Just put the reassembled engine back in the car. Got oil pressure, started, warmed up no problem except a weeping thermostat stud hole.

But when I tried to get a gear, the clutch feels wrong and can't select anything. The pedal stops about half way to the floor and it is if it is hard up against something. I thought it might be the throw-out stop, so I have wound that off, but still when I look at it as the pedal is depressed it does not seem to want to move the pressure plate at all. No noise from the thrust bearing when it was running either.

The pressure plate posts were machined back .070" according to the Chichak method. I did this to ensure that when it was disengaged, there was minimal pressure on the thrusts because the spring would be flat or just kicked over as per Chichak, since I managed to peel the face off the thrusts last time. This was all measured on a hydraulic press at local machine shop to determine the number.

It is an orange dot diaphragm, so there is a bit of heft involved in moving it, but I have never felt it like this before.

I thought possible that too much was taken off or I have assembled something wrong like the driven plate being reversed. Would this produce this symptom?

What have I done wrong and what to look for?

cheers
michael

<edit> ps I need to fix this urgently for two last events before I stick the car in the container. The last one planned is special, but I can't even book it if I can't get the car going!

<edit 2 to spell Marcel Chichak name properly!>

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the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page
66 Mini Minor sponsored by http://www.lifeonthehedge.com.au/ The Dog Harness Specialists
It was a pleasure ausmini. I'll miss all you misfits and reprobates

0.070" seems a lot to have removed. For that amount needing to be removed, it should have been slipping before, as clamping pressure would have been low. Was it slipping before?

When the flywheel, clutch plate, back plate and diaphram is all assembled, and with the back plate posts at the correct height, the spring will be flat. Was it flat when assembled with the clutch plate?

Orange dot shouldn't be a problem and I didn't think it was possible to assemble the unit with the driven plate backwards.

Good luck with it.

_________________
Steve

Not slipping, but I had shredded the thrust washers. a possible cause was that when the clutch was disengaged it was not flat or kicked over meaning that maximum force would have been applied to the thrusts at this time. One of the benefits that Marcel Chichak explains of removing the material from the posts is that once you get it flat or just kicked over, the spring is not pushing back at the maximum force. That is what I was aiming for.

Even if it was too much removed can you explain why it feels like it is coming up against a hard stop?



Just under flat, so at maximum clamping pressure.

I hope not, just seemed odd.


cheers
michael

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the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page
66 Mini Minor sponsored by http://www.lifeonthehedge.com.au/ The Dog Harness Specialists
It was a pleasure ausmini. I'll miss all you misfits and reprobates

have you run out of travel in the slave cylinder? IE is it hitting against the circlip?

Heya...

Chekeler method? Do you mean Marcel's method as per : http://www.minimania.com/web/SCatagory/ ... ticleV.cfm

He mentions 0.060", but only for that specific combo - to know how much to remove you gotta measure it all up...

Having said that it does sound like an "out of travel" type of issue..

cheers,

Jacob

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'72 Clubman Van - 1022cc, 295 head, 731 cam - Daily Driver
'69 Morris 1100 S - Dinged by a bus, in shed under repair
'64 Morris 1100 - Early 1100, long term project

It sounds like the thrust plate on the diaphram is butting up against the flywheel bolt or the stops on the diaphram are butting up to the flywheel.

_________________

hence using the press inthe machine shop to do the measurement

and anyway Chichak mentions .060" movement to disengage the clutch not to remove from the posts.

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the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page
66 Mini Minor sponsored by http://www.lifeonthehedge.com.au/ The Dog Harness Specialists
It was a pleasure ausmini. I'll miss all you misfits and reprobates

how do I check these ?

what can I measure or see?

I don't want to just guess.

cheers
michael

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the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page
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You'll need to remove the wok (as everyone likes to call it).

I've just been looking for a pic to throw up of the diaphram showing the stops on it. There are three of them, out on the edge of it, they are usually riveted on and face the flywheel, only about 5mm in diameter each. There is normally about 0.100" clearance between these and the flywheel. If it is like 0.050" or less, this could be a problem and to rectify it you need to machine either or both the flywheel and / or backing plate friction faces - speaking of which, when you had the posts shortened, were these faces done too?

The Thrust Plate is the plate in the centre of the diaphram that the thrust bearing runs against. It is not easy to check the clearance behind it (with the engine in the car, but possible), but again, you would want at least 0.100" between the back of this plate and the flywheel bolt head.

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I'd doubt it's those little stoppers, I've had my backing plate machined a couple of times, I think .060" the first time, and .018" last time - nowhere near the stoppers

did you check the slave?

Yeah, from memory there was still plenty of clearance here, but easy to measure tonight.



No these were in good condition, hardly used, so I left them alone.



Again, from memory, this was OK, but easy enough to check once the wok is off.

cheers
michael

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the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page
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It was a pleasure ausmini. I'll miss all you misfits and reprobates

Not yet, but will do.

What is a typical stroke measurement of the slave piston on a good clutch?

I would have thought that if it is running up against the circlip, that this is an indication of wear somewhere in the arm/plunger assembly, right?

The rod, pins, arm, plunger are all pretty much new, with only a few hundred applications on every component, so I don' think that is the problem. I put them all in last time around as brand new parts.

Could the macining of the posts have moved the thrust plate too far away from the wok, thus reducing the available stroke of the slave piston?

cheers
michael

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the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page
66 Mini Minor sponsored by http://www.lifeonthehedge.com.au/ The Dog Harness Specialists
It was a pleasure ausmini. I'll miss all you misfits and reprobates

I just rechecked my records and it was about .045" taken off the posts.

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the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page
66 Mini Minor sponsored by http://www.lifeonthehedge.com.au/ The Dog Harness Specialists
It was a pleasure ausmini. I'll miss all you misfits and reprobates

You can see the diaphram stopper in this pic

http://www.minimania.com/imagesbig/fig4.jpg

There is a LOT of clearance on this one as the flywheel has had a fair chuck machined from it.

_________________

as has mine

_________________
the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page
66 Mini Minor sponsored by http://www.lifeonthehedge.com.au/ The Dog Harness Specialists
It was a pleasure ausmini. I'll miss all you misfits and reprobates