2006 8.1L Manual trans 60k mi clutch shot already!

delgriffith · December 7, 2016

Bought this truck 5000 miles ago and it already has indication the clutch is going at 60k miles. Top gear rpms rise while the speed stays the same on the highway when you floor it, so can't imagine anything else.

Is this common? No 5th wheel on it, don't know how you can trash a clutch so fast.

Anyone change the clutch on one of these? It is 4x4 CCLB. Am I in for a serious project? I've changed clutches and engines before, but don't have any Silverado experience.

Thanks

-D

kstruckcountry · December 7, 2016

For a 2006 pickup to have only 60k miles on it, I'd assume it was driven around town a lot to have that low of miles. I.E., clutch in and out a lot.

I wasn't aware the 8.1 was even available with a manual in 2006. But I wouldn't expect the job to take any longer than any other clutch replacement.

mjoekingz28 · December 7, 2016

It will probably be quite heavy.

Raptordude · December 7, 2016

"delgriffith" your username had me rolling

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delgriffith · January 8, 2017

So I finished the job, after about twice the time and money that I expected of course. It wasn't a bad job but I did need to rent a transmission jack that helped a lot. I had a friend help me wrestle the transaxle out and back in without a jack, it wasn't too bad. I took the clutch, pressure plate and flywheel to a clutch shop and they reset the clutch auto-adjustment cams, relined the clutch, turned the pressure plate and the flywheel. They also provided me with a new slave cylinder and pilot bearing. The clutch lining wasn't totally worn down to the rivets so that concerned me that something else was wrong. The guy turning the plate and flywheel said that both were significantly warped. So that was some relief that we found a problem that likely caused the slipping. I wonder how that happened, but I'm going to chalk it up to prior owner abuse.

The pilot bearing wasn't bad to replace after I rented the puller from o'reilly. I was glad that I measured the depth of the original bearing (16mm in) before I pulled it because the new one went in way further. I was expecting it to bottom out against a shoulder, but there's no shoulder in the crank. I had to gently pull the bearing back out a tad until it matched the original bearing depth. The slave cylinder was an easy change and turned out to require no bleeding. I left it overnight after I changed it and the next day it seemed to operate, although with a little sponginess. Within another day or so it was fully functional with no noticeable air in the system.

I did manage to pinch a wire bundle between the transmission and the engine upon reassembly. It was on the very top bolts and I didn't see it until I had pinched it pretty good. I happened to have a borescope camera that helped me spot the problem as well as help get the topside bolts and brackets coupled up in the end. I had to actually splice the wires that I pinched since I managed to sever them by tightening the bell housing bolts, but outside of being initially frustrating, it did come together.

Anyone doing this same job, I would advise to watch the top side of the bell housing as you couple them up and make sure that bundle isn't hanging down in the way, and also take note of how the bundle has a bracket that holds it onto one of the bell housing bolts. There is another bracket up there for the transaxle breather tube as well.

I changed the transaxle fluid while I was messing with it, and I wanted to change the transmission fluid but the local dealer didn't have the fluid for that transmission and said they'd have to order it for $30/liter, and took 7 liters, WOW. I plan to drain a sample of it and have it tested to see if it is in good shape next time I have it in my garage. That's a lot cheaper than changing it and at 60k miles it could be just fine.

Hope this helps someone...