door JT » 25 jan 2005, 00:31
Aggressiever als het vaster zit, is het motto van de schrijver hieronder.
Stemt overeen met het bovenstaande en nog een graadje erger.
Met name 3 is opletten, je rijdt dan met een altijd gekoppelde motor!!!
Like a jammed starter motor or seized brakes, the sticking clutch is one of those curses that inevitably affects an older car standing idle for six months of the year. Without use, components start to seize up, and, sandwiched under compression between pressure plate and flywheel, the clutch is a classic case for seizure if it is not released from time to time. Moisture also plays a major role in the sticking process, for when it comes into contact with the fibre/metal composition of the common clutch plate, a form of rust bonding takes place. Owners of centrally heated or airy brick garages are the lucky ones here who may well avoid this problem altogether. But for the rest of us I can think of four options to avoid this particular curse:
1. Use the car during the lay-up season
2. Start the engine and engage drive on a regular basis
3. Jam a stiff rod between front seat and clutch pedal long enough to fully depress it and disengage the clutch.
4. Lay out some serious money and install a dehumidifier..
So much for the preventive approach, but what you can do when stuck with a sticking clutch? I have come up with four more options:
Method 1 - This works in mild cases - Apply the handbrake, engage first gear and fully depress the clutch. Operate the starter and the impact of the starter dog engaging with the ring gear will often free the plate.
If this fails, go to Method 2 . First, ensure there is room in front of the car to drive it forward, then depress the clutch pedal, engage first gear, then start the engine. Build up speed then slam on the brakes - the sudden shock opposing the engine torque is usually enough to jerk the plate free. If this hasn't worked, try again in reverse gear, or first run the car round for ten minutes or so to warm up the engine before trying again. This often helps by creating a temperature differential between clutch plate and flywheel.
Still no joy - Time for Method 3, which is the more serious "Tow the car around the neighbourhood" approach. This time,.do not start the engine. Depress the clutch pedal and engage second gear, or try third as the towing speed increases. In most cases this will force the driven plate free, but not always easily. Bill Tull, our Singer 10 Registrar and garage owner, told me of the time he towed a car for 30 miles around country roads before he managed to un-stick a clutch. But I had to admit defeat recently when none of the above worked to free the clutch on my SMX - my towee even tried such desperate braking measures that he broke the stranded wire tow line - this clutch was really stuck!
Back in the garage it was time for some serious thinking. Having fitted a new clutch only a year ago I was determined to avoid another complete strip down - another gearbox removal just to free the clutch - not if I could help it! After more head scratching I hatched Method 4 to solve the problem:
a. Hold clutch fully depressed with stout rod wedged between pedal and front seat.
b. Jack up rear of car on to axle stands high enough to work under the car.
c. Open up the drain hole at the front of the bell housing to about 1" diameter, sufficient to gain access and loosen the six 3/16" Whit set bolts which secure the pressure plate to flywheel. Use the slimmest flat ring spanner available, or grind down the ring end of a combination spanner 'til it will enter the enlarged hole. Lever the flywheel to the nearest bolt with a strong screwdriver and slacken the bolt until the head is about 3/16" clear of the plate. Repeat the process on all six bolts - it is a slow business as only a fraction of a turn is possible at a time. You may need a hammer to initially loosen the bolts.
d. Take an old style flat bladed kitchen knife or something similar, grind the tip to a chisel end and reduce the width to just under 1/2".
e. Lever the flywheel to one of the two dowel locating pegs. On either side of the pegs is a narrow slot between flywheel and pressure plate - slip the knife into one of these slots and, keeping the blade next to the flywheel face, tap it in with a hammer. Repeat at one of the slots on the opposite dowel, and the pressure plate should begin to move away from the flywheel. Insert the knife at other points around the rim to ensure it has fully separated.
f. Retighten the set bolts, finishing each with a few light hammer blows. Remove axle stands and lower the car.
g. After removing the pedal prop comes the acid test - start engine, depress clutch and engage gear. Hopefully there will be no more grating noises - just a smooth movement forward and much relief. And providing you use one of the four preventive measures above, no more cursing over a sticking clutch!