Mitsubishi Legnum vr4 5 speed

[Daves-vr4]

Hi all, I have a 96 2.5 Twin Turbo Mitsubishi Legnum VR4 5 speed manual which I am having an issue with which seems to be clutch related./help
In second gear under power it sounds and feels like the clutch is depressed about an 8th. I have seen a Mechanic who tells me that He thinks it needs the clutch done however something about it makes me a bit weary particularly since they tell me that the Mitsubishi VR4 Clutch for the 5 speed manual is bout $2000 NZ by the time Labour is included. /Grrr This seemed allot to me considering that it is a standard Mitsubishi VR4 clutch and because it only has 50,0000 km on it.
Could anyone please tell me if the 2.5 Twin Turbo Mitsubishi Legnum vr4 manual has any other issues that may cause this and if I have to do a clutch whether that sounds expensive?
I had sort of figured that if I was going to pay that much it might as well at least be on a clutch that is a bit harder to break rather than the standard one you see lol.
Not only that there are other things I had intended to do to it first to increase HP that will have to wait if I have to shell out $2k now.
Any advice here would be greatly appreciated.

[Kenneth]

$2,000 is about right if you are talking labour as well. Apparently its quite a long job. A few members have done the clutch themselves, however from what I have heard if you dont want to spend a good day or two doing it, its easier to just shell out the cash.

Have had some problems a bit like what you describe, but I suspect I did the clutch some damage by agressively launching on it. Got to the point where I tried to launch out of a side street and the clutch just didnt grip. Problem went away eventually. I suspect its because I treat the clutch much better now my tyres do not allow me to wheel-spin.

If its the clutch worn it should give up in any high gear when you load the engine up. you will see the RPM rise but not in keeping with the speedo.

[Kenneth]

Oh, and btw... congrats on getting a real transmission :thumbsup:

/STP

[KiwiTT]

Oh, and btw... congrats on getting a real transmission :thumbsup:

/STP/grr

[dickytim]

I changed my clutch myself, not a job for the faint hearted and there are a lot of not so common tools required, $2,000 is a pretty accurate price, I went for the standard clutch again and had a heavier diaphram put into the pressure plate, it is a little bit of a pain when it is cold but will last longer than the standard one.

50,000km isn't un heard of to do a clutch if it has had a rough life mine was done at 70,000km once you start thrashing it, it doesn't take long, the standard clutch is a little weak.

[MunkyWrench]

hey all. i just started the change ur vr4 clutch in the garage trick, since my manual legnum started letting the revs get away on the hiway, and then finally at a very (honest) gentle launch at the lights. looking for info, and ppl to talkto about it. ive seen braindg and kierans threads.. and will get full membership soon. add my msn! based in chch nz by the way

[MunkyWrench]

clutch is done now.

As for special tools - rubbish !

The only special tool was a slide-hammer to get the front half shafts out, which we built out of a crowbar (or cinder block), a bit of chain, and a bolt that fit the thread in the end of the half shaft.

[mpau009]

clutch is done now.

As for special tools - rubbish !

The only special tool was a slide-hammer to get the front half shafts out, which we built out of a crowbar (or cinder block), a bit of chain, and a bolt that fit the thread in the end of the half shaft.

Where, What and how much? (if you don't mind me asking) I think im going to be up for the same thing in a few months.:thinking:

[BraindG]

How long did it take you Munky?

[jaimz]

Seems like my car might have the same problem too... :inquisiti
Done 77,000 kms, so it may be time for a clutch job..! Have you had yours done yet Mike..?
It's only slipping in third though, which is a little weird. Kenneth, you suggested it should also let go in higher gears..? It's not (at this stage)

Could it conceivably be anything else?

[mpau009]

Seems like my car might have the same problem too... :inquisiti
Done 77,000 kms, so it may be time for a clutch job..! Have you had yours done yet Mike..?
It's only slipping in third though, which is a little weird. Kenneth, you suggested it should also let go in higher gears..? It's not (at this stage)

Could it conceivably be anything else?

Mine seems to have recovered, i launched real hard, and it slipped for about 5 seconds (revs shot up) as i changed into 2nd gear, the point where the pedal engages came out about 10%, but since then its been fine, apart from an occasional shudder when the clutch just begins to engage. The guys at mitsi said as long as the pedal doesnt come out further it will be alright for normal driving.

Did you smell a horrid burning tyres/eggs smell? cause thats what happened when mine slipped.

[Kenneth]

Seems like my car might have the same problem too... :inquisiti
Done 77,000 kms, so it may be time for a clutch job..! Have you had yours done yet Mike..?
It's only slipping in third though, which is a little weird. Kenneth, you suggested it should also let go in higher gears..? It's not (at this stage)

Could it conceivably be anything else?

Well, clutch slipping is clutch slipping... usually when the clutch is properly worn out it manifests in the higher gears because thats when the engine is trying hardest against the driveline. try taking it easy for a bit and see if it changes. if its starting to wear out it will just get worse.

My clutch was about 2/3rds worn at ~92,000k... :P

[jaimz]

Righto.
No smell to speak of... just the slipping. I'll see how it goes, but it does seem to be intermittent at the moment.
I wondered if there was a bigger ratio jump between 2nd and 3rd than for some of the other gears, meaning there would be a bigger torque differential when changing into 3rd...
Of course, I really don't know what I'm talking about... :2thumbsup

[OSiRiS]

If you didn't know what clutch smells like, try driving away from the lights in 3rd gear. You will smell it, and you will know :) That smell is clutch.

[jaimz]

That smell is what USED to be clutch... :2thumbsup

[dickytim]

3rd gear seems to be the right balance between torque and gearing making it the one that clutches slip in. I don't know quite how to explain it but mine also started to slip in 3rd before the rest of the gears......do I sense a club VR4 clutch changing day..../Grrr

[bradc]

clutches are so silly

[Paul Beazer]

Is that why you have 4 in your trans then brad?!/pan

[bradc]

yeah, something like that :)

[mpau009]

Is that why you have 4 in your trans then brad?!/pan

:thinking: I think he's going for the whole 'playstation' driving experience./pan :happy:

[jaimz]

Enough of this idle banter! Back to the topic at hand.

Had a chat to a mechanic mate of mine who said slipping in 3rd gear could be due to the 'lay bearing', which is apparently the bearing which houses the spline shafty thing as it enters the gearbox - just behind the clutch plate I guess.
Does this make sense to anyone else..?

[VR4 MAD]

Enough of this idle banter! Back to the topic at hand.

Had a chat to a mechanic mate of mine who said slipping in 3rd gear could be due to the 'lay bearing', which is apparently the bearing which houses the spline shafty thing as it enters the gearbox - just behind the clutch plate I guess.
Does this make sense to anyone else..?

What he really means is one (or both) of the lay shalf main support bearings has or is collapsing. Not an uncommon gearbox method of failure I believe.

The lay shalf is a shaft that runs parallel to (and beside) the input shalf and holds most of the gear clusters, synco rings etc. As the bearing disintergrates the shaft can move around and eventually the gear rings are so far out of alignment you can't select or change gears. In my old mirage cyborg the lay shaft moved so much that one of the gear clusters ate its' way through the gearbox casing as I was trying to limp home. Remember, as the bearing breaks up nasty metal pieces etc start getting into the rest of the box and gears causing all sorts of bad news. Not recommended practice.............Get it looked at pronto (or sooner)./pan

Hope that helps.

VR4 MAD

[jaimz]

Crikey! /help

Thanks for the info dude.