JoeCools 2ZZ Project: Fast Fun!

[Carolyn]

Are you SURE it's clutch related.  Could be a loose retaining clip on a gearshift cable....  Worth checking?

Hi Carolyn, I checked the linkages and they're all fine. It shifts normally with the engine off, but won't go into gear when running. Still has fluid in the clutch mater cylinder, and to be honest the clutch feels normal ish but just isn't doing anything.

My garage reckon master cylinder or slave cylinder. No way to get parts and I'm on the ferry in an hour!

Gutted I can't take my car but I'm not letting it spoil my lads week away.

Shame - shame never mind, you will no doubt enjoy your break.

[Alex Knight]

Sometimes I wonder why we bother modified cars really are trouble.

To be fair, the clutch slave and master cylinder are not modified. They are OEM parts.
Could have happened to any of us.

[1979scotte]

Sometimes I wonder why we bother modified cars really are trouble.

To be fair, the clutch slave and master cylinder are not modified. They are OEM parts.
Could have happened to any of us.

Very true.
Hope your having a good time.

[CrazySX]

Quick compilation video on youtube

Hey Joe, just had a read of your thread, you have been a busy boy indeed! I subscribed to your channel (ModorFix), please do me a favour and sub back

[JoeCool]

Sometimes I wonder why we bother modified cars really are trouble.

To be fair, the clutch slave and master cylinder are not modified. They are OEM parts.
Could have happened to any of us.

According to the garage the clutch itself had collapsed! Hopefully it got fixed yesterday, but I'll know more tomorrow when I get it back. Interested to know what's gone on, as I've never been hard on clutches and I don't launch this car.

Anyway, top time at the nurburgring, did six laps in a rental clio rs200 which was a hoot. I'll put up a trip report and hopefully some video footage when I get a chance - but the wife has told me the kids are mine for the weekend!

[JoeCool]

So, a brief trip report for this years Nurburgring visit.

Firstly, obviously, the MR2 didn't make it. This was a massive shame as I've put in pretty serious amounts of time on a sim rig learning the track, and I felt the car was well prepped and performing well. But there's no accounting for a sudden and catastrophic clutch failure, and according to the garage that's what happened. It isn't fixed yet as I told them to slot it in whenever; a new Exedy Corolla T-sport clutch is going in on Monday.

On to the trip:

We hurridly changed the booking to get me and my mate into a friends car - Michael who had the insane 500bhp E30 2 years ago now has a slightly less insane 400bhp Chevrolet Lumina 5.7 V8 saloon car. It's an exceptionally nice way to cross a continent as it happens with comfy seats and South African spec Air con. It even got about 28mpg with a TWR remap.

As normal there was an interesting selection of cars in our group - Cars hitting the ring this year included an E46 3.2 M3 SMG, a Porsche 997 C4S, the Lumina, a E46 328i, and a Audi Q7!

Without my car, I had some decision making to do: I hadn't gone all that way not to drive. Quickly checking availability across the various rental companies, the best balance of power, cost and not killing myself appeared to be Apex's Rental Renault Clio RS 200. It's a neat little thing and a car that hadn't been on my radar at all before this trip. With 197bhp from an N/A 2.0 engine, 1100Kg, a 6 speed 'box, Nankang NS2's, big brakes and lowering springs it was a decent analogue for the MR2 all told. I decided to hire it for two laps on night one to see how it went. It went very well! It was available for the latter half of the session for the next two evenings, so I booked it up.



It was a fantastic car to drive, balanced and forgiving in the bends and with 65,000 miles on it well used to abuse on the 'ring.

Sadly I didn't get an un-obstructed lap of the Nurburgring - both laps on day 1 were very much sighting laps and a mate drove one.

On day 2 the track was closed for the middle of the session and then Yellow flags at Kleine-Karrussel (very near the end) lead to slow finishes. My best estimate for pace was a 9:15 Bridge to Gantry time but that's ballpark. Sobering to think that that very car is capable of an 8:24!

Unfortunately, our groups 328i split it's radiator so we had to leave it in the car park overnight. In the morning we diagnosed the problem, and then located a replacement rad for €20 from 'Ringfreaks' a racing and hire outfit who run E36's. Very nice chaps, and between three of us we had the radiator changed out in under an hour in the 'ring car park. E36's are *really* nice to work on. The car didn't go back on the track, but made it home without incident.

Day 3 I had a tutoring session for one lap and the instructor slowed me WAY down, concentrating on lines. A good thing as rain started and we then moved to the wet line, which is very odd. My last lap was in torrential rain, and I cannot describe how gentle I was with the car. A Rubbered in track with no run-off on semi slicks in standing water: Breathing on the throttle send the car diagonal with understeer at anything less than the straight ahead. But I made it round without incident and only 2 'ring taxis went past me! An experience to be sure.

So, I salvaged what I could from the trip, had a great time, spent a sh*t-tonne of money renting a 8 year old clio, and learnt a lot. One of those things might be that I really, really want a 997 Carrera.....

Some 'boring' dash cam laps of my notable runs.

Day 2, Lap 1 - Not the smoothest and ran into some traffic at the end.

Day 2, Lap 2 - A fairly clean and committed run up until Yellow flags at Kleine Karrussel. This was about 9:15 BTG pace up until then, I reckon.

What made me laugh about that one was it was a friend of a friend in the car - a nervous passenger who asked as we slowed on the final straight: "So what driving experience do you have?"      Just a note for anyone who finds themselves at the 'ring: Ask that BEFORE you get in a car with someone!!

[JoeCool]

I have answers as to the clutch failure:



The edge fell off, jamming the clutch.



Note formation of little cracks outside the spring housing ready to fall off some more.

Not really sure what to make of this. It's an Exedy clutch on a standard 190bhp 2zz-ge. Whilst I 'enjoy' spirited driving, I don't launch this car and I like to think my gearchanges are ok, having never destroyed a clutch in the past and also what with having no torque... I can't find people in corrolas criticising these clutches, although it appears RX-8 owners had similar problems 4 years ago when Exedy admitted a poor tolerance caused the issue.

Anyway, it's got the same type of clutch back in it now (the only one available for the fix). It worked flawlessly for 10k miles!! Then didn't, obviously.

[twiglett]

I had an exedy 2zz clutch spectacularly self destruct while overtaking someone.
Two days after buying the car so I don't know how it was treated before I owned it.
When I replaced it I was surprised to see how new it looked (apart from only having friction material on 1/3rd) of its surfaces.

[Dift]

I had an exedy 2zz clutch spectacularly self destruct while overtaking someone.
Two days after buying the car so I don't know how it was treated before I owned it.
When I replaced it I was surprised to see how new it looked (apart from only having friction material on 1/3rd) of its surfaces.

My exedy clutch exploded the day I bought my 2zz! Took the gearbox with it too