Hey guys - I know this topic has probably been covered many times in the past, but my transmission is currently out of the car for a clutch upgrade and I am seeking opinions.

I am already running the BBi slave... it has been in my car for ~6 or 7 years and ~20k miles. BBi did the install.
No issues to date, but several people have recommended that in order to avoid dropping the trans again anytime soon, I should go the GT2 route while the car is apart. Is the BBi unit really that prone to failure over time? I was also thinking of rebuilding it while the car is down, however the seals are out of stock for the foreseeable future.

So, my options are to roll the dice and just leave the BBi slave alone, or I order up the OEM GT parts and start tapping the bell housing.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance
Kyle

 

leave it alone. the OEM slave life expectancy has already been exceeded by your BBI unit and if and when it fails you can then re-visit your options which would not require you to drop the transmission anyway although any/everything is easier on a bench than it is on a lift or on stands.

access to the slave attached to the trans does not require a trans drop. but why mess with it now.

i've read of even the BBI units failing over time but any movable parts with seals and fluid and rubber and well...

i just had a clutch out situation and stupidly didn't bother to R&R the slave when the other "new" clutch parts went in since I had no indications that the slave was "failing". at least none i had already experienced over the previous 13/14 years which found me r&r'ing slaves and masters and accumulators all on separate occasions.

but i began my recent clutch job because i was having issues with fluid seeping from a failing master cylinder and believed that simply replacing the master cyl would "fix" my seepage issues. but after replacing it i began to have engagement issues and clutch pedal inconsistent action/play and pedal return then the clutch began to slip and re-bleeds did nothing to "help".. throw-out failure? DMFW failing ( could be since i had put in a used but lots of material remaining part ) or was it simply clutch plate wear?

this didn't seem possible given I had also replaced my clutch 50k +/- miles prior - and my previous clutch had lasted me at least 80k miles...

again. i'd leave it alone but then i know nothing of the mechanism of that BBI unit. but i would seriously inspect all connected component parts to incl the master and any lines that run fluid for crimps etc.

all that said. based upon my now latest expereince? the only way to know EVERYTHING will work as it should it to R&R every part. this would include the BBI unit.

but if it ain't broke now?... you know the old adage...

 

thanks for the feedback. I think I agree with you… my initial thought was to have BBi rebuild my slave but the seals have been out of stock for an unknown length of time.

There are some failure stories of the BBi unit, but mostly they seem to be related to pentosin contamination which would have happened long ago.

 

I'm waiting on my wavetrac to start my clutch replacement and have researched whatever failures I could for the options available which are basically 3 options. Bbi, evoms and gt2 oem. I believe that the bbi won't fail prematurely if the pentosin is flushed out. I haven't decided which way I'll go as yet. Evoms is cheaper and the kit includes parts I was planning to replace anyway but evoms in oos.

If I go with bbi I will replace master / slave as well

 

I think you’re correct. Every BBi failure I’ve seen was typically within a somewhat short window from install so I think related to the pentosin flush. It’s a high quality piece and mine was installed by BBi themselves, so I’m leaving it alone!

 

if I might offer one piece of continuing advice to any/all swapping out clutch and/or hydraulics?

replace the slave and master same time - whether you believe you "need" to or not. it's worth the add'l 700/800 bucks for the "baseline" of all "new" parts and the peace of mind.

I've done both on these cars i.e. "all new" vs "mix and match". I have r&r'd a clutch in concert using the old parts ( master/slave/accumulator etc ) and now having learned the "hard way" it's just not worth the hassle should even ONE of the connected components fail post clutch swap. whether you BBI/GT2 OEM retrofit - or not.

the sage advice given me by Kevin @ UMW rings true. the slave and connected parts are "wear items" and best to think of the slave as a part with a five year life span +/-. again, all obviated by the gt2 "mod" or BBI part. this of course is mitigated by the BBI slave retrofit. agree also re the anecdotal reports of the BBI "failures" being specifically related to "old OEM fluid" not having been properly flushed out/replaced. but all else remains. good luck fellas.

my long winded point is. if you're replacing with OEM? replace all the stuff. whew.

 

I've been waiting for one of my friends to finally install his BBi setup so I can see how it feels. I've tried multiple other friends gt2 converted cars and don't like any of them

 

Subscribed. I have a BBI sitting on the shelf for when the OEM slave to fail and would like to hear Docs feedback once he gets a change to try his friends.