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Re: Clutch replace

To: spridgets mailing list <spridgets@Autox.Team.Net>
Subject: Re: Clutch replace
From: Robert Duquette <RobertDuquette@compuserve.com>
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 17:17:41 -0400
Reply-to: Robert Duquette <RobertDuquette@compuserve.com>
Sender: owner-spridgets@Autox.Team.Net
Message text written by Dave Hiley
>I say again .... How good is your will power?   It is true that "things"
have a chance of entering the snowball phase but the greatest test is
whether or not you can resist the urge to make snowballs where none
previously existed. :))

<I thought that I had sent this yesterday AM>

How good is my will power?  Depends on the day ...  I'm normally a calm,
cool, collected guy, but there are the "damn the torpedo" days.  That said,
the temptations are there to do other things, but I have convinced myself
that this a fix to provide me with safer autumn driving.  I am telling
myself that I am willing to pull the engine again later and keep it out
over the winter, if necessary.  My experience this time may determine how
willing I will be to do it again.

I never did mention my symptoms.  (I'm not the original poster to this
thread.)  At the beginning of July, I bought my Sprite.  (I have not owned
a toy car since about '82.)  I had the car pre-checked at a local garage
that specializes in Brit cars.  They told me what it needed and I agreed to
have it certified safe with them.  They didn't drive it.  They only put it
on a hoist.  My test drive was in a small neighborhood while the car was
cold.  The clutch seemed fine.  After the certification, the gas gauge no
longer worked (I initially thought that they had burned a lot for some
unknown reason (they had rebuilt my SUs)), and while in the middle of rush
hour traffic on the way to a gas station, much to my amazment while
merging, I found that there was serious (step on pedal; revs; no
acceleration) clutch slip.  After a disheartening drive home, I parked the
car.  I later noticed that I had a big puddle under the car and that the
oil had been added to (overfull).  It had already been at the full line,
but was so clean that it was hard to see.  I was ready to sell the car
right then.  (I got back in the saddle a couple of hours later)  I hoped
that oil had gotten on the plate and that it would burn off.  

Here's how it works:
When it is cold and under normal driving, it doesn't slip.  As it heats up,
the slip increases and there is some judder at start up in first.  It gets
so bad that I can release the clutch and stay almost stationary and under
moderate acceleration it will spin.  It becomes almost impossible to go up
an incline without spin.  

Somewhere on the left side of the block, it blows oil 'sometimes'.  I think
it must be from those side plates, but ... more later.  This could be the
temptation.  I'm not sure that I'm willing to put it back together with a
leak that could contaminate my clutch (again?)

Thanks everyone for the info on dampers and engine removal.  Expect to hear
rmore from me soon.  It's daylight now (couldn't sleep last night) and I'm
heading out to the garage.  I expect to be interupted often  (I'm the only
licensed driver and I have small children)

Robert
'65 Sprite
HAN8 45200

PS:  I think that I will go with the 'rear manifold bolt and the front
gen/alt adjustment bolt' and I'm probably going to use the 'official'
Datsun? engine pulling angled iron that I found in my junk box if it looks
like it will fit.

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