Thread: Stuck clutch help

If it has been standing for a long time it is quite possible that the clutch is stuck due to rust. Assuming that you are assured that the clutch withdrawal mechanism is working (by the feel of the pedal), some people have had success in freeing the clutch by brute force. There have been various suggestions how to do this.

What is needed to do is to either drive the clutch via the engine and stop the output, or drive the clutch via the gearbox and stop the engine, in both cases with the clutch disengaged.

The first is easier and safer, assuming the engine runs. With a clear space to run, start the engine with it in the highest gear that you can, probably third (a downslope helps) and once moving well, with the clutch disengaged, apply heavy braking, and with any luck the clutch will release before the engine stalls.

The second requires you to tow the vehicle with engine off, top gear and clutch disengaged.

Don't disengage any prop shafts.

It happens with my series ones now and then as I sometimes forget to take them for a run .
I chock the front wheels, jack up the two rears, start in gear then with foot on clutch start dabbing the brakes, giving it a few revs. As everything warms up it may come free. Might take a while so could be better than just driving around.
With yours you would have to remove the front shaft and lock the centre diff.

Keith

Hello from Brisbane.

Our farm truck (S2A) would occasionally do this and, as suggested before, it was usually due to long periods of idleness with the plate sticking to the flywheel or pressure plate.

Our cure was to pull it out of gear and roll it backwards down a slope from the shed to a dam wall. Putting it back in gear and under a bit of load either reversing the wall or heading forward back upslope towards the shed with the clutch disengaged it usually freed up.

Cheers,

Neil

Thanks all for those suggestions, has refined some original ideas I've heard and makes a lot more sense in my head as to what the issue is and how it gets resolved. I'll have the landy somewhere I can safely try the idea with engine running in a few days and let you know how it goes.
Much appreciated and thanks again

Do you know the condition of the clutch when the vehicle was originally parked up?
The other possibility is a failed pressure plate, which is what happened to me only a few days ago.
I was just up the road from home and went to clutch to change from second into third, but the clutch wouldn't break the drive line.
As far the pedal felt all was normal, but I ended up just driving the few hundred metres back to home in second gear.
When I pulled the clutch out this is what I found, a broken diaphragm in the pressure plate.
One break is old and they will usually work ok like that and may not give any clues that it has happened, but inevitably when a second break
occurs the clutch is cactus.

Cheers, Mick.

So, I had to tow it out of a tight spot to square up to a car trailer, and figured based on all of the above, I'll put a bit of wood on the clutch pedal to hold it down, pip it in third and tow slowly. Moved about 2 meters and it was sorted drove it arround the block, what a beast! Not bad for 12 to 14 years sitting . Someone loved her once and did a lot of mods.
(Note; forgot the joy of leaf springs...)

Thanks all for the combined info and helping me solve this without pulling out a gearbox ... from an s3, .. through the cab... :-/
Awesome thanks again