Clutch Masters hydro bearing failure!

DO NOT BUY CLUTCH MASTERS HYDRO BEARING!
After about 13,xxx miles my Clutch Masters hydro bearing gave out completely. I contacted them about it. They told me it had a 90 day warranty. When I installed the unit I checked the measurements as in their directions and made sure the setup height was within their specifications.
I ordered a seal kit for the bearing when talking to them about warranties. That way I had everything needed for when I drop the transmission.
Well, today I drop the trans. Looking at the hydro bearing I can see the it has been spinning the whole time. There is lots of damage to the piston. I can't even reseal it, I have to buy a complete new unit. $475 unit that only lasted 13k and about 1 to 1.5 years. A huge waste of money. I know a lot of people on this forum bought this unit. I know a lot of them have had issues. If your thinking about buying one, I would recommend not to.
I hope everyone who has this unit chimes in so everyone can hear good and bad.
@BillDaCat8

 

Can you share pics of the damage ?

 

Yes, sorry I did not add them.

 

Mine failed before my clutch fully broke in. I regard it as a complete and utter piece of shit.

 

I had mine new in the box and kept it that way until I sold it………once I heard of how bad it was based on reviews. Thank god I never had the time to install it

 

I was sold on the clutch masters bearing until I dug much deeper and found out the adjustment required the bearing to be pre-loaded .
Once I found out the bearing was to be preloaded , I knew there would be all kinds of trouble once you guys get a few miles on them .
To explain it further .... You adjust the clutch during installation and set the throw out bearing with zero pressure when the throw out bearing presses against the pressure plate fingers . Thats a brand new clutch , new pressure plate and release bearing
Now , when your clutch wears in a bit , the slight bearing preload you had when you installed the clutch becomes a massive pressure preload . When you are driving the truck with a clutch masters hydraulic bearing , you wont know when your clutch is partially applied
As your clutch disc wears down , the fingers on the pressure plate move towards the release bearing creating some serious release bearing issues that tend to lead to clutch chatter .
The clutch masters clutch may function fine during install , but as the clutch disc wears in , you can expect serious issues for sure. Continous adjustments are a must . This is not a bearing you install and forget about it .
Dont really care if the bearing spins or not , I would be more concerned about a partially applied clutch and not knowing it . 99% of the clutch jobs I see in my shop are caused by lack of adjustment .
Basic physics is what this problem is . Stop that release bearing from spinning all the time and no more clutch problems , This I promise
I know what I am saying is old school . Release bearings worked like this for over 100 years

 

what do you mean by pre-loaded ? can you explain this further ?

 

I was going to say the exact same thing! (Was also going to say I'm really glad I wound up waiting)

 

Looked so cool, too.

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/V3rpkomE5Sc?feature=share

I had a learning curve posting a video.

 

I wish there was an alternate to our squeaky bearing....a solid alternative

 

Tilton. Who was it that installed a Tilton TOB that had the Clutch master?

 

It was @BillDaCat8

 

Has anyone actually measured the distances for A and B when installing the cm hydro? I don't understand why it needs to be preloaded that's the exact opposite from what I have always done. I always check to make sure there is an air gap of .200 plus or minus .050 .

 

Looks like the bell housing is not separable from the transmission on the 6spds. So these measurements would not be possible.

 

Yes, I measured mine when installing.

 

http://www.clutchmasters.com/press-...draulic-release-bearing-install-instructions/
This is what I used when installing my bearing. I was in spec when at that time.

 

Did u install one of the clutches mentioned with the air gap specs? I wonder what the air gap is on a non CM clutch? The air specs just seem very tight to me but I'm not an expert.

 

I used their FX-300 clutch kit. I would think most O.E. style single disk clutches will require the same air gap.

 

Coming from LS powered rides and the t56 it just seems weird they give air specs on "their" clutches. General rule of thumb for ls stuff is .150 to .200 minimum and it doesn't matter what clutch your using you need .150 to .200 minimum of an air gap. Did your cm hydro kit come with shims to adjust air gap if necessary?