haven't found any that look quite like this. Has anyone here seen something this bad?

Backstory:

This was while offroading (sort of). I was doing some 4wd and 2wd launches on some asphalt right before it turned to dirt, some 4lo donuts, not really dumping the clutch too much, but still probably heating things up a bit down there. I did a 4lo donut (in dirt, of course), jabbe the clutch to shift into 4th, and the pedal stuck to the floor. No leaks at the master cylinder or slave cylinder, but I bled it out on the trail anyways.

I had about 2/5 of clutch travel still working, so I was able to limp it home by starting it in gear, but it was still grabbing a lot, so it would shudder until I got the rpms up, rev match shift, then limp coast to a stop in neutral and kill the engine, putting it back into gear to start again.

The pedal would go to the floor with *not much* resistance. Sometimes it would stick to the floor, but most of the time it would spring back. So that was a sign that the hydraulics were working. I wasted my time in clearing the system of fluid and removing both slave and master cylinders and checking them for leaks before removing the inspection cover and discovering the diaphragm was ruined. But this is what learning is for!

Hopefully this helps someone else out.

Really disappointed that this happened. I didn't think I was thrashing it *that* badly. Must have heated up the fingers until they gave up and bent.

 

What on earth is that thing with grooves that is resting against the clutch fingers? Those fingers spin. That appears to be at right angles to the direction of spin. Is it making a huge racket when you press the pedal?

 

the clutch fingers look fine to me. While I've not specifically seen a Tacoma one before, just the fact that they all appear the same is indication that they were made that way. Can't imagine them being all 'damaged' with that same precise set of bends.

If you have proven the hydraulics to be in order (measure of slave stroke, fork engagement, fork movement?) it sounds more like you may have cooked the disc face. During replacement, be sure and inspect the flywheel for burning/cracks and if good, resurface.

 

Really? So this is normal?

That's the input shaft to the transmission. I'm assuming you never see that when it's not broken, since it's hidden by the fingers. It doesn't make any noise at all.

Disclaimer - I have no experience with transmissions, and this will be the first time I've seen a clutch in place, so I don't know what things are supposed to look like.

 

Of course what you show in the video is not normal.

If your fork flops around like that it there could be a broken ball stud or the fork retention components broken. Here is a simple diagram of how a fork positions.

https://www.google.com/search?q=how..._bJ4NAJYM:&usg=__zuIj7Fg0v5fQqa9hpE4xRtkY6gQ=


All I'm suggesting is the 'fingers' themselves in your first picture appear too consistently shaped to all have been bent like that via a failure. While lots of online pictures will show fairly flat fingers for various applications, you can also find ones that look like what you picture.

 

Okay, so I looked at all the pictures of replacement clutch kits available on Rockauto, and this definitely looks like the one:



So the fingers are definitely curved from the factory. I just never seen something like that, so that's why I was confused. But it still seems like my fingers are pushed in more than they should be...

Yeah I guess that makes sense. All the failed ones I've seen online have singular bent or broken fingers.

Looks like this transmission is a little different than what might be standard, ie what you pictured. The fork does not extend outside the bellhousing, and the slave cylinder is where the ball stud is in that diagram.

So regardless, I'm going to have to drop the transmission to get a better picture and to fix this thing.

 

While the actual assembly may be different, there still is likely a ball stud in place, as the fork should need a pivot point.

I agree dropping the trans will be the only solution, regardless of what's broken.

I'm gonna make a SWAG here and guess that the TOB is frozen, the fork mount is broken on the TOB end, and/or the ball stud is broken.

While most clutches treated well last 150-175k, I'd say you should do a full replacement since the labor is really in the R&R of the trans. Freshen everything up and be good to go for a long while.

 

Sounds like a plan. I'll update this thread when I get around to cracking the thing open. Thanks for your input.

 

OK, I am on a better display now (my macbook). Much clearer and you are obviously correct. It was distorted on the machine I was using, and appeared to actually be curved which looked really strange. My guess is that the problem is behind the clutch fingers, something in the TOB, ball joint, slave, fork, etc... Your video just looks wrong from the get-go. Looks sort of like the TOB is about 1/2 its normal length, or at least only reaching 1/2 as far toward the clutch fingers as it should... Obviously the transmission has to come off to figure this one out...

 

Check out the master and slave. I don't think there is anything wrong with the clutch.

From your video they all appear normal.

 

To add the diaphragm definitely isn't bent, completely normal. The throw out bearing appears normal and you didn't mention any noise. The throw out arm appears to be moving freely and again no noise. The throw of the arm also looks completely normal.

The only thing that would cause your complaint is a failed master or slave cylinder.

 

Well here it is, folks! Looks like most of the predictions were wrong. The mechanic I brought it to really thought it felt like it was the hydraulics, and it seems nobody believes me after I said I was certain it wasn't. So failure of this sort is pretty rare. The movement of clutch fork, and shape of clutch diaphragm was all normal.

So the dislodged chunk of clutch was sandwiched and catching and making it so it couldn't disengage fully. It's interesting that it didn't make any noise at all.

Definitely not the OEM clutch, so it's pretty new. It's a LuK clutch, so maybe stay away from them. Or also maybe refrain from driving your pickup like a race car. Yeah, that.

I am now running an Aisin clutch, $380 from my mechanic, and $500 for labor. Hope this helps somebody diagnose their clutch someday!

 

Thanks for the follow up and picture! Too many times we never hear the results of a thread like this. Your follow up allows a building of the collective knowledge of the group.

Other than 'exploded' clutches, (ones that created the need for scattershield blankets in drag cars) I'm not sure I've ever seen one broken quite like that. While my 'what' was broken was wrong, there certainly was something broken!

 

If the resolution wasn't here long before I even saw this thread, I was ready to guess precisely that. Chunk of debris wedged in between the disk and the pressure plate, holding it in a "disengaged" positions while still actually being engaged.

Also for the sake of interesting observations, LUK clutches are a real thorn in the sides of every 4-cyl Tacoma owner... ever. While not as prevalent on the 6's for problems, they are well established as manufacturing inferior products... and half of all Tacoma's ship with them from the factory.