I need help with my new Stealth

I bought a 91 stealth earlier this week, and I am having a couple issues. I think my main concern at this time is the clutch. I'm not sure though because I've never seen a clutch act like this. First, I get a little grind going into 3rd at medium to high RPM's. Second, the clutch is grabbing the last 1- 1 1/2" of the pedal. The pedal is almost all the way out before it starts to grab. There isn't any lag time in the shift either. It's either in gear or out which makes it hard to control shifts. It feels like the car slowly gains power after the shift. I seems to get worse the more I drive it. It almost has 175k miles. I am up in the air as to the real reason for the problem. Could it be the clutch, slave cylindar, clogged fluid line, or a bad tranny??
I'd appreciate any help I can get.

Thanks,

The clutch issue could be a few things.
But the grinding is the synchros. They are old, and commonly get worn and cause grinding issues. They can be purchased at Kormex pretty cheaply and you can find a local shop to swap them. Youngvr4 had this done awhile back, so he might be able to give you specifics on that.

As far as the clutch, have you checked the fluid levels? Have you toyed with the adjustment screw at the pedal? Are you sure it's a stock clutch and not some aftermarket one?

I have an RPS streetmax clutch (used to have the 6 puck) and both grab pretty good, and are a lot stiffer to push in than the stock clutch. The 6 puck was either grab or not. It was very touchy.

I second the comment on checking the adjustment rod.

I just did some brake work a couple days ago. So, the fluid level was fine. I actually had to take some out after replacing the pads.
Is this adjustment rod you are talking about right at the clutch pedal?? I didn't even know it was equipped with that kind of adjustment. Are there any adjustments at the tranny itself for these things?? As far as the clutch itself, I have no idea if it is stock or not. The guy that sold me the car wasn't even the one who owned it. He couldn't tell me alot about the car. He only talked about a couple recent repairs. The owner had moved to Cali, and he was just wanting to get rid of it. So, he had a friend sell it for him.
What about the fact that the clutch seems to get worse the more I drive it??
I had an idea the syncros were probably bad. You have to rebuild the tranny for that. Don't you??

Rhino

PS - Would anyone have any idea where I could track down a Haynes manual or maybe a good website that has the cars specs and mechanical steps for repairs??

There is no Haynes manual.

Also the clutch fluid has its own resevoir. It doesnt share one with the brake fluid.

Where is the clutch fluid res.?? I hadn't seen an extra res anywhere!! It looks like the line is running right to Master cylinder from what I could tell.
Do you know of any manuals for a 91 stealth??
Rhino

www.3sxperformance.com sells manuals.

The clutch resivoir is to the right of the brake booster if you are looking at the engine bay from the front of the car.

Where is the clutch fluid res.?? I hadn't seen an extra res anywhere!! It looks like the line is running right to Master cylinder from what I could tell.
Do you know of any manuals for a 91 stealth??
Rhino

http://www.manualcd.com/

http://www.manualcd.com/

Any idea how much they are charging for this, or which option would be for the Stealth?? I'm guessing the 3S.
They have online ordering disabled. So, I'm just curious as to the cost.

Rhino

www.3sxperformance.com (http://www.3sxperformance.com) sells manuals.

The clutch resivoir is to the right of the brake booster if you are looking at the engine bay from the front of the car.
I found the res.!! The level actually looks ok. It was between the fill lines, but a little closer to the min. line. So, I am going to add more to it. I don't think it will make a difference since it isn't that low. That takes brake fluid right?? Kind of a stupid question, but you never know.:iceslolan
I am planning on looking for the clutch adjustment at the pedal tonight. I would appreciate any advise I could get on making that adjustment. I'd hate to make it worse!!!!

Rhino

Yes it takes brake fluid. Be sure not to spill any on paint, as it will ruin the paint.
The adjustment rod is by the clutch pedal. You break the locknut loose, then spin the rod to adjust the pedal to your liking.

You may also want to bleed the clutch afterwards. Find the bleeder nipple, hold a bottle up to it, loosen the bleeder, have friend push in pedal, let some fluid with air flow into the bottle, tighten bleeder, have friend lift up pedal after the bleeder is closed. Repeat until satisfied.

here's the site for the synchro's
you dont need to rebuild the trans, just install the blocking rings
http://www.kormextrans.com/index.php

Any idea how much they are charging for this, or which option would be for the Stealth?? I'm guessing the 3S.
They have online ordering disabled. So, I'm just curious as to the cost.

Rhino


I paid about $30.00. It'll be cheaper than buying the actual manual that's for sure. As far as what's on the CD, go to the FAQ section. And yes, you would be buying the 3s CD.

here's the site for the synchro's
you dont need to rebuild the trans, just install the blocking rings
http://www.kormextrans.com/index.php

Young, I've heard you talking about the blocking rings before...are the blocking rings the same thing as the synchros or 2 different things!?! :rolleyes:

its the blocking rings you want
they call em synchro's, i guess cause its part of the synchro
when you order them, you ask for blocking rings.

Thanks guys!!!!! I appreciate all the help!!!! Of course, I am always open for more. :lol:
I looked up under the dash to see what was there tonight, but I didn't tinker with it. Family was callin' lol
All I did was feel around on the spring assembly, and it actually drove a little better for a while. I think the lock nut is loose. I feels like it is working it's way back to how it was. I'll tear into it tomorrow. It was a long day.
This is actually my first compact racer. I have built many v-8's, but never one like this. It's a little different beast. I took this on for a challenge and to learn something new. Besides, I've always had a facination with the sport imports. They are so cool!!!! The big rigs with huge detroit muscle are nice, but lets see them take a corner at 90. I have pics of my car if anyone is interested. I might add them to my profile if I can figure out how. lol
Like I said, I am planning on going through the whole car. I've already set aside a list of around 15,000 without a new motor. I have big plans. My dream car is a Viper, but I can settle for the innovator for now. :cwm27:

Rhino

With 15 grand, you can have a Stealth TT that would spank Vipers on teh road. By the way, I'm not sure if you mentioned, did you get a NA stealth, or a Twin Turbo?

It's actually NA SOHC FWD. Motor was supposed to have been replaced at 60k. That's about all I know of it. I am trying to contact the person that owned it (I never met him). I know, it could be much better, but I only gave $1800 for it. Couldn't pass it up!! I just posted a pic. Nothing special yet.

The plan is to find a twin turbo to put into it. Of course, the 15k was for ALOT of aftermarket work (suspension, body, tranny, and etc.)

There is no way the twin turbo would take a Viper in a straight line. I've just been facinated with both since they were released. You guys do know that the whole design for the Viper was based off the Stealth!!

Dodge just decided they were going to take control of the design and take it their own direction. The Stealth was such a big success they had to keep it going!!!

Where did everybody go??

Did I offend you guys or something???

:crying::crying:

Hey, welcome to the forum! As someone said before, read the FAQs, TONS of good info, especially for new owners.

good luck with the clutch/tranny, man!