I just spent the better part of the weekend installing a new clutch on my '67
TR4A-IRS. The old clutch disintegrated after some months of neglect. The new
clutch is a "magic clutch" kit from The Roadster Factory. I replaced the
cross shaft fork, the throwout bearing, the bearing sleeve, the pressure
plate, and the driven plate. I also had the cross shaft drilled out and
installed an extra through-bolt to make sure I would not have a pin failure.
On top of that, I made a new fork for the clutch master cylinder so I could
eliminate the play that had developed at that end of the system.
The new clutch seems to disengage when the clutch pedal is depressed about
half way. But it never fully disengages. There is always some residual
pressure on the transmission that prevents me from shifting into first gear or
reverse, while at a dead stop. It's not enough force to move the car - just
enough to prevent shifting when I am not moving. I can start the car with the
transmission in gear and the clutch depressed to get going. The car will not
move in this situation. It shifts fairly normally through 2, 3 and 4th. But
the clutch is clearly not working properly.
I checked, and I am getting about half an inch of travel at the clevis pin on
the lever arm of the transmission. I don't think that is the issue because
the clutch is clearly disengaged 90% when the pedal is just half way down.
Something else seems to be putting pressure on the driven disk, even when the
pressure plate is released.
One thought I have is that the collar on the new driven disk (where the
splined bit is located) is thicker than the old one, and the transmission is
somehow forcing the driven plate up against the flywheel even when the
pressure plate is released. I measured the collar on the old driven plate.
It is about 2 1/8th inches thick. I can't measure the new one because it is
already in the car.
Other than that I am stumped. I suppose there is no way around having to pull
the transmission once again. But I thought I would send a message to the
group to see if there are any words of wisdom.
Along the same lines - does anyone have a good source for an adjustable fork
for the clutch master cylinder? I ended up cutting a slave cylinder fork to
length to make up for the wear in the hole in the clutch pedal arm. It's a
short-term fix, and I would like to come up with a better long-term solution.
Thanks in advance,
Michael
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