Hi !

My name is Ben and I live in Belgium, Europe. (never mind my writingfaults)
I recently fitted SR flywheel and ACT clutch.
This kit came with a SKF release-bearing wich looked nice and well made.
It even looked better than the original one wich I removed.
(I will try to add a picture)

After first start-up, I could get the car into gear, and it was even drivable without having to adjust the clutch-pedal. (reverse was a problem)
The first thing that I noticed whas a continous rattle from the drivetrain.
To me it sounded like the bearing was not loose from the pressure plate.

So I decided to adjust the clutch-pedal.
I needed the clutch to be engaged further (for smoother shifting) and also some more pedal play.
Adjustments are straight-forward and was done in five minutes.
I adjusted for max. pedal stroke and then adjusted for minimum pedal play. (about 5mm pedal play)
Gear-engagement is smoother and seems fine. (reverse is still a bit tricky, but I can live with that)

What does drive me mad is the continous rattle which I hear during driving and at idle. (clutch not engaged)
To me is sounds like the bearing wich keeps on rotating during driving and does not come loose from the pressure-plate.
If I keep on driving like this, will the bearing brake ?
I've adjusted the pedal to it's maximum, so what else can I do ?
Anyone else experianced the same problem ?

I also replaced the cilinder-line to a SS version.
Maybe I need to bleed again for an even better engagement.
(this won't solve my bearing-problem tough)

Some advice please !

Thanks

Ben

 

Just in case you don't have the spec for clutch pedal free-play it is .2-.59 inches, that is, 2 tenths to 6 tenths of an inch at the pedal. There have erroneous specs offered in the past. Also re-bleed the clutch line as you mentioned. Make sure your PPF is very tight on all nuts and check for loose tunnel braces. Don't forget the exhaust manifold brace, either. I have the same setup as you and I experienced the same disengagement issue that you have until I adjusted the pedal properly. The rattle is a different story.

CRH

 

Thanks for the reply !
Those are also the figures that I have for the pedal-play.
Everything is exactly fitted back as previous, so that won't be the problem.
What setup did you used for your pedal ?
Did you needed to set it to it's maximum pedal-stroke ?
You don't experiance this bearing-rattle during driving or at idle ? (clutch not engaged)
Could it be possible that the (4) springs wich are mounted in the disc rattle ?

Thanks

B

 

I am using the factory specs for pedal adjustment. Typically, the shock springs in the disc won't rattle, although nothing is impossible. The only noise I might experience is a bit of throwout bearing noise when I slam the clutch pedal down and shift at 9,750 rpm's. I figure with what I have going on I can tolerate it until the next clutch goes in.

CRH

 

I'm actually using an Exedy organic stage 1 pressure plate and clutch with a stock flywheel. I'm also experiencing rattling noises, it's only really noticable when going in reverse or at low rpm's. Also, whenever I'm at high rpms and I push the clutch in, it sounds like a mettle against metal grind.

At this point I don't know what I'm going to do with the car, when I brought it into Mazda for service they didn't notice anything wrong. All they did was replace the shift fork, which to me makes no sense as shifting was not a problem for me before, and now it's actually harder to put it in 6th and reverse.

One thing is for sure, the RX-8's drivetrain isn't easy to work with.

 

Bart, I found the RX-8 drivetrain to be quite similar to the stuff I did when I was younger and dealing with domestic musclecars. Once you play with the car more you'll see just how easy and intuitive the parts placement is, whether under the hood or under the car. This is one of the simplest cars I have found to understand. Then again, I grew up wrenching on Mopars so that may have preparred me for the RX-8.

CRH