355 Clutch

I’m a fairly recent owner of ’95 355 (Have had it for a couple of years, in which time I’ve put on around 3K miles) and was curious, what is the typical life of clutch on a 6 speed 355 driven by someone who knows how to drive a standard (learned how to drive on a standard and I dont slip the clutch excessively etc.)?

I got my car with about 30K miles on the clock and was over due for it’s major. I have since done the major, the rear shocks, a thermo coupler in the exhaust, an alternator, had my exhaust manifolds rebuilt (just did that) and now it appears my clutch is starting to slip (at higher rpms in 5 or 6 gear, under throttle, I see the power drop and the revs jump). To be honest I’m feeling a little frustrated with this car right now, I mean I love the car but am feeling a little beat up financially. Out of curiosity, what should I expect to pay to have the clutch done?

If I tackle this myself, what should I be looking out for? I hear I can have my clutch rebuilt, who performs such a service? and what should it cost? or should I just buy new?

Sorry for all the questions!

-Michael

Michael,

Don't give up.

It's a really easy job. I can e-mail you really good instructions. You do need a special 60mm adapter to remove the clutch kit from the housing. I can let you borrow it. You do need a air compressor and air tools to remove it.
I found removing the exhaust the hardest part.
You don't have to take bumper off
You don't need clutch alignment tool
You must repack clutch while you are there
You must change the triple seals
You can resurface both clutch discs for about 50 bucks usd
The triple sealing rings you can get from ferrari uk as well as the grease for Flywheel
You can buy a new clutch and FW for about 3000 usd installed at a dealer but why bother if the FW, and intermediate plate and pressure plate are good.

If you are not wanting to resurface the clutch then here are a medium to high price for a clutch kit. I am not sure which one your car uses.

http://shop.vendio.com/sodacom/item/...963/index.html $253.00

http://shop.vendio.com/sodacom/item/...468/index.html $780.00

I suspect the original owner was not good at shifting. I have gotten 40-60 on the 308 clutch and 50-60 on a 348 and 40-50 on a 355 clutch.

It should not take more then 4-6 hours of honest work to replace a clutch. That includes beer and "I need to go buy this tool" time.

Sam

"If I tackle this myself, what should I be looking out for? I hear I can have my clutch rebuilt, who performs such a service? and what should it cost? or should I just buy new? "

I forgot to answer some of these...
Yes you can do it yourself
Look out for yourself. Don't panic when working on it. It's not made out of glass.
You can have it resurfaced. A good auto parts store can recommend a place for resurfacing.
I would buy it new.}

Sam,

I appreciate the support, it's funny I have several hot rods that I have always done my own work on, but I was somewhat intimitated by the F car. If I am to keep it, then I have to start working on it myself, so I am going to tackle this job. I recently purchased the workshop manuals and will check those for the specs on FW, inter and pressure plate, so I will know if they need to be redone.

I would love to see your instructions and take you up on your tool loan offer. I need to figure out when I can tackle this (trying to get another car back together) and then I will touch base on the tool.

Thanks again for the help!

-Michael

Michael,

sorry to hear about your Ferrari woes.

agree a clutch job on a 355 is just work.

Remove Rear Valance/Bumper
Remove Rear Muffler
Remove Bell Housing
Replace Clutch
Check TO & Inspect Clutch Slave Seals for Leaks (repair as necc)

reverse process.

Unless you know that your Flywheel has leaked all it's grease and needs to be repacked, I'm not sure I would recc disturbing the seals. If for sure it's leaked (clanks loudly on start-up & shut-down), then a dissassembly and repack may be in order. The Flywheel rebuild operation is in the archives with photos.

I agree with JR, if the FW grease has not left its sealed compartment; leave it alone. You can tell in a snap once the FW assembly is removed.

As far as the typical life of a clutch; a good driver can get 80K+ miles out of a clutch, while a sloppy driver might only get 20K miles, and a drag racer might only get 1000 miles out of one. Clutches wear when power is transmitted with the clutch is in the friction zone. Don't transmit power while the clutch is between disengaged and engaged and your clutch will have a long life indeed. BTW I have over 20K miles on mine including 5K miles on the race tracks I frequent.

Also...Sam

not meaning to step on your toes about procedures, however for a first time DIY'er I think it's important for them to take the long slow careful approach and give themselves lots of working room and access to assemblies. Once someone is completely familiar with an entire operation, if they choose to take short cuts more power to them.

My 355 has 30k on it ... and completed a full major ~ 2k ago. It has a very slight rattle on shut down ... 3 or 4 rattles if that makes sense. No clutch slipping ... is it worth pulling the clutch down now for the 'slight' rattle, or could it wait until Jan/Feb for the bad weather ... probably another 800 miles.

wait!

the rattle on shutdown is a telltale sign...but certianly not a reason to panic.

What should I expect to pay for a replacement clutch? who would you recommend going through? and what do you think of the reconditioned ones? finally, should the slave cylinder also be replaced?

-Michael