Dkm stage 3 clutch

[jumai]

Bought my Stg 3 DKM back in May of 2018, when they first launched. Sat on it for 2 years as I sifted through DKM problem stories and crankwalk theories. I pulled the trigger on install a few months ago using the OEM 0A5141671S TOB instead of the FTE TOB it came with. Really hoped that everything would work out.

Now, even after the 1000+ mile break in, the shifter gets stuck in 1st and Reverse. Sometimes wont go into 1st after a complete stop. Almost like you gotta bump it into whatever is locking it out then try shifting into 1st again. 1st to 2nd can be a rough shift depending on the mood of the car.

I had the very reputable shop in Houston check the alignment and rebleed everything. Nothing. If anything, it seemed to get a little worse afterwards.

Does anyone have any other tips? I really wanted this clutch to work out.

 

[El_bigote_AJ]

Did the shop bench bleed the TOB?

I was having that exact thing happen to me with mine

when was the the brake fluid system last flushed? Cause that helped mine, also at first I was running motul gear oil and was having many issues like that...switched back to fresh oem and that help as well... honestly but the only part that fully makes it go away for me was getting used to the delay between putting the pedal down and moving shifter or pushing the pedal down quicker seemed to help that first gear issue same with second. Also at times when it happened before, if I would blip the throttle it would go right in. (almost like the guides are binding like I’ve see it other posts and the blip popped in free)

Even now that I’ve got it all but dealt with and figured out after the 3k I’ve got on it now, i wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for an stock like feeling clutch it’s got some quirks that require getting used to and has made the driving experience much more effort.

 

[JerseyDrew77]

^^^ What El_bigote_AJ said about the TOB. A lot of people and shops forget to bench bleed the TOB and think it's already bled when received so they just install it without bench bleeding it. Also, when shifting you should blip your throttle anyways as it helps reduce the wear and tear of your synchros.

 

[Square1]

Is there anyone with good experiences with this clutch? I honestly can't complain about mine. It drives great compared to my kid's SB stage 3.

 

[GTI Jake]

49k miles on mine, still going strong.

Just to clarify my car has 98k miles on it, so literally as many miles on my DKM MS twin disk as stock.

 

[JerseyDrew77]

27,250 miles on mine and still going strong.

 

[Escape Hatch]

20k on mine and no issues.

 

[steddy2112]

Mine is still going strong

4th gear on my OEM trans not so much

Back in October on the way down to my annual Tail of the Dragon trip I take once a year 4th gear let go on a 3-4 shift and it stripped the teeth off of 4th. That happened just after 40k miles and the clutch has been on since like 3k miles?

Have had mild issues of being able to get it in first or reverse but nothing to the point where I had to force it into gear or do anything other than help the synchros out with a change of engine load, and since the swap, no issues whatsoever

But I am also hard on the top gears because of the nature of the track I go to have some big-ish straights and big torque and FWD transmissions will find the weak spot in them. I don't abuse my car but I am hard on it.

For everyday driving the only time this clutch sucks is stop and go traffic and the only reason it sucks is because it's not the lightest pedal but is very manageable in terms of bite point and user friendliness.

I'd make the same choice again if I went back to decision making time.

 

[El_bigote_AJ]

Update for mine:

so i dropped the trans last night and also opened the case to inspect and make sure my issue was not internal... also the little locking pin was broke by the tech at some point and i wanted to fish it out incase it caused damage, many people say its just plastic but its actually metal rod coated with plastic. nothing seemed bent on the forks and no gears show signs of damage, so I'm guessing all the crap on the magnet is maybe normal from break in and that little rod. (i hope haha)

on to the clutch... so its got about 3-4k on it now and i really thought when i pulled it i was going to see all the things earlier in this thread like the messed up splines or the marred up sliders, since i was getting this odd pop/grind sound if i would let the clutch up too quick on shifts (read as not super slow). But happy to report all elements of the clutch itself are perfectly fine and it looks like my issues may be related to the tech install, i think with a regular clutch the little details missed could pass with it seems with this clutch and its racing design the install needs more respect.

i don't know if he greased the shaft with the provided grease this time around ( very dry considering the install was done at the end of October... and comp clutch did say that the popping sound comes from the discs being on the spline not aligned (don't see how the input shaft would even go on in it that scenario though, but i do see how it could drag from friction of not being greased). Also I'm betting he didn't bench bleed the clutch at all or good enough, as the TOB doesn't seem to have any damage or odd noises.

i snapped one of the case bolts removing it, so I'm waiting for the dealer to get that in and also waiting on the sachs spline grease to show up then i should have it back in and fingers crossed will have a positive update for the driving characteristic with the clutch working well, and results of the new shifter I'm excited to feel.

