Chose the cheap clutch kit over the name brand one and grenaded my flywheel on I-80

So back in June I was rebuilding a 2006 F-250 6.0 for a buddy. Needed a whole clutch setup and the budget was tight. I stood there in the parts store staring at a $450 Luk kit versus a $180 no-name one from the back shelf. Told myself it's just a farm truck that hauls hay bales, how bad could it be? Well after about 2 months of light driving it started vibrating real bad. Last week on I-80 near mile marker 145 the flywheel just let go with a bang you could hear from space. Pieces of it lodged in the bellhousing. Took me 10 hours to pull the trans and clean it all out. Had to buy a new flywheel anyway plus all new bolts. Probably cost me double in the end. Anyone else get burned by a parts gamble like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordancoleman1mo ago

Did you check if the flywheel was the cheap Chinese one that warps from heat? I've seen those low-budget kits send shrapnel through the whole transmission on a job site before.

cameron6841mo ago

Exactly this happened to me @jordancoleman I put one of those cheap flywheels in my buddy's truck and it warped after like 500 miles. The thing actually cracked and sent a chunk through the bell housing, took out the pressure plate and clutch disc too. Cost him double in labor to fix the mess. NEVER again with that junk.