i put in my new clutch today and got it all back together, and it is whining and screeching when i engage the clutch... is it needing adjusting? it has oober amounts of free play.

 

Did you install a new throw-out bearing?

Throw-out bearing rubbing against the pressure plate, maybe...

 

what do you mean exactly?

engage as in let the clutch out or push the pedal in?

if the screeching is when the pedal is in its that your not getting the clutch open enough to full disengage is my bet... I am no pro with this and actually only know how a clutch works not ever changed one.
but I am guessing its not open enough... why I dont know?
bad throw out bearing or maybe you need to bleed it better?

or is it that you have to let the pedal all the way out to grab and then it screeches?
then the clutch is to open... not sure on that one?

good luck...
let us know what you find, would like to know myself now... LOL!

 

There is an adjustment on the slave cylinder by the bellhousing that you can thread out from the tranny to get the clutch to go a little further when you put the pedal down. There is also an adjustment under the dash on the clutch master cylinder, but I have never had to adjust that one replacing a clutch. I'm not sure about your problem, but this is a decent place to start. Did you replace the throwout bearing?

 

A few ideas I'll throw out, clutch disc in backwards and hub is hitting flywheel bolts when pushing the pedal in, throwout bearing installed wrong or backwards on the bearing hub, or the wrong bearing, too short a bearing and the pivot angle is letting the fork hit the pressure plate, too long and its overextending the pressure plate fingers hitting the disc, as Shadetree mentioned there are a couple adjustments, pedal height under the dash and arm adjustment (at least on the older trucks) at the slave, but with the oober amount of freeplay I doubt thats the problem with the noise, just the freeplay. Good luck.

 

when i put it to the floor is when it starts screeching. i made sure the clutch went in gearside out. and replaced the throwout bearing and pilot bearings. took it on a test drive and it shifts fine i think its just not opening up all the way or something. i am thinking adjustments are necessary but i just need a reassuance that im not gonna mess up this new clutch before i go driving it all over.

 

You should climb under there and visually inspect the range of motion on flat ground engine not running. You can also look at the threads on the adjustment on the slave cylinder and see if it looks like the adjuster nut has room to thread out farther. If it does, I would note the original location of the adjuster and try adjusting it out to the end of the threads and check to see if it made any improvement. I wouldn't go driving it around until you do something to correct the matter (except maybe brief testing).

 

DAMMIT!!!!!! so the clutch needed brake fluid was running dry. so fixed it now it has pressure but the screeching sound is because in my stupidity i put the throw out bearing in backwards so now i gotta take it all apart and redo everything. But its a good thing I'm not a mechanic or i would have lost my job long ago.

 

Hey, you live and learn! It's not the first time I've heard of it happening. I even knew a guy once who thought he put his clutch in backwards and took it apart only to find it was in right all along. He was pretty positive about it though really in the end. It's all a learning experience. "Mechanics" get it wrong a lot too and can end up causing a lot of headaches sometimes. At least when you do it yourself you learn from your mistakes, there is no one to blame but yourself, and it doesn't cost you anything but time. Sorry about the hard luck though. You'll get it!

 

damn beat me to it. If there is noise only when you have the pedal down its usually the throw out...

hey i bet you are faster at pulling it this time. good luck

 

it only took 3 hours of very concentrated work to pull out and put in the right way now it runs fantastic and i know what it feels like to have a clutch ha ha. next up is the grille.... Thanks to TOY BOY and then a 3" drop block kit thanks to Beefed taco.