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Re: clutch problems

To: David Councill <dcouncil@imt.net>, mgs <mgs@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: clutch problems
From: Barney Gaylord <barneymg@MGAguru.com>
Date: Sun, 05 Jan 2003 00:03:32 -0600
At 04:16 PM 1/4/03 -0700, David Councill wrote:
>My 72B, ....
>.... the clutch doesn't work .... But the lever does move a good half 
>inch, maybe 3/4", ....

1/2" of travel at the slave is plenty.  The hydraulics are fine.  The 
problem is inside of the bellhousing.

If it clutch was assembled and left in storage for a long time (especially 
damp storage), it's possible that the friction disk is stuck to the 
flywheel (or to the pressure plate).

But the most usual cause of this problem right after assembly is having the 
clutch disk in backwards.  If the raised side of the hub on the disk is 
facing forwards it interferes with the flywheel bolts, and the clutch won't 
release.  Cure is to part the engine from the gearbox (or vice versa), 
remove pressure plate and reverse the clutch disk.

>.... the engine has very little power .... weird thing here is the firing 
>order. Sure, its supposed to be 1-3-4-2. Is that clockwise on the 
>distributer cap?

No.  Anti-clockwise.

>On my 67BGT, its anti-clockwise but when I set it that way on the 72, it 
>will not fire at all. Reverse 2 and 3 (to make it 1-3-4-2 clockwise) and 
>it starts right up but is very slow to rev up (still acts like its running 
>on three cylinders).

You have the distributor drive gear in 180 degrees out of position, so all 
four cylinders get the spark on the exhaust strole rather than on 
compression.  When you switch wires 2 & 3 it runs on two cylinders.  If you 
also switch wires 1 & 4 it will run on all four cylinders.  The #4 plug 
wire will then be closest to #1 spark plug, and #1 will be opposite across 
the dizzy cap.  Firing order is still the same, 1-3-4-2, but the rotor will 
point southwest for #1.  The proper cure is to remove the dizzy and the 
base mount from the block, remove the dizzy drive gear to rotate it 180 
degrees and reinstall everything.  That will put the rotor pointing at #1 
plug on teh compression stroke.


>I guess I was due. This is my third engine rebuild. The other two went 
>much smoother (well, except .... the time the distributer was off 180 degrees).

Well, you did it again.  Live and learn.

>But first things first - and without a clutch, it matters not how the 
>engine runs. Any clutch advice?

Have fun pulling the engien again.  Or maybe on that car you could pull the 
gearbox without removing the engine.  My money says your clutch disk is 
backwards.

Barney Gaylord
1958 MGA with an attitude
http://MGAguru.com

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