Steve, I don't see this as a Kevin problem, honestly, and I'd say the same thing if it were ANY other supplier.

We have no way of knowing if it is an issue the manufacturer of the part, or the installation.

I know there are a number of guys who will "assume" that Mike Kelly is "shilling" for Kevin, but honestly, I haven't bought more than $3000 worth of stuff from the guy over the last 3 years, and I haven't talked to him in about a year. Bottom line is there are factors that should be considered.

This in NO WAY minimizes the issue that $manager is having. If I were in his shoes, I'd be mad as hell at everyone involved. It's a bad place for anyone of us to be in, and reality is it could well be anyone of us.

I have the same exact setup in my car and the trans will come out next week for internal transmission issues. I'll inspect the release bearing while it's out and we will replace it regardless... I hope mine continues to function as has been the case previously.

Mike

 

Kevin is stand up guy and would help out even if it wasnt his problem (I've personally been there a time or two), has anyone sent a broken part to Kevin so he could check it out? Like another poster mentioned, he has a knack for being right and is usually right on with his troubleshooting.

 

mikelley you may be correct, i did send a turbo back after a short time and was very unhappy with the result i got. it was the blame game. i would have given my customer a deal on the rebuild,didn't happen with me had both turbos rebuilt just incase the 2nd was ready to go .words were better rebuild it as it will probley follow. you may be correct it's just how you handel the prob that makes the customer come back. my answere is always when i leave this room i want you to be happy with the deal we made .thats my 2cents right or wrong i was not happy and i was the customer thanks steve (we all have bad days)

 

ya i know i type faster than i spell, maybe it's stroke spelling ? hehe

 

yup, he is almost always right, has an uncanny ability to diagnose a problem from a 1000 miles away and I hate it when he says, "I told you so"

 

I am wondering if there is ANY LWFW Kit/combo that somoene has not had problems with for the 996. One rarely hears the successes (in detail) only the failures. The fact that installation error on a clutch is even possible throws me (excuse the pun ).

We are only really talking 4 parts or so on an average single plate clutch. (Flywheel, Clutch Plate, Pressure Plate & Bearing) Installation error should not be an issue, and the fact that is even possible in the first place steers me away from a kit with such tempremental hardware.

Personally I have changed a few clutches in my time, on domestics, foreign and exotics, and never heard of installation issues. Assuming that is you use your brains, follow the torque recommendations, do not misalign things and force anything etc., and follow Basic Clutch installation 101 principles.

At $3200 a pop you can buy a $2200 Lift and do it yourself.

In reality no disrespect intended at all, but in all honesty you cannot make a buying decision of this magnatude and remification, based on a single vendor's recommendation(s). Their kit is always the best, their Flash is always the best, their exhaust is always the best, their DVs, the list goes on. Just like anything else you buy (In America). You need forums like this one and other mediums to get the truth out and make a good judgemental decision.

I am very interested in the outcome from the manufacturer! Seems to have gone silent. No news in this case is not really good news. I am holding off on my LWFW + Clutch kit, till I hear more and have done some more due diligence on the subject.

 

Shockwaverider, Have you done one on a 996TT yourself?

I have a lift. I have a pretty extensive history of turning wrenches. I also have the FSM that shows the intricate aspects of the Clutch assembly/instal.

I'm paying someone else to do it because it's that easy to screw up, due to the complexity of the issues involved with the setup.

To put this into a larger perspective, I did 6, as in S-I-X clutches on my C5 Vette. On the C5 Vette you pretty much have to disassemble the rear drivetrain and suspenion, unbolting the suspension uprights, rear brake calipers, and removing the rear diff/tranny/torquetube in order to get to the clutch at the back of the motor, which is in the front of the car. It's a 7 hour job (with long tube headers, which I had) to swap a clutch on the corvette.

And for the record, my clutch/LWFW/HYdraulic bearing are working just fine, and I know of a number of others who are using it in their TTs with ZERO issues... This is why this particular problem with his particular car is such a mystery. He didn't do it himself, has apparently got a good INDY doing the work for him, and still, five busted release bearings. Sachs made this part, and it has failed five times for the original poster. That's something that simply does not make sense...

And I agree with you on the whole vendor "My parts are better than anyone elses" issue. It's why I have been soured with some vendors here and elsewhere...At the end of the day, the same releasebearing used in the original poster's install is the same one in my car, and in most cars using this setup, GT2/3 as well.

Mike

 

hey rider i got mine from kevin before the turbo failure that would be about july or so. i have not had a prob. never had the get use to it prob. the car will stop running one outa 20 times when i stop, maybe not even that often.... should look up the date to the correct month or even the batch no. to $mangers and see if they are close. sorry but have forgotten the name brean but can check out my paper work if you want ....if batch nos. are close to $mangers than we know the prob

 

There are a half a dozen or so lwfw's/ clutches from Kevin in Colorado that I have direct knowledge of, there were a couple installation issues, but not a single failure or problem so far. I personally just completed my break in period on my lwfw setup and I think prche951 is about done with his as well.

 

I guess shockwaverider did not read my post. But I did state that there were 5 successful lwfw/clutch kits in Denver!!!! Not to mention the countless more. This is UMW bread and butter, they sell more of those than anything else.

 

Any update or resolution on this? I've got a Sachs kit with LWFW that only has about 1500 or so miles on it. I get the grinding (told it's normal) but recently, when it's really hot (traffic around town in afternoons), it's sometimes "sticking" in gear and harder to pull out to shift. I've been very careful to fully engage the clutch before trying to shift. It's nothing serious at this point but I thought I'd do some digging to see if this is considered normal or ??? Would this "sticking" be the TO bearing potentially? I was warned by my tuner (EPL) about some issues that folks were having with these but I took the leap and bought the kit elsewhere (Tony didn't stock it). Any feedback is appreciated!

 

I had TWO, that's right TWO bad TO bearings in a Sachs setup with Aasco flywheel in 1500 miles. I don't think gunning it at 2500 RPM is "lugging it" but it made nasty grinding noises. Shifted fine. Eventually i gave up (due to the noise and hard to drive) and went with a heavy duty pressure plate (reused same unit as above), GT2 solid hub disc and STOCK flywheel. I love it and NO noise!

LWFW is for the birds in a street car IMO. Hell give me a 45lb plate from the gym for those drag race starts!

 

There are four of us up in Denver area that have gotten LWFW in the last 1.5 years and none of us have had this issue.