Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

A while back I posted a thread about diagnosing my clutch problem that ultimately resulted in my determining that there was NO clutch freeplay. This was a replacement clutch kit from carpetners and as such was off shore production. The lobes of the fingers were riding directly on the Throw Out bearing all the time causing a mess of problems.

Unfortunately the original clutch that came out of the vehicle got thrown away in a move and I didn't have that to reference. The questionable integrity of the offshore clutch was an issue so I purchased a rebuilt kit from Fort Wayne Clutch.

Doing all of this with the engine in the vehicle was difficult and stressful so I pulled the engine and with that decided to drop the oil pan and have the flywheel resurfaced (which I did not do on the original installation).

I reinstalled the flywheel, bolted the clutch up. I ensured that the correct side was facing the flywheel. I tightened the bolts very slowly in a random order to ensure even pressure was being applied. I torqued the bolts to the spec I found on Mac VP's site. (18-20 ft pounds I believe).

I just test a test run of bolting the transmission up to the bellhousing and lo and behold my problem remains. When I turn the engine over by hand the throw out bearing is moving along with the clutch. I am extremely frustrated and not sure what to do next....

I took the tranny off and have taken a few pics. Any suggestions are welcome. I have not contacted FWC that to ask their advice, that will be forthcoming. The fact that I have had the same issue with two different clutches is telling me that perhaps I am messing up or overlooking. The pressure plate bolts I used are ones that came with the carpenter's clutch kit, not sure if that is a factor.

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

Are the engine and transmission still in the car? If not it seems to me that what we refer to as adjusting the clutch will take care of the porblem. With the 1 1/2 free play the bearing will not be on pp.

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

Engine still out of the vehicle. with the transmission bolted up and the throw-out-bearing all the way back against the rear facing of the transmission-the clutch fingers and still touching the TOB.

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

Big,
Something does not look right....the 3 release fingers should be away from the
hole in the pressure plate, not laying on it. As you attach the PP to the f/whl the
fingers should pull away from the hole.
Or have I been into too much carb cleaner ?
Charlie ny

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

I agree that the release fingers should move away from the coverplate. I can't remember exactly because I was so obsessed with making sure that I incrementally and randomly tightened them. And I am kicking myself because I bolted the oil pan back up before I double checked my free play... LEARNING CURVE IS PAINFUL SOMETIMES

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

Is the throwout bearing pressed fully on to the hub? Dave

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

Is it possible you have the wrong bear and sleeve??? ken ct.

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

Was there a thread on the HAMB about repop p-plates or was it on here? I seem to remember haivng some kind of finger modification - Dick Spadaro had chimed in at one point I believe. Try PM'ing him .....

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

I think the problem Spadaro talked about was the fingers rubbing on the throw out bearing when the clutch was pushed in.

Something is definitely not right there the fingers should not be resting on the pressure plate when bolted down. Is the pressure plate seated against the flywheel where the bolts go through it ? If pressure plate bolts were too long and bottomed out in the holes it would cause this.

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

he said he bought the clutch from fort wayne unless that had a huge party & every body got drunk there that clutch is dead on. there the best like ken ct says check the throw out bearing & sleve make sure the fork is on right not back wards

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

When in doubt shoot pictures of both the the engine side and the transmission side.

The pressure plate and disc in your picture appear to be correct. The issue is with the throw out bearing. First is to insure the the bearing is completely seated on the input throw out collar and the bearing collar moves freely on the input shaft collar. When adjusted by the clutch arm rod the bearing actually comes to about 1/8" to touching the fingers in the relaxed position. Now with the transmission installed on the engine and looking thru the inspection cover you should be able to detect clearance between the fingers and the throw out bearing, you should easily be able to rotate thet clutch shaft rearward and a larger bearing gap should develop. If it is hard to move something is wrong.

To check remove the transmission and check the motion range. You should be able to rotate the the bellhousing clutch shaft by hand. The normal clocking rotates the arm between the 11 to 1 o'clock position. If you observe the throw out fork movement at the 1 o'clock position which is full disengaged and rotate the shaft forward you should see that the bearing and fork just start to get to the end of the throw out collar as the arm clocks to around 11 o'clock position.

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

Just brain storming- could the disc be in bass ackwards, did you use the bolts with the shoulders, what about the bearing/bushing on the flywheel? The bearing bushing may keep the disk away from the flywheel.

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

Do you have the correct FW ? sounds like it is to shallow.

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

While the engine is out, remove the pan again. I am suspecting the kit has the wrong bolts. Make sure the pressure plate is fully seated against the flyweel. If that clutch is run that way it will slip very soon. The fingers hard against the cover will prevent the proper clamping force against a thinner pressure plate as it wears.

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

FW has been on the car at least in the 30 plus years it was sitting at my grandpas house and then my dad took it, but he never took the engine or transmission out. However the safety wire was missing when I took it off indicating at some point, something was changed. My dad drove the car quite a bit so I think if this problem existed with the prior clutch. I am sure the TO bearing and pilot bearing are legit. Right now I am suspecting that the there might be a problem with the bolts. When I get home, I will shoot some more pics and also pull out a bolt to be sure. will also check what Dick Spadaro mentioned.

I was pretty sure the TOB is seated all the way on. I will double check.

100% sure that the clutch disc is in the correct way. FWC even put a nifty label on the flywheel side.

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

Oh, and BTW. I have a rebuilt transmission and the original tranmission. Today I bolted up the original transmission with the original TOB and TOB hub. I will also double check with the rebuilt tranny and the new TOB and hub... It is just frustrating because the old clutch got tossed when my mom sold her house and I don't have an original point of reference.

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

Those fingers shouldn't be out against the rim of the pressure plate when it is tightened. If you lay the flywheel down flat, set the disk on it and then the pressure plate on it there should be some space between the pressure plate and the flywheel. When the pressure plate is tightened down, the springs should compress and pull the fingers away from the rim. How thick is your disk? Could the pressure plate have been machined too much? Wrong pressure plate? Very unlikely, but possible.

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

Anybody close by in N Carolina to help??

Paul in CT

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

I know you said that your pop had or drove some thirty yrs? Is the Flathead & Trans the original from what you know - 59AB Block? It is true that when the pressure plate is bolted to the fly wheel and the bolts on the pressure plate are tightened gradually in a scattered pattern it should be slowly drawing he fingers toward the clutch disc and flywheel. Hang in there I know you will eventually get to the bottom of it all.

Re: Still Battling this clutch problem. Help!!!
 

Did you per chance replace the clutch release shaft? Some of the reproductions have the hole for the clutch release fork retaining pin at the wrong angle relative to the end where the operating arm attaches. The result is a lack of complete clutch disengagement.