thrust washers (was clutch in -> revs fa

From: Heuer, Paul (paul.heuer(at)dsto.defence.gov.au)
Date: Wed Jun 11 1997 - 18:48:55 CDT


Hi all,
Dick Sanders & Jarrid Gross agreed that a large fall in engine revs when the
clutch is
depressed indicates worn thrust washers.

My car does indeed shed of the order of a hundred or two RPM when I depress
the clutch. So I am concerned at the state of my engine. It shows good, even
compression, and good oil pressure, but the previous owner passed away and
his widow had a 'clean out' of the house so there were *no* receipts,
papers, etc for the car. By his widow's accounts he was not a
mechanical-minded person, so I doubt he rebuilt the motor. The odometer
shows 65K miles, but I don't know if that's original.

What is the concern with the thrust washers? How big a job is it to replace
it/them? Is the 'falling RPM' test a definitive test, or should I perform
other tests before wading in here? How long will the engine continue with
the worn washers, and what is the failure mode?

May I suggest this phenomenon be added to the 'Alpine buyer's guide' on the
SOL web server - Daniel Levitin was the author of that page. Are you still
with us, Daniel?

Thanks again for your help, people. I guess I really need to find that
Practical Classics article on the 1592 rebuild now...
Cheers,
Paul.



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