Clutch woes

[tropicalandy]

Hi all, I have a 58 series 1, last time i drove it the clutch worked fine, next time i go to use it...no clutch. i replaced the clutch relay shaft and bushes as they were completely flogged out, I took the clutch out and the pressure plate and clutch plate appear to be fine. The thrust gear all seams to be working OK, the pedals adjusted properly but still no clutch. It has a 161 holden engine with a holden pressure plate and i guess a land rover clutch plate. Has anyone got any ideas?

[JDNSW]

No clutch I presume means "does not disengage"?

If you remove the gear lever assembly you should get a good enough view into the bell housing to see whether the pressure plate is operating properly. If it is not, and you have replaced the cross shaft and couplings (and the coupling pins are not broken), the only answer has to be that the release bearing (in the housing sticking out the front of the box) has collapsed. If the pressure plate appears to be operating normally, but it is not releasing, the most likely reason is that one of the levers in the pressure plate or its pivot is damaged so that it is not releasing evenly.

John

[tropicalandy]

Hello John,
Yes i took the gear stick assembly off and the thrust bearing is operating properly, it must be the levers on the pressure plate as you say.
Thanks for the advice

[groucho]

Clutch plate may be sticking to the flywheel with with rust
from moisture. Happens sometimes........

[JDNSW]

Clutch plate may be sticking to the flywheel with with rust
from moisture. Happens sometimes........

Yes, but I discounted that as he has already had it out.

Tropiclandy - another possibility is a distorted driven plate, I assume you would have noted any sign of loose or substantially bent linings, but it does not take very much to make the clutch drag badly. Same applies to the amount of misalignment of the pressure plate fingers to give the same problem.

I assume it is the older type of pressure plate with coil springs and three fingers? If this is the case, adjustment of these is critical, and another possibility is that the pressure plate has been reassembled rotated on the flywheel (which ought not to make a difference, but could) or with dirt under one mounting point, tilting the pressure plate slightly.

Excessive lost motion in the linkage could also be a problem - check this carefully.

John

[groucho]

You didn't put the clutch plate in back to front ?
With the longer boss to the front.....

[tropicalandy]

Hi Groucho,
the clutch wasnt working before i pulled it out and i'm pretty sure i put it back correctly, I'll have to pull it out again and have some one who knows what to look for look at it. thanks heaps