Hey all,

I'm having a weird problem when engaging into first gear from a stop. It basically stutters. It feels like when you try to drive your car from a higher gear (2nd, 3rd, etc) from a stop and your car will stutter like crazy. But this happens when I'm trying to start in first gear.

Is it something with my clutch or tranny? Or is the TC? I do notice its worse when I drive my car for the first time like say when I wake up in the morning. The stutter gets slightly less after I've driven it for awhile. But once I don't drive the car for awhile, like 30 minutes, and then drive it again, the stutter starts back up. I also try to give it alot of throttle when engaging into first gear but it still stutters alot.

I currently have an ACT clutch in (had it for the past 6-7 months) and haven't had this problem until last week. I'm thinking it may be the clutch and tranny but I'm not sure how to diagnose it. Any input would be great. Thanks.

edit: Forgot to say that when shifting into 2nd, 3rd, and so on, it is fine. Just first gear is weird.

 

I'm pretty sure it's not a tranny problem. sounds more like a clutch engagement problem due to a broken clutch.

 

What mods do you have on the car? It sounds a little like the clutch may be dragging, or the airflow from the MAF is giving you trouble..

First before you get too concerned, if you have an aftermarket air filter assembly and intake pipe, try anchoring it better, the vibrations can confuse the sensor.. Then have your clutch line bled to make sure its fully disengaging and looks ok..

Has the weather changed significantly since you noticed the problem starting? And/Or did you have to disconnect thebattery or reset the ECU?

It doesn't sound like a transmission problem or transfer case problem, though a loud clunk putting it into first gear from a standstill could indicate a dragging clutch or a problem with the idler shaft / Selector / Synchro in first.. A clunk on downshifting INTO First from second is unfortunately pretty normal though..

 

Also, check very closely your MAF sensor, the couplers to your pipes, and for vacuum leaks from the intercooler pipes and diverter valve.. You could have a leak that only presents itself in those circumstances (though poor idle may also accompany it)

 

My current mods are TBE, 272/272 cams and gears set at (-4, -1), and also intake. Everything is tuned for. It has gotten colder but I never had this problem last winter when I had the same setup minus the cams. I will double check to make sure everything is anchored better. There definitely isn't any clunking noise. Just the stuttering when the car starts to move while engaging first gear.

 

if the stutter only happens while your slipping the clutch to get the car rolling, it sounds like the clutch. If you're not in gear, does it rev up smoothly and idle fine?

If so, everything points to the clutch. You most likely have some uneven surfaces on your clutch disc facing from either overheating it or aggressive driving.

 

Yea, the stutter happens when I'm slipping the clutch. And it does rev up smoothly and idle's perfect like stock.

 

It's the clutch IMO. If the clutch is new, you can resurface the pressure plate and flywheel along with the clutch disc and everything should be fine from there. A light sanding might even do the trick. It's a lot of work to pull the clutch, but if the studder is annoying enough, it may be worth it. If the clutch is about worn out anyway, might as well replace it.

 

Oh yeah.. That definitely sounds like the clutch.. Your original description wasn't that clear.. Either the surface got glazed or maybe something got on it causing it to engage unevenly and stutter..

 

its chatter dude, nothing to worry about

 

i had the same issue w/ the stock clutch.... to me it seemed to be build up of clutch material on the flywheel and was fixed by doing a hard launch (burn off some)... kinda the same way you "clean" your brakes... i noticed that it went away after that.

 

Hmmmm. I still have the stock flywheel in the car so is it possible that its warped and causing the stutter?

 

Did you have the flywheel resurfaced before you installed the new clutch?

 

Hmm.. I didn't tell the shop to do it so I'm assuming they didn't. Totally forgot about that. That sucks I forgot....

 

Did you jsut install your LSD (Quaife?)