WTB: cheap lightweight 1.6 flywheel

[POS Racing]

What is up with the surface of that flywheel?? Any chance you could get us an up close shot of it??

Almost looks like it has been hot.

[Rob®]

Holy crap at $80! I paid like $35 from FM for mine years ago. jeebus

[POS Racing]

Hot spots are not your friend on a flywheel.

Flywheel Hot Spots cause chatter. Re-surfacing a flywheel doesn't always remove hot spots! The flywheel may look shiny and pretty but the hot spots will often still be there. Service the System™ by replacing the flywheel and the clutch set at the same time.

Link - http://www.perfectionclutch.com/flywheels.html

[Jiggerachi]

Ahh...shit. Don't want to spend another $80, but don't want chatter either.

I'll get a better closeup shot when I get home. Looked to me like material transfer, but it's the first time looking at a flywheel for me.

[Rob®]

FWIW, it looks like material transfer to me too. But a better pic would be a good idea.

[Jiggerachi]

Better pic.


Edit, for some reason the uploader isn't working and photobucket won't host anything larger than 1024x768. I think you can see the full size version here.
https://picasaweb.google.com/Gremste...54885903581442


Edit #2... Here I zoomed in for you.



Photo hosting fail... Not much of a zoom but you get the idea. *facepalm*

[POS Racing]

I think I'd buy a new ring just to be on the safe side......

[Jiggerachi]

All of the dark parts have texture, I can almost pick them with my fingernail, if that helps. Seems like material on the ring, not sure if the metal under the material has gotten too hot though.

Not discounting your diagnosis, I just really, really don't want to spend anything else on this flywheel. I'm already $200 over budget for the clutch job and will hopefully have a $400 roll bar in the mail next week...

[POS Racing]

I understand the $$$ part but I'm also looking at the wear on the ring already as well as the spots. Can they be resurfaced or are they a one time only use ring??

But hey if it becomes a problem you can just pull the clutch out and start over again.

[Jiggerachi]

^That's an idea! :)

I heard somewhere that Fidanza says you can resurface them only once. Then you probably want to replace, but you can resurface them at least once.

And while there are marks from wear, from looking at the disk it doesn't look like it has been worn down any. But again I really don't know what i'm talking about...or looking at, heh.

I want to do it right definitely, I do not want a half assed clutch job that chatters.

[POS Racing]

Can you flip the ring??

[Jiggerachi]

^good question.

Paging Rob!

Edit: quick search on Miata.net.

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread...anza+resurface

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread...anza+resurface

Looks like nobody knows for sure, but seem to say if it's not too bad hit it with fine grit sandpaper, or get it turned at a shop. Replace if it's warped.

[Titus]

Can you flip the ring??

I believe the screw holes are countersunk. I suspect they are only countersunk on the one side.

[Rob®]

1. You can resurface the ring. I never heard the just once thing, but makes sense to me.
2. Still looks like material transfer to me. From my experience, hot spots are normally dark spots with a "clear" (i.e. silver disc color) ring directly circling the darker spots.
3. Getting it resurfaced or replacing is not a bad idea at all (in fact I believe I even mentioned that before the flywheel was even purchased - but that's my personal opinion) BUT I think hitting it with some fine sand paper would be OK too. I'm not the one that will spend the few hours to remove/replace it though, so I really hate to "recommend" anything like that, especially without seeing the part in question.
4. The holes on my Fidanza are countersunk on one side only, so flipping it would not work.

[Jiggerachi]

^noted.

Keep in mind, that i'm putting this with an OEM clutch, on a stock engine. All the chatter problems i've read about have been the grabby kevlar racing clutches. I don't think it will be much of a problem hitting it with sandpaper. The disk isn't warped.

I think i'm going to lightly sand it with fine sandpaper to get all the transfer off, and if I see any of the heat spots(I kind of know what they look like on other applications.), i'll look at my options.

I'm buying $500 - $600 worth of tires on the Element in the next day or so as well...my tax return is slipping away, it's supposed to go in the 3rd car fund.

[Rob®]

Sounds like a good plan to me - hit it with some sand paper or steel wool and see what it looks like. If you're not comfortable with it after that, I would contact Jake (the guy you bought it from) and see if he will work with you. I will speak up for you too, should you go that route. Obviously I have absolutely no say in that matter, but it's always worth a shot.

As much as I hate saying it about used wear items like that (rotors, brake pads, etc), I think you'll be fine with a quick deglazing/transfer layer removal.

[Jiggerachi]

Yep, with anything wearable it's always a gamble for used parts. You have to be a true cheap bastard to take the risk.

I'm currently driving on TrickyRix's year old rotors and hawk HP+ pads, haha. The price was right and they work great!

[Jiggerachi]

Took some 600 grit sandpaper and steel wool to the flywheel tonight. <sigh> looks like hotspots, but very small?? hotspots.

I dunno...should I sand some more, should I care, or just buy a new ring...






FWIW, the disk is mirror smooth and doesn't appear to be warped (from the naked eye)

Edit: not really asking for what I should do, more asking if this is excessive or extreme heat spotting. If it could be deemed excessive then I know what to do. If it's not that extreme then i'll hit it with some 400 grit on a sanding block and call it a day.

[Jiggerachi]

aluminum flywheel is in, mated to a 1.6 value clutch. Wow, was a tough job, for a newbie wrench turner.

Took the car for a quick spin, impressions on the 7.3lb flywheel:
Revs much smoother and effortlessly, but not as fast as I thought it would. Engine tone surprisingly seems a LOT different, less effort zipping through the gears. Had zero trouble starting out in 1st, overrevving, or stalling whatsoever, didn't even notice that much of a difference at all. I even let my buddy drive it and he hasn't driven a stick in years, no problem. Didn't hear any decell buzz, maybe since the top was down, don't know. Engine idled fine. But dyno was happy, little more grunt in lower gears, didn't blow my socks off though.

Seems all the fears of ultra-light flywheels are unfounded, and I do agree with alot of people when they say, it should have come from the factory like this. Feels more like a classic roadster should.