flywheel problem

pieperz06

i need to get blown
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Posts
1,645
Reaction score
4
Location
Corpus Christi,TX
well i have been installing my new clutch and flywheel and i ran in to a brick wall.

i have a a fidanza 96-04 alu flyweel 6 bolt (lethal performance said it would work with my mcleod rst)

here is my question i got the stock flywheel off and went to put on the new one and it wouldent line up and so i was like WTF is going on.

we took it off and put it next to the stock one and sure enough the bolt holes do not line up. it is not off by much maby 1/8 of an inch on like 2 of the holes. it is actual even less than that but there is no way it would fit

after this i got out some calipers and measured the stock one and the bolt holes were all equally spaced and when i measured the fidanza 2 of the bolts are not the same spacing apart.

does this sound like a manufacturing mess up or is it suppose be this way
 

Racer47

Doesn't have much to say
Joined
Sep 11, 2009
Posts
1,107
Reaction score
353
Location
SE Wis
I'm not an expert but since no one else has responded yet, i'll try. Externally balanced engines normally have the bolt pattern slightly uneven so that the flywheel weight ends up in the right place to balance the engine.

I've been considering doing the same thing RST and alum flywheel and I've seen others recommend using the 04 flywheel because it has more friction surface area towards the center to contact the entire clutch friction plate. But I've wondered about the balance issue. Is there a balance weight on the Fidanza alum flywheel? If yes is it removable?
 

loots06

Senior Member
Joined
May 23, 2010
Posts
1,582
Reaction score
11
Location
Monterey CA
I have an aluminum flywheel installed on my car and wish I would have just used the stock one. Don't get me wrong its nice but the car just revs to quickly.
 

pieperz06

i need to get blown
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Posts
1,645
Reaction score
4
Location
Corpus Christi,TX
No there is no ballance weigh I see on it. So if every car has a different pace ment of holes how does the damn thing ever work. Also it is not the cars bolt holes that unevenly spaced it is the flywheel.

And If I wanted to reuse the stock flywheel I wouldent have posted

I want my car to rev more quickly
 

Racer47

Doesn't have much to say
Joined
Sep 11, 2009
Posts
1,107
Reaction score
353
Location
SE Wis
No there is no ballance weigh I see on it. So if every car has a different pace ment of holes how does the damn thing ever work. Also it is not the cars bolt holes that unevenly spaced it is the flywheel.

And If I wanted to reuse the stock flywheel I wouldent have posted

I want my car to rev more quickly

The 05 and up 3Vs are not externally balanced (= even bolt spacing). I'm not sure about 04s and down. Older engines like 351C had flywheel weights and they all had the same uneven pattern on the crank and flywheel. So they were not really all different. They were all un-evenly spaced the same exact way.

I can't explain why your alum fw would have offset holes and no balance weight. Is there a part number on the flywheel? Did you but it new?
 

pieperz06

i need to get blown
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Posts
1,645
Reaction score
4
Location
Corpus Christi,TX
i think i got it figured out now i got out the calipers and measured it all around and figured out how it fits with the stock flywheel holes and i think they are the same i just had it going in at the wrong rotation
 

Racer47

Doesn't have much to say
Joined
Sep 11, 2009
Posts
1,107
Reaction score
353
Location
SE Wis
could you post a pic of the fidanza alum fw, its the same one i am planning on using. and maybe a pic of one of the rst friction plates next to it. thanks
 

pieperz06

i need to get blown
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Posts
1,645
Reaction score
4
Location
Corpus Christi,TX
i would love to but i have the flywheel and clutch are about 4 hrs apart so the soonest i can get a pic of them is like thursday night
 

Racer47

Doesn't have much to say
Joined
Sep 11, 2009
Posts
1,107
Reaction score
353
Location
SE Wis
thats fine no hurry, i'm not looking forward to dropping $800 on a clutch and flywheel anyway
 

TurboX

Formally Buzz Lightyear
Joined
Jan 8, 2010
Posts
873
Reaction score
1
Location
San Anto,Tejas
I'm not an expert but since no one else has responded yet, i'll try. Externally balanced engines normally have the bolt pattern slightly uneven so that the flywheel weight ends up in the right place to balance the engine.

I've been considering doing the same thing RST and alum flywheel and I've seen others recommend using the 04 flywheel because it has more friction surface area towards the center to contact the entire clutch friction plate. But I've wondered about the balance issue. Is there a balance weight on the Fidanza alum flywheel? If yes is it removable?

I believe the person above is somewhat correct, on my older Mustangs(Modular) this was the way it worked. The holes will only work 1 way, turn the flywheel 360 degrees and it should eventually line up.
 

pieperz06

i need to get blown
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Posts
1,645
Reaction score
4
Location
Corpus Christi,TX
I believe the person above is somewhat correct, on my older Mustangs(Modular) this was the way it worked. The holes will only work 1 way, turn the flywheel 360 degrees and it should eventually line up.

yah i think that was my problem once i measured it all i figured out that it should work
 

Support us!

Support Us - Become A Supporting Member Today!

Click Here For Details

Back
Top