Quick clutch question

[grinder]

again , internal issues is something i dont want to hear !! LOL

[a.tapos]

Clutch drag mate,its when the clutch gets stuck on the input shaft and basically half engages the clutch because its not free enough to move away from the flywheel/pressure plate
 
Thats where id put my money,possibly combination of lack of use or no lube used when the clutch was fitted,not that common on jap cars but does happen,
still have to have box out to check it,so would change clutch anyway
 
to test if its gearbox or clutch is simple enough,if it goes in gear engine off then its clutch related,if it still struggles its box.
 
sometimes weak fingers on the pressure plate will cause these symptoms too.as they bend rather then release the pressure.

[a.tapos]

Im guessing you have tried to bleed it?

[richrx]

This sounds similar to when the clutch release bearing failed on my FD.. Does it feel like a mechanical resistance? Or any metal on metal screeching noises??

Richard

[grinder]

right , with the car off , it seems to go in all the gears just fine

Its when its running it struggles .. and the last time i was out - it got worse over time

its been stood for about 3-4 months and not used , but i have done about 60 miles in it since .. so everything should have free\'d up by now

when it wont go into first , it just feels SOLID , like the clutch is doing nothing , but it will then go into 2nd with a crunch .. its hard to explain to be honest , its like you are trying to snap the gear stick off , no crunching , no grinding , just nothing , like a solid wall ??

[Will66]

I think it\'s clutch related.  It\'s like the clutch is not opening sufficiently to disengage.

[richrx]

Any joy yet stu??

[Prof]

Remove the inspection plate underneath - 4 x 10mm bolts, and have someone operate the clutch whilst the engine is not running - you\'ll be able to tell 2 things:
 
1) how much material is on the clutch disc
 
2) whether it seperates away form the pressure plate / flywheel as it should.
 
Assuming this is all ok, that basically means the clutch is probably ok, the master / slave is likely to be too.
 
I suspect it may be the exact same issue I had when getting the cab back on the road after the engine rebuild - collapsed pilot bearing.  It\'s not too hard a job to do - just takes a long time and means exhaust, heat shields, prop shaft and gearbox have to come off - no other way around it

[grinder]

hiya chaps - to be honest not even looked at it yet

what i find strange ( and always do with probs like this ) its not a continous problem

one day it works fine , the other it doesnt

i dont understand if its the fingers on the clutch .. surely it would do it all the time , just not when it feels like it ?

and the pilot bearing , if its collapsed , the surely it wont heal over time and then fail and then get better

i need to get her out again ( might do over the weekend ) and try to work out exactly what its doing

and then why just 1st .. surely if its not going to go into gear , then why allow 2nd to be selected

which makes me think its not the clutch .. as if it was , it would stop you selecting ANY gear

if the fluid was low/bad in the actual box , could you get symptoms like this ?

[Prof]

When my pilot bearing failed, I could sometimes get it in gear and sometimes not, but it only got worse with time...
 
Also - at higher speeds, and higher gears, you may be at the correct RPM to change without using the clutch - for 1st gear you are almost always likely to have 0 revs on the gearbox side until you select a gear, as you are most likely going to be selecting this from standstill to get going.  If that\'s the case, you\'ll notice the issue in 1st gear and reverse on the driveway - no need to go beyoind the end of your drive

[grinder]

hummm sounds like a bloody big job looming then .. and no space to work on the car

and i bet the only way to tell is to remove the box ?

Does the clutch need to come out to do the bearing ?

[grinder]

just been quoted £220 inc VAT for the bearing to be changed

Looks like i might be doing it on the drive !!

And Dave , you pointed out reverse .. yeah im sure i struggled with that aswell !??!

[Prof]

...
Does the clutch need to come out to do the bearing ?

I\'d say not necessarily, the slide hammer that they would need to extract the bearing or what\'s left of it, should go through the apperture left by the gearbox input shaft

[a.tapos]

gearbox out either way then mate

[grinder]

Hummmm .. ok .. sounds like fun ( NOT )

Next question .. does the flywheel need to come off to do the bearing ( im just thinking the rather large 54mm nut )

I can see me having 2 FC\'s at this rate and neither of them being drivable