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Flathead Fever · 11-07-2022, 05:46 PM

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You can release the clutch using a tool on the external arm. There is a good reason for doing this. I was a mechanic and every once in a while, I would get a new clutch that would drag, it will not completely release after you have installed it and the gears will grind. Maybe the lining was too thick, hydraulic problems, linkage problems, input shaft tight on the pilot bearing, misaligned bellhousing, wrong clutch, it does occasionally happen. Everything would be new, and it would grind going into gear. I worked as a fleet mechanic, they had 400 vehicles, mostly all of them had clutches. I've literacy installed hundreds of clutches. And hopefully I've learned from my mistakes, such as making sure the disc slides onto the input shaft splines before you try and install the trans into it. We were always getting clutches and brake drums that were boxed wrong. Make sure the new pilot bearing does not fit tight on the input shaft. Make sure the clucth disc is not installed backwards....

Here's one screwup on a F-600 4X4 with an Allison automatic that wasn't my fault. I had to remove three driveshafts, a PTO, and a transfer case just to get to the 1000 lb. Allison trans. We really did not have the trans jack we should have had for that beast. I had to replace the flex plate that was missing starter teeth. I used a new factory Ford flex plate, pulled out of that bluw oval Ford box and made sure it was the same diameter and same number of teeth. Put it all back together, hit the starter and the ring gear spun off of the flex plate. It was never welded at the factory. I will never install another flex plate without checking the ring gear welds. I should not have installed that transfer case, driveshafts and PTO before testing the starter.

With clutches, I install the trans in the vehicle and before I finish putting everything back together, I put it gear and using a pedal jack I push the pedal to the floor. Then I make sure the tail shaft spins easily (in gear). It takes a couple of extra minutes to check that the clutch is completely releasing compared to having to pull it all apart after its completely back together.

Here is an example, I just went through this a month ago on my daughter's 2006 Scion TC. She got 150,000 miles out of the original clutch and it still had plenty of lining, I was pretty proud of her. I purposedly bought her this car because someday she will inherit a bunch of manual transmissions in old Fords so she will need to be able to drive them. Her Scion clutch would not release all of the way, you could not get it into any gear, it wouldn't even grind it just would not go into gear. The only way was to shut it off, put it gear and then start it, but you better be prepared for it take off with the clutch in all the way, direct drive. That was how they got it 50 miles to my house, by starting it in gear at each light and then shifting it using the rpm to slip it into the other gears. Everybody including the dealer said it's the hydraulics, but I was pretty positive they were fine. I was getting full travel out of the slave cylinder rod and the system, held pressure. The slave cylinder rod did not drift back in which it would have it there was an internal leak. Then people on the Scion forums said, you need to adjust the pedal travel, which was possible. But first before I go screwing with the factory setup let's see if that clutch is capable of releasing. I took a porta power and installed it where the slave cylinder was, then I jacked that fork back until it bottomed out against the bellhousing, way further than it would normally travel, and it still would not go into gear. That eliminated the hydraulic system. Then people said, it's in the transmission. With the porta power still holding back the clutch fork I disabled the ignition and tried to turn the engine over with the starter and the engine locked up. If it was the trans there is no way the trans should have locked up the engine if the clutch was released. Now I knew it's not the trans, it's not the hydraulics, it's something inside that bellhousing. I really did not want to tear apart a front wheel drive car until I was positive the problem was the clutch. I've never seen this happen before; one of those springs in the clutch disc came out and got wedged between the disc and a flywheel bolt so that the disc was still rotating with the clutch disengaged.

11-07-2022, 05:46 PM	#6
Flathead Fever Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Yucaipa, CA Posts: 1,105	Re: clutch question Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) You can release the clutch using a tool on the external arm. There is a good reason for doing this. I was a mechanic and every once in a while, I would get a new clutch that would drag, it will not completely release after you have installed it and the gears will grind. Maybe the lining was too thick, hydraulic problems, linkage problems, input shaft tight on the pilot bearing, misaligned bellhousing, wrong clutch, it does occasionally happen. Everything would be new, and it would grind going into gear. I worked as a fleet mechanic, they had 400 vehicles, mostly all of them had clutches. I've literacy installed hundreds of clutches. And hopefully I've learned from my mistakes, such as making sure the disc slides onto the input shaft splines before you try and install the trans into it. We were always getting clutches and brake drums that were boxed wrong. Make sure the new pilot bearing does not fit tight on the input shaft. Make sure the clucth disc is not installed backwards.... Here's one screwup on a F-600 4X4 with an Allison automatic that wasn't my fault. I had to remove three driveshafts, a PTO, and a transfer case just to get to the 1000 lb. Allison trans. We really did not have the trans jack we should have had for that beast. I had to replace the flex plate that was missing starter teeth. I used a new factory Ford flex plate, pulled out of that bluw oval Ford box and made sure it was the same diameter and same number of teeth. Put it all back together, hit the starter and the ring gear spun off of the flex plate. It was never welded at the factory. I will never install another flex plate without checking the ring gear welds. I should not have installed that transfer case, driveshafts and PTO before testing the starter. With clutches, I install the trans in the vehicle and before I finish putting everything back together, I put it gear and using a pedal jack I push the pedal to the floor. Then I make sure the tail shaft spins easily (in gear). It takes a couple of extra minutes to check that the clutch is completely releasing compared to having to pull it all apart after its completely back together. Here is an example, I just went through this a month ago on my daughter's 2006 Scion TC. She got 150,000 miles out of the original clutch and it still had plenty of lining, I was pretty proud of her. I purposedly bought her this car because someday she will inherit a bunch of manual transmissions in old Fords so she will need to be able to drive them. Her Scion clutch would not release all of the way, you could not get it into any gear, it wouldn't even grind it just would not go into gear. The only way was to shut it off, put it gear and then start it, but you better be prepared for it take off with the clutch in all the way, direct drive. That was how they got it 50 miles to my house, by starting it in gear at each light and then shifting it using the rpm to slip it into the other gears. Everybody including the dealer said it's the hydraulics, but I was pretty positive they were fine. I was getting full travel out of the slave cylinder rod and the system, held pressure. The slave cylinder rod did not drift back in which it would have it there was an internal leak. Then people on the Scion forums said, you need to adjust the pedal travel, which was possible. But first before I go screwing with the factory setup let's see if that clutch is capable of releasing. I took a porta power and installed it where the slave cylinder was, then I jacked that fork back until it bottomed out against the bellhousing, way further than it would normally travel, and it still would not go into gear. That eliminated the hydraulic system. Then people said, it's in the transmission. With the porta power still holding back the clutch fork I disabled the ignition and tried to turn the engine over with the starter and the engine locked up. If it was the trans there is no way the trans should have locked up the engine if the clutch was released. Now I knew it's not the trans, it's not the hydraulics, it's something inside that bellhousing. I really did not want to tear apart a front wheel drive car until I was positive the problem was the clutch. I've never seen this happen before; one of those springs in the clutch disc came out and got wedged between the disc and a flywheel bolt so that the disc was still rotating with the clutch disengaged.