Messed up clutch install. Fix or leave it?

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Hello Everyone. I replaced my first clutch ever in a 1991 Toyota Previa. Everything went well except for one side affect. When engaging the clutch, there is a very minor vibration that occurs, say 30% of every engagement. The vibration is very minor, No noise, and you can't feel it if you are a passenger.

I can feel it through the clutch pedal, and the steering wheel, and the mirrors visibly vibrate a little. I am certain it is because I placed too much lube on the clutch disk spline. The grease likely contaminated the disk when it spun at 3000+ rpm. For now, it is a minor inconvenience, but will this issue become something worse if I leave it as is? Will the disk wear unevenly and cause some sort of catastrophic failure? I don't want to go back in there. If you know the Previa, you know it is not a nice van to work under. Like I said, The vibration is very minor, it's like feeling the pulse of a speaker pounding a bass line through the the pedal and steering wheel. And it doesn't occur every time.
 
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All parts were replaced, and the flywheel was resurfaced. Pilot bearing, throw out, pressure plate etc.
 
Check the break in instructions for the clutch. It might be that you haven't done it yet, or need to do it over again properly.

I used to always use ACT clutches. Magnificent clutches, but always came with "500 mile issues". Shuddering, chattering, screeching for no reason, and bucking so badly on engagement that you'd have to back off and reapply.

How well you broke it in made a huge difference in how good or bad your issues were, but you always got at least one. However, once you were out of the woods, you had a clutch that never backed down and never missed a step.

Like I said, check your break in instructions.
 
What clutch/pressure plate did you put in it?

If I can afford it at the time, I just buy the factory original kit especially if I got anything over 100,000 miles on a 4-banger.

I have had them grabby before even with a resurfaced pressure plate, but never had them vibrate. Grabby even smoothed out over time.
 
I used factory oem parts. I did not know there is a break in procedure. If there is, I have no instructions, because I did not order a kit, just oem replacement parts.
 
This is dumb but idle the van, set the e-brake, and dump the clutch. Helps scrub oil off.
 
We used to put the front bumper against a tree and slowly let out the clutch. I wouldn't try that with any car built after 1980.
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I would run it for a wile and see if it clears up. If it really is because of the lube contamination the damage is already done. No need to rush in there.
 
But what is the damage that has been done? That is really what I am wondering. I have put maybe 700 miles since the install. It isn't really improving, or getting worse.
 
If it's really grease, that may be a recipe for runout. That is to assume that all was reassembled without any runout. Grease doesn't burn clean off. Then again, a small amount of grease on the spindle shouldn't get slung off with such small cetrifugal forces given the shaft's small diameter, unless a glob of it gathered/bunched up as the shaft slid through (ie. too much grease), then it could certainly have gone rogue and at the most damaging position- lined right up with middle of the clutch sandwich.

If I were you, and at the moment of occurrence, no sooner would a can of brake cleaner be in hand, trying to find an opening, vent or access port to douse the FW/disc/PP, preferably while someone holds the clutch down with the engine idling, so the disc stops and the steel friction surfaces glide over, spreading the brake cleaner.

I had a used old car that did that juddering. Had no idea what caused it since I bought it like that, but one day it did it, something went snap and the clutch slipped constantly if you put your foot into it. What had happened was one of the spring 'fingers' broke away from the rest. Still no idea what caused the juddering or the one spring to break.
 
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This'll either get better or it won't.
Unless you feel like taking it apart again and trying to figure out the source of the judder, you probably have to live with it.
Imagine how much worse it would be to take it apart, replace what you believe might be a contaminated clutch disc, button it back up and then find the same judder.
Now that would be a true wrench throwing moment.
 
+1. I'd live with it. It may get better or worse but, as said by fdgc27, at this point you may not to able to tell with certainty what is the cause. Ed
 
You cut the flywheel, did you shim it? If not that could be your problem right there. Any grease of impurities on the clutch or the flywheel? Not too many options other than redoing the job, or living with it as others said.
 
I think I will just live with it. Since this was my first clutch job, I was just anxious to get it perfect. I was disappointed in the vibrations, but it really isn't that bad a vibration.
 
Hey Guys, I was stubborn and tried to fix the dang thing. I failed. I went in, cleaned the pressure plate, flywheel, and installed a brand spanking new clutch disk. The flywheel did have grease residue, as I suspected. The grease was cleaned with brake cleaner. But the vibration remains exactly the same. Please help. What could cause vibration when the clutch is engaging? The rear main seal was fine. There's no vibration once the clutch is engaged. Any ideas?
 
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Is it possible the excessive grease damaged the flywheel or pressure plate somehow? I am thinking maybe they went out of round somehow, but I don't know how a slipping disk could cause that... I think I will just buy a replacement pressure plate, and try again. I had already purchased a spare flywheel a while back. And the pressure plate is only like $60. The oem flywheel is the pricey one, $300! If a oem pressure plate and flywheel doesn't work, I will cry.
 
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