Dmf death

[BrianX128]

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

Truck is in neutral e brake on.

She's dead, no? That's about an inch of movement.

I despite having a transmission jack cannot do this. I tore my rotator cuff in my left shoulder 8 years ago playing baseball in college and it never healed right and I cant lift my left arm above my head well and I'm left handed.

How much money do you think I'll be out for this one? I know a shop that knows me and won't do me too dirty but it won't be free. Haven't called them yet. Probably smf it for cost I have a smf in my 6.9 and love it.

 

[Macrobb]

Is she slipping? An inch of movement isn't great, but I've seen that before. That's worn spring-ends allowing it to go further.
If you are getting clutch slipping, the problem is the "torque limiter" clutch pad built into the flywheel.

Clutch wise, a LuK SMF is totally the way to go. Absolutely no need for a "limited", clunky, failure-prone DMF.

 

[Mulochico]

I did mine last year. Definitely would be good to be able to use both arms, that thing is heavy. The DMF alone felt heavier than the whole SMF kit. Had a very good transmission shop that I use a lot quote me $1450 to do mine, F250, 4x4, 4" lift. The SMF kit, HF hd transjack, all little essentials was around $750-800. Took me about a day and a half, but I don't have a lot of experience with doing clutches on vehicle with 4 wheels and I wasn't in a big hurry either. It was also around 105 degrees outside.

 

[laserjock]

I’d say that one is toast. IIRC spec is 5/8” play. Second the Luk conversion. I really get minimal rollover noise and at my power level I don’t think I’ve really had it try to slip.

I think I got my kit from Rock auto but you could get them from amazon too at the time by searching the part numbers.

 

[BrianX128]

It doesn't slip at all. I think my awful vibration is a bad u joint near the carrier bearing, but when I let the clutch out in neutral I get a chatter from the trans area unless I'm at 800 rpm. Also, when shifting from 2nd to 3rd if I don't do it 100% smoothly the truck kinda lunges slowly back and forth on flat ground like the torque is bouncing the flywheel on that area of play. If I floor it as soon as I'm in the next gear it won't do that but it doesn't like gentle throttle.

 

[franklin2]

My DMF had that much play, and like someone else said, several of my plastic spring sockets were gone.

No matter what people say, you will always get some noise with a SMF. Each truck seems to be different.

 

[Macrobb]

My DMF had that much play, and like someone else said, several of my plastic spring sockets were gone.

No matter what people say, you will always get some noise with a SMF. Each truck seems to be different.

It's a smoothness thing. If you have an engine that's in good shape and idles smoothly? You can have no noise with a SMF and a single-spring row disk like used in the DMF setup. On the other hand, get it slightly off kilter or rough and it will rattle like mad. This is personal experience here with a '84 6.9 we converted to a 5-speed and just used a spare DMF disk to 'make it work'. Surprisingly quiet, unless it happens to start bouncing(at idle)... then it's the loudest thing ever.

I've had excellent luck with the LuK SMFs though - they have a lot of springs and are the quietest all around that I've had.
Again, engine smoothness matters, but even with a relatively rough idle, I haven't had gear-bouncing noise except in gear at low idle(then you hear the gear rollover noise). Which isn't the worst thing in the world(when do you let it idle along in gear below 1000 rpm anyway?)

 

[junk]

Luk smf kits all the way. Never any issues.

My dmf was torque limiting me and slipping when pulling.

 

[franklin2]

It's a smoothness thing. If you have an engine that's in good shape and idles smoothly? You can have no noise with a SMF and a single-spring row disk like used in the DMF setup. On the other hand, get it slightly off kilter or rough and it will rattle like mad. This is personal experience here with a '84 6.9 we converted to a 5-speed and just used a spare DMF disk to 'make it work'. Surprisingly quiet, unless it happens to start bouncing(at idle)... then it's the loudest thing ever.

I've had excellent luck with the LuK SMFs though - they have a lot of springs and are the quietest all around that I've had.
Again, engine smoothness matters, but even with a relatively rough idle, I haven't had gear-bouncing noise except in gear at low idle(then you hear the gear rollover noise). Which isn't the worst thing in the world(when do you let it idle along in gear below 1000 rpm anyway?)

Even if you get no noise at idle, you will get some when putt-putting around in 1st or second gear. You are correct, how the engine runs really affects it though. I am thinking if Ford could have saved some money on each truck and not have had to install the dmf flywheel they would have. We put up with a little noise since we know what it is, but most people would not. Can you imagine motor trend or some other magazine reviewing a truck that had a little bit of roll-over noise in it?

I never have figured out who made those magazines the experts on what people need in a truck in the first place.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I never have figured out who made those magazines the experts on what people need in a truck in the first place.

My guess is that it would be the same type of people who get all googly eyed at the new trucks with more plastic in them than metal.

 

[catbird7]

Before changing to a conventional flywheel and clutch disc my dmf would occasionally take a fit and make all kinds of rattle noises. Can't remember what I did to make it stop??? Maybe put trans in neutral and rev engine or low gear, slight rev and dump clutch? Can't remember, there was some little thing / trick I used to do to make it quit??? Realize this isn't a proper fix, just a bandaid till proper fix fits time & budget.
From my vantage point, smf makes loads of noise when idling in low gear where dmf was completely quiet.

 

[franklin2]

When I was doing research on it long ago, I remember reading horror stories of the springs flying out of the DMF, getting caught inbetween the flywheel and the engine and tearing up all kinds of stuff. After I took mine out and saw how the plastic retainers were gone on some of mine, I could see how that could easily happen.

 

[MtnHaul]

That sucks about your rotator cuff man. I have a dozen screws and assorted plates holding my wrist together so some repairs are definitely worth paying someone else to do.

FWIW when I had a new clutch put in about a year ago I went with the LUK SMF and the first two throwout bearings started making noise within two weeks of install. Don't know if it was the tech's mistake or just bad parts but it was a PITA and extra downtime for my truck.

 

[franklin2]

FWIW when I had a new clutch put in about a year ago I went with the LUK SMF and the first two throwout bearings started making noise within two weeks of install. Don't know if it was the tech's mistake or just bad parts but it was a PITA and extra downtime for my truck.

Something I discovered working on these hydraulic clutches; The throwout bearing runs against the clutch at all times. This is something different from the old school mechanical clutches that I am used to. If you fanagle the clutch so the throwout bearing is barely touching the fingers, you can get a squeal from the throwout bearing as it slips on the clutch fingers. A little more pressure on the throwout bearing will usually make it stop slipping on the clutch fingers and make it "follow" the motion of the clutch better.

 

[Macrobb]

Something I discovered working on these hydraulic clutches; The throwout bearing runs against the clutch at all times. This is something different from the old school mechanical clutches that I am used to. If you fanagle the clutch so the throwout bearing is barely touching the fingers, you can get a squeal from the throwout bearing as it slips on the clutch fingers. A little more pressure on the throwout bearing will usually make it stop slipping on the clutch fingers and make it "follow" the motion of the clutch better.

Yup. Also if it's bouncing around(I've had the clutch fork move up and down(vertically) as the engine idles) that can make noise; on my '88 I used a spring to pull it downward and keep it from bouncing too much.