JUDDER ????

[PENNEYTOM]

Taking the car out for longer drives (cruising around the SG valley in shaky CA), and noticing that after driving for about 30 - 60 minutes, the car starts to judder, shake, whatever, from 1st gear. Once rolling, everything fine, shifts smooth, and no prob in starting off in second. The clutch and cable were replaced by the PO about a year before I bought the car. The car runs fine for the first hour or so, then this starts. It's more annoying than anything else, but it's telling me something. Someone mentioned a bad motor or trans mount ?

Tom

[Tobi]

Hey Tom,
it seems like you are getting oil from the crank on the clutch.
Tobi

[So Cal Mark]

a oily clutch could be the problem or broken trans mount or worn center support

[manoa matt]

Those exact symptoms sound like what was happening to boodiedude. 1st gear would shake violently, but once moving it would not be a problem.

The car had been sitting for 10 years. We decided to replace the clutch plate, and throwout bearing and the pilot bearing, and while we were at it we replaced the rear main seal and the trans input seal.

After we took the trans, clutch, and flywheel out I noticed a bunch of red dust around the pilot bearing. Put my finger in there and tried to spin it. Like it was filled with gravel instead of ball bearings.

The clutch disc was worn, but we never realy inspected it for oil saturation. It was one of those "while you are at it" situations, so we replaced a bunch of parts. I can't say exactly what it was, but my guess was the pilot bearing.

[Tobi]

a oily clutch could be the problem or broken trans mount or worn center support

Wouldn't a broken trans mount or worn center support show right away when you start driving and not after 30 to60 minutes???http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/posting.p ... =3&p=72869#

[Tobi]

Ok, this is slightly of topic but how do you use the smileys?

[So Cal Mark]

any of those problems could/would/should show up prior to 30 minutes of driving
Just click on the smiley you want to insert. It will insert at the point your cursor is blinking

[boogiedude]

I'm with Matt on this, it sounds exactly like what my car did when I first got it. Pilot bearing

[Tobi]

thanks Mark

[PENNEYTOM]

Thanks for the suggestions. I hope to work on it this weekend, and first checking the trans mount. I'm thinking, if oil was passing the crank and getting onto the clutch plate, I'd see a drip or oil stain on the garage floor? So I guess I'll start with the easier stuff and hope it will be a simple fix.

Tom

[majicwrench]

To say it's this or that is really just guessing. Any number of things associated with the clutch can cause a shudder. The reason it takes a while to show up, it just takes that long to get whatever hot enough. Could be pressure plate issues, flywheel surface, clutch disc. Certainly mount might be contributing. Pilot brg wouldn't be my first guess.
Keith

[So Cal Mark]

usually a bad pilot bearing will make high rpm shifting difficult