Clutch again?

I have a 92 Saturn SL2, 5 speed manual. I put in a new clutch
(purchased at Advanced Auto Parts) in March of this year. It's been
fine until suddenly Thursday night...

- At the last stop sign before home, it was difficult to get back into
first gear
- As the clutch came out, there was a bad vibration and the RPM count
seemed atypically high
- It did go and made the last two blocks. The smell was a burning
smell, but not so much oil. It reminds me more of burning aluminum
(like in an electrical fire)
- The transmission case fluid was at the add pint line, so we added a
pint.
- I coaxed it into first and even 2nd and reverse.
- I looked at it on blocks - no sign of any extra fluid loss
- There is vibration in the clutch pedal even in neutral
- After a little RPM runups, the vibration is largely gone, but the
clutch is slipping badly; I can let the clutch out with the break on
and it doesn't kill the engine

- One other piece of background: I slopily let the engine oil get
down to 1 QT below the add point (i.e., I put 2 quarts in). The
engine seems to be running fine now, however.

Question: What might have caused the short term bad vibration? Is it
plausible that I just got a bad clutch? What might I have done wrong
when I put the clutch in to cause it to go south in 8 months?

Thanks for any thoughts!

Thomas.

 

Sounds like the clutch disc came apart. What might you have done wrong
to cause it to fail so soon? You bought a cheap clutch made in China.
Doesn't matter if it has a lifetime warranty. Are you going to risk
replacing it with the same piece of crap? I hope not. Replace everything
you bought at Advanced Auto Parts with dealer or KNOWN GOOD aftermarket
parts like ACT.

 

I'm not likely to replace it with the same unit. Is ACT a brand or a
chain? Where would I go for ACT?

 

ACT is a brand that has been around for quite a while. Here is a link to
their web site:

http://www.advancedclutch.com/

They are not the only ones that make good clutches, but this is the
brand I have been using for over 10 years. I checked their site and they
don't have much of a selection for your car. What they do have is very
expensive (>$500).

Here is another site you can check out:

http://www.nopionline.com/nopistore/index.cfm

I checked some of the other sites I have used in the past and none of
them carry parts for Saturn cars. Most focus on Honda & Mitsubishi (two
cars I have sooped up).

Your best source for a good clutch might be Saturn. If you live in the
Phoenix area I might be able to help as I know someone that works at a
Saturn dealership.

 

I have an ACT clutch in my race car and it's way too expensive and overkill
for a regular street-driven car. I chose to put an OEM equivalent
replacement in my street car when it needed it. I'm not positive, but I
believe that OEM Saturn clutch may be a Luk unit, and I've seen these
available on eBay for around $150.

Lane [ lane (at) evilplastic.com ]