TKO 600 release bearing HELP PLEASE!

[Fluid Power]

I go to move the car from winter hibernation yesterday and the clutch goes to the floor. Looking under the car, a nice pool of fluid. The crappy Mcleod release bearing decided to give up the ghost over the winter. That is the SECOND McLeod piece of crap I have installed on this tranny. The car has 55 miles on it. I should have realized the drama when I installed it and bled the system only to have the entire contents of the master cylinder come out of the bearing and not the bleed line. I call Mcleod and they replaced it. I should have told them to keep it and bought something else. Now after sitting for about 3 months, it looks like I will be pulling the trans again.

What is everybody running? internal/external? brands? Any other ideas? Pulling transmissions suck!

HELP!

Darren

[BTTBSS]

Give Keisler Engineering in Knoxville, TN a call. I have a TKO-600 they installed
four years ago. No problems since day one but I don't remember the specs
on the Throw out bearing.

[wmhjr]

I'm running the Keisler unit on my TKO. It has thus far performed fine with no issues. I will also say, however, that the design is a little wonky. The unit is an integrated unit which bolts directly to the proprietary bearing retainer that you must replace on the tranny. There is a single hydraulic line (solid tube which transitions to braided) which connects to the unit through the hole in the scattershield normally used by the clutch fork. This line must be removed before the tranny can be removed from the scattershield - but the fitting is "captured" and is extremely difficult to remove once installed. I had to cut mine this year in order to remove the tranny, though I was able to remove it without cutting it last year. The replacement cost for the line is over $80. It is very proprietary.

I knew this going in and am not complaining. However, it is a very difficult unit to maintain if anything does require you pulling the tranny. That line is the most difficult item on my entire car to deal with.

[BTTBSS]

Quite true. Keisler recommends disconnecting the line at the MC and removing the tranny with bell housing and bearing in one piece. Pulling mine soon so we will see how that works.

[wmhjr]

Quite true. Keisler recommends disconnecting the line at the MC and removing the tranny with bell housing and bearing in one piece. Pulling mine soon so we will see how that works.

Yeah, problem with that is that it's Impossible in many cars. There is exactly zero possibility that you can do that on a '66 GTO. You have maybe 1" at the most between the upper portions of the scatter shield and the firewall. You have lots of inches of input shaft that needs to come straight out. You'd have to cut out the firewall. Even if you took out the motor mount bolts, and allowed the drivetrain to tilt back, all you'd end up with is the rear of the block and the scattershield smacking into the firewall. Just a very inefficient design considering maintenance.

[parsonsj]

Howe makes a nice bearing that works well on a TKO:

http://www.howeracing.com/p-7753-improved-hydraulic-for-stock-clutches.aspx

[wmhjr]

Howe makes a nice bearing that works well on a TKO:

http://www.howeracing.com/p-7753-improved-hydraulic-for-stock-clutches.aspx

John, according to the description, it would appear that this model may not work with a TKO, perhaps without modification to the main bearing retainer anyway. It specifies Saginaw, Jerico, Muncie trannies - nothing about TREMEC. Is that just a lapse in the description and it really does work?

If so, do you know if it would also work with the master cylinder (Wilwood) that Keisler normally supplies? I'm a big fan of Howe stuff. It would be a nice option if this is true.

[parsonsj]

It specifies Saginaw, Jerico, Muncie trannies - nothing about TREMEC. Is that just a lapse in the description and it really does work?Just a lapse. The TKO is a direct replacement for Saginaw and Muncie transmissions: all their input shaft dimensions are the same.

And... it worked flawlessly in a certain 67 Nova.

About working with the Wilwood master, it's a matter of bore and stroke (isn't everything, lol). The Howe will work with a 1" stroke 3/4" master.

jp

[wmhjr]

John, thanks a lot. I'll check to see what the bore and stroke of the Keisler supplied MC is to be sure, but I seem to recall that's what it might be as well. If so, you just gave another option to me. The Keisler unit does work well, but it makes thinking about pulling the tranny a nightmare.

[parsonsj]

Hey, you're welcome. Glad to help. Another nice thing about the Howe part is that many speed shops carry them. You can actually go to the store and come home with one.

jp

[BTTBSS]

Pulled the transmission out of my Impala SS last Saturday. The clutch release
line was a real PIA. The fitting on the MC was/is stuck and almost impossible
to get a wrench on. The fitting on the Throw-out bearing is solid. Wound up
twisting the flex line into a pretzel.

I called Keisler but could not get tech support and no return call so far. What
is needed is a connection that will turn on a hard line at the bearing. There is
room to get a crows foot wrench in there and turn if the fitting were similar
to a brake line. Has anyone tried building a custom line?

Other than the clutch line, the tranny came out with little fuss. I did call
Liberty to see about their shifter upgrades but they quoted $700.00 if I
sent them the transmission. Ouch.

[Fluid Power]

The drama continues on my end but I found a solution. I ordered a Tilton unit, and that meant ordering another bearing mount. It was quite expensive, but the Tilton tech and engineering guy was great. Order through Summit. It is supposed to show up on May 9th! It was ordered 3/18! The mess was that Summit kept moving the delivery date out about a day every other day. I finally called and was given the 9th date. The tech guy at Summit is fantastic and steers me toward the RAM unit. Shows up the next day. Done! And all for about $350 less than the Tilton combo unit.

Darren