 

[JerseyDrew77]

Update for mine:

so i dropped the trans last night and also opened the case to inspect and make sure my issue was not internal... also the little locking pin was broke by the tech at some point and i wanted to fish it out incase it caused damage, many people say its just plastic but its actually metal rod coated with plastic. nothing seemed bent on the forks and no gears show signs of damage, so I'm guessing all the crap on the magnet is maybe normal from break in and that little rod. (i hope haha)

View attachment 199837View attachment 199839View attachment 199840View attachment 199841

on to the clutch... so its got about 3-4k on it now and i really thought when i pulled it i was going to see all the things earlier in this thread like the messed up splines or the marred up sliders, since i was getting this odd pop/grind sound if i would let the clutch up too quick on shifts (read as not super slow). But happy to report all elements of the clutch itself are perfectly fine and it looks like my issues may be related to the tech install, i think with a regular clutch the little details missed could pass with it seems with this clutch and its racing design the install needs more respect.

View attachment 199843View attachment 199844View attachment 199845

i don't know if he greased the shaft with the provided grease this time around ( very dry considering the install was done at the end of October... and comp clutch did say that the popping sound comes from the discs being on the spline not aligned (don't see how the input shaft would even go on in it that scenario though, but i do see how it could drag from friction of not being greased). Also I'm betting he didn't bench bleed the clutch at all or good enough, as the TOB doesn't seem to have any damage or odd noises.
View attachment 199846View attachment 199847
i snapped one of the case bolts removing it, so I'm waiting for the dealer to get that in and also waiting on the sachs spline grease to show up then i should have it back in and fingers crossed will have a positive update for the driving characteristic with the clutch working well, and results of the new shifter I'm excited to feel.
View attachment 199848

Damn, nice Coolerworx shifter! How much was that bad boy?

 

[GTI Jake]

Do you have a new shim set for preloading the gear set when you reassemble the transmission?

 

[ATR]

Update for mine:

so i dropped the trans last night and also opened the case to inspect and make sure my issue was not internal... also the little locking pin was broke by the tech at some point and i wanted to fish it out incase it caused damage, many people say its just plastic but its actually metal rod coated with plastic. nothing seemed bent on the forks and no gears show signs of damage, so I'm guessing all the crap on the magnet is maybe normal from break in and that little rod. (i hope haha)

View attachment 199837View attachment 199839View attachment 199840View attachment 199841

on to the clutch... so its got about 3-4k on it now and i really thought when i pulled it i was going to see all the things earlier in this thread like the messed up splines or the marred up sliders, since i was getting this odd pop/grind sound if i would let the clutch up too quick on shifts (read as not super slow). But happy to report all elements of the clutch itself are perfectly fine and it looks like my issues may be related to the tech install, i think with a regular clutch the little details missed could pass with it seems with this clutch and its racing design the install needs more respect.

View attachment 199843View attachment 199844View attachment 199845

i don't know if he greased the shaft with the provided grease this time around ( very dry considering the install was done at the end of October... and comp clutch did say that the popping sound comes from the discs being on the spline not aligned (don't see how the input shaft would even go on in it that scenario though, but i do see how it could drag from friction of not being greased). Also I'm betting he didn't bench bleed the clutch at all or good enough, as the TOB doesn't seem to have any damage or odd noises.
View attachment 199846View attachment 199847
i snapped one of the case bolts removing it, so I'm waiting for the dealer to get that in and also waiting on the sachs spline grease to show up then i should have it back in and fingers crossed will have a positive update for the driving characteristic with the clutch working well, and results of the new shifter I'm excited to feel.
View attachment 199848

I can't wait to see what you think about that shifter

 

[steddy2112]

Mine is still going strong

4th gear on my OEM trans not so much

Back in October on the way down to my annual Tail of the Dragon trip I take once a year 4th gear let go on a 3-4 shift and it stripped the teeth off of 4th. That happened just after 40k miles and the clutch has been on since like 3k miles?

Have had mild issues of being able to get it in first or reverse but nothing to the point where I had to force it into gear or do anything other than help the synchros out with a change of engine load, and since the swap, no issues whatsoever

But I am also hard on the top gears because of the nature of the track I go to have some big-ish straights and big torque and FWD transmissions will find the weak spot in them. I don't abuse my car but I am hard on it.

For everyday driving the only time this clutch sucks is stop and go traffic and the only reason it sucks is because it's not the lightest pedal but is very manageable in terms of bite point and user friendliness.

I'd make the same choice again if I went back to decision making time.

Sigh

Welp Friday morning, hop in the car to come home from work, and the clutch pedal is to the floor.

Bled the clutch over the weekend and going to take it to a shop to investigate, but yeah when bleeding the clutch system there was a ton of air so I am going to guess TOB

Had a tractor trailer have a tire blow out in front of me this morning on the way to work and do some cosmetic damage to my daily

2 cars down in less than a week

Need to stop coming to work