John & Richard Thanks for the advise. If the weather cools-off a little here in SE Michigan the trans should be on the bench by the end of the week. I will update the group with exactly what happened. Thanks again.
Regards, Matt Van Benschoten [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "John T. Blair" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Matt Van Benschoten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: "CARS Spitfires@Autox. Team. Net (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, June 22, 2002 9:32 AM Subject: Re: 78 Spit clutch issue > At 12:09 AM 6/22/02 -0400, Matt Van Benschoten wrote: > >Help needed with a strange, to me, clutch issue on a 78 Spitfire. The clutch > >failed while I was driving the car a few weeks back. The failure mode is > >engaged with a good pedal. While driving; the clutch all of a sudden would > >not release. The clutch pedal is still firm and feels very normal, i.e. as > >if the pressure plate/throw-out bearing are working. With the slave cylinder > >pinch bolt loose the slave cylinder moves toward the back of the car when > >the pedal is pressed, as would be expected if it was working properly. Any > >ideas as to what might be happening? > > Matt, > > From the sounds of it, the MC is working and pushing fluid to the Slave > clylinder. You loosed the bolt on the SL and it moves, therefore it sounds > like the pistion in the SL is moving. So my guess is that you have a problem > with something in the bellhousing, either the clutch pressure plate or > face(drive) plate. > > I have seen some fingers on the pressure plate break. This would give you > the feeling that the clutch system was working, hard resistance, movement > of the parts, but since not all the fingers are being pressed, the pressure > plate would not completely release causing drag on the face plate. > > Other problems I've seen: > > 1. Burrs on the face plate so it didn't seat all the way on the splined input > shaft of the xmission, causing drag and not releasing. > > 2. A throw out bearing that is too short, there for not moving the pressure > plate enouggh to release the face plate. > > However these 2 problems are more common when replacing a clutch not on a > a functioning system. > > 3. The fork connecting the slave cyl. to the thow out bearing bent or cracked. > This will let the system feel like it is working but the fork bends instead > of pressing the pressure plate. > > About anyway you slice it, you'll probably have to pull the tranny to check > things out. > > Hope this helps. > > John > > John T. Blair WA4OHZ email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Va. Beach, Va Phone: (757) 495-8229 > > 48 TR1800 48 #4 Midget 65 Morgan 4/4 Series V > 75 Bricklin SV1 77 Spitfire 71 Saab Sonett III > 65 Rambler Classic > > Morgan: www.team.net/www/morgan > Bricklin: www.bricklin.org /// [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list /// Send admin requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool /// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive /// Send list postings to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /// Edit your replies! If they include this trailer, they will NOT be sent.