First of all, a thousand apologies for bombing the list with the blank
e-mails on Tuesday. Hopefully, everything is working now. That said... I'll
continue.
After four short months of being a Midget owner, I've experienced my first
big headache. And so, I'm turning to your collective wisdom for a diagnosis.
I'll try to be brief.
Coming home from work Saturday night, it suddenly became VERY difficult to
shift gears. I did make it home (about a quarter mile). Sadly, the car
hasn't moved since. It will shift through all five gears just fine when the
engine isn't running, but with the engine cranked, I can't even come close
to getting it into gear. The clutch pedal is very soft, and when it's
depressed, the engine idle will drop to the point of dying. (I have searched
the list archives enough to know that the drop in RPMs isn't that unusual,
but it still can't be good.)
I'm assuming that the clutch has gone out, but I was surprised by how
suddenly it all happened with no warning signs. There's plenty of fluid in
the resevoir. No pools of fluid under the car. After checking my Haynes
manual, you can imagine my enthusiasm in discovering the engine has to be
pulled to replace the clutch. Any other suggestions on what the problem
could be or what else I should check first?
Let me add that there is a slight oil leak to aggrivate any clutch problem
that could have been developing. The PO says he never could trace the source
of the leak. There is a Ford carb in place of the SU's. Any connection
there?
I seem to have misplaced my garage (that's code for "I live in an
apartment"), so all this doesn't bode well for my wallet. Your input is
greatly appreciated.
Glenn Cummins
'74 Midget
www2.netdoor.com/~rglenn/midget
|