Me again! Nate and company have given me a great, and hard, project taking out the clutch of my 52 Chevy (four on the floor). In some ways I'm excited and I also wonder how I will screw it up! Anyway, before I start I want to make sure that the problem is something that warrants taking out the clutch. Here it is: It was working fine. But in the last two weeks from getting it back painting, it has started to not want to shift into gear when I push in the clutch. Or when it is off and I have it in gear starting up, with the clutch pedal pushed in, it jumps forward, with the clutch obviously not disengaged. over the past week or two, it is happened more and more often. Now, I can rarely disengage the clutch when I push in the pedal. I have checked pedal clearance, and when I push it in by hand, it goes down about 3/4 of an inch before I feel it contact something and meet resistance. So what do you think? Take off the tranny and pull apart the clutch? Can't wait to hear! Eric
I thought we got rid of you! Just joking Eric! Pull the flywheel pan and visually inspect for oil residue. An oil soaked clutch will not work properly. Also listen for strange noises when you start to depress the clutch as that might be a sign of a throw out bearing going bad. Kinda like a soft scrapping sound, or a hissing noise. Check those and we'll go from there.
I am really wondering about that flywheel pan. I was up there looking, and the "pan" I saw, located just in front of the transmission, is held on on the transmission side by some large headed screws, and I noticed on the left side that this pan is actually sitting above the head of the screw, leaving a gap into whatever is enclosed there. Seems very likely that oil has blown up into that pan (not really sure if this is the flywheel pan or the section containing the clutch (is it the same?). If this is so, and oil is getting in there through that space, does it alter the repair strategy (taking out tranny to get at clutch). Sure was surprised by that gap. I do not have a good ear for the sounds I hear, but I am not hearing anything different when I press in the clutch, except when the gears start grinding because the clutch isn't disengaging. Thoughts appreciated! Eric
I don't know beans about beans, but have you pushed in the clutch without the engine on or trying to start to see if it will roll? If you're parked in a garage, you only get so many of those "It jumps forward when I try to start it" before your garage has an AD shaped back door! Good luck, Eric! I'll hope for a simple solution for you.
Dragging Clutch Eric ; Does it operate O.K. once you've gotten it into gear ? I ask because when I bought my '49 , the flywheel cover was gone missing and the clutch got wet with oil mist from the breather tube , what I did was to hold the clutch pedal to the floor (wedged a stick between seat & clutch pedal) then I jacked up and blocked the truck (safety stands , always) then I used a couple three cans of aerosol brake cleaner with the snorkel , I sprayed it up in between the clutch disc and the flywheel on one side and the pressure plate on the other side , is was a real mess as greasy oily black clutch dirt & fibers rained down upone me but it worked , the clutch was fine for a few days or a week before it began dragging again ~ in time I wound up washing the heck out of it using de-greaser and the water hose , I finally found a scatter pan and cleaned it up and installed it , no more clutch troubles and it's been about 20,000 + miles since last I fiddled with it ... OIf course , if you just change the clutch it'll prolly out last _you_ but in any case , close up that gap ! . OBTW : the reason I began all the stupid clutch washing was : it had been dragging and worrying me , then it rained heavily and I had to work in the rain , I noticed it stopped dragging after driving it in the rain so I thought maybe , just maybe there was oil on the clutch disk... I was right as it turns out . Good luck with it , work slowly and carefully , have some old hubcaps or baking trays (thrift store) to keep parts and hardware in before you begin .
Okay Eric, Just a point if information for you. The 4-speed tranny of which you speak is MONSTROUSLY heavy and oddly shaped on the underside as I am sure you are aware. Nevertheless, I tried to jack it into position from underneath when installing mine in January. Took my eye off it for 1/10 of a second and it fell off the jack onto my hand and smashed/broke my finger and split it wide open. Two weeks later with my hand still bandaged and throbbing I used an engine hoist through the door and lifted it into place easy as pie by myself through the access hole in the cab floor. Be careful if you have to pull the tranny. It's a monster. I was lucky. I thought for sure the finger was off and was really afraid to take the glove off and look. Thankfully, I still have it although it is a bit wider than before and I have lost a little bit of sensation in it. Taught my son a really good lesson as he was on the floor with me when it happened. Good thing I always keep them out of harms way when doing stuff involving heavy and dangerous parts. Please be careful if you have to replace the clutch. It's not a hard job really. You just have to be careful and take your time, which I wasn't at THAT time, which is of course why I got hurt. Andy
Warning ! Warning ! Warning ! (no , my arms are *not* flailing uncontrollably) What Andy says is true ~ back when I could still juggle VW's with my bare hands I got the job to replace the clutch in my boss' 1959 brand 'F' 4 X 4 and it had a Muncie SM420 tranny just like yours ~ it rolled off the tranny jack and nearly crushed me like Andy , in the last split second I wisely said " screw this ! " and jumped out of it's way as it toppled off the jack..... BE CAREFUL ! . if you saw by lumpy , bumpy scarred hands and broken knuckles , you'd under stand .
Nate, just to be clear. If I take off that flywheel pan, without taking out tranny and clutch, I can do that cleaning that you describe, and see if that addresses the problem? And is there any chance the absence of the rubber on the motor mounts could be contributing? Just wanting to be certain of the small stuff before I step into the monster job. If you follow up on these endless questions, many thanks to you. And guys, thanks for the warning on falling trannies. Warning heard and appreciated!! Eric
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if Eric didn't have any rubber left on his mounts, wouldn't that be practically unheard of? I've seen a bucnh of these old monsters in the boneyards and have never, ever seen one that didn't have rubber left on the mounts. Plus, even if the rubber WAS gone, wouldn't the engine and trans wobble uncontrollably and make a hell of a vibration when running? Enquiring minds want to know!!! Andy
Eric ; Yes , that's correct , remove the pan and depress the clutch pedal so it releases the clutch , then hold it there whilst you get Haz-Mats in your face and wonder if I'm crazy or what as the gap will be maybe 030" when everything is new and working perfectly..... It works , beleive me . Andy (and Eric) : Yes , there's always some rubber left in the saddle mount , even when it goes all soft and blubbery like the gristle in a .35 CENT taco in Ensenada.... (yeah, that last one before you got sick) . If there was -NO- rubber left atall , or is was totally ripped loose , you usually get clutch judder as you take off from a stop . But the clutch would _still_ disengauge if the free lay was less than 1" . BTW : if you don't mind my wordy , meandering answers that often take days to get a reply , then I won't mind insessant questions , O.K. ? It wasn't that long ago I was a spry lad with a busted Klunker and not much tools in my toolbox..... I had to ask a zillion (sometimes obvious or stupid seeming) questions to learn too . Don't worry about it , we're ALL here to help you . -Nate
