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I am out of ideas, and would appreciate a second opinion.
Here's the background:
'55 F100. 223 w/ three speed (clutch lever on the bell housing)
I had the shift linkage removed in order to replace the steering box. With some fiddling, I got the box and the shift linkage reinstalled, and everything seemed to be working fine. I went around the block and didn't notice any trouble shifting. Then, as I'm pulling in the driveway, I notice that I can't seem to engage the clutch and the clutch pedal goes to the floor.
So, here's where I'm at:
I hoped a failure that complete was something basic like the clutch pedal return spring, but I can't seem to find anything wrong under the truck.
The threaded rod and lock nut don't seem to have moved and the spring seems fine. The release lever can be moved by hand a few inches front to back, but even all the way back (pedal down) the clutch doesn't seem like it's engaging at all.
Shouldn't the clutch release lever be providing some force toward returning the clutch pedal, or is that only the spring?
Can something be "stuck" inside the clutch mechanism?
(News to me at least: I can shift at least partially into 2rd and 3rd without the clutch. 1st and reverse seem to grind even when I have the clutch release lever "back" on the bell housing toward the rear of the truck.)
I can't see how the clutch could get stuck while being driven, but I did try starting the truck in 3rd and stabbing the brake while on jacks to see if that would free it. No luck...
Was the clutch slipping when the pedal stuck down? Look thru the inspection hole and see if the fork is correctly engaging the throw-out bearing collar.
Was the clutch slipping when the pedal stuck down? Look thru the inspection hole and see if the fork is correctly engaging the throw-out bearing collar.
Thanks for the advice.
My first time taking the cover off (to be honest, I didn't know it was there), so it's tough to tell what I'm looking at.
The first picture is with the clutch disengaged, the second is with it engaged.
(The third is just shot from a bit further back.)
It seems like the fork is properly placed on the collar, but again, hard to tell from only the schematic in the shop manual.
It looks to me like a small critter used your clutch as a home for a while. At a minimum I'd try to use a long vacuum extension and suck as much of that out as possible. Don't breath any of it.
Can you see the throw out bearing sliding when you work the clutch pedal?
It looks to me like a small critter used your clutch as a home for a while. At a minimum I'd try to use a long vacuum extension and suck as much of that out as possible. Don't breath any of it.
Can you see the throw out bearing sliding when you work the clutch pedal?
Yea, I was not happy to find another mouse home in there.
Throw out bearing = release bearing assembly, right?
Yea, I can see that moving with the release lever. The movement should be visible when comparing pictures one and two.
Yes, throw out bearing = release bearing. Your disk may be stuck onto your flywheel.
My 53 clutch disk stuck on me once. On the advice of an old friend of mine I let the engine run in neutral until everything was warmed up. I then shut off the engine and shifted the transmission into gear. I chose reverse since there wasn't anything behind the car, use first if forwards is clear. I stood on the clutch and brakes then started the engine. The car jolted back, then the clutch popped loose. Not the most fun thing I have ever done, but I didn't have to pull my transmission...
Also, looking at your first picture there is a bit of clearance between the clutch fingers and your release bearing. Is your clutch pedal free play adjusted correctly (about 1/2 to 1 inch travel of the pedal)? The fingers are weighted and the ends will move back when you rev the engine up. You can try reving up the motor and watch the clearance. You don't want the bearing running all the time, but you don't want too much clearance.
It looks to me like a small critter used your clutch as a home for a while. At a minimum I'd try to use a long vacuum extension and suck as much of that out as possible. Don't breath any of it.
Can you see the throw out bearing sliding when you work the clutch pedal?
Originally Posted by 38 coupe
Yes, throw out bearing = release bearing. Your disk may be stuck onto your flywheel.
My 53 clutch disk stuck on me once. On the advice of an old friend of mine I let the engine run in neutral until everything was warmed up. I then shut off the engine and shifted the transmission into gear. I chose reverse since there wasn't anything behind the car, use first if forwards is clear. I stood on the clutch and brakes then started the engine. The car jolted back, then the clutch popped loose. Not the most fun thing I have ever done, but I didn't have to pull my transmission...
Also, looking at your first picture there is a bit of clearance between the clutch fingers and your release bearing. Is your clutch pedal free play adjusted correctly (about 1/2 to 1 inch travel of the pedal)? The fingers are weighted and the ends will move back when you rev the engine up. You can try reving up the motor and watch the clearance. You don't want the bearing running all the time, but you don't want too much clearance.
I did try starting the engine while on jack stands with the trans in 3rd and then hit the brakes a few tikes almost to the point of stalling. No luck there, but maybe I need the weight of the truck on the ground?
I can try that tomorrow...
Apparently mice inside the bell housing is relatively common, and they can definitely cause the clutch plate to stick to the flywheel. The only thing that doesn't make sense is that it happened to me while I was driving it. Maybe once it heated up, that was enough to make it stick?
I also realized there is a bell housing dust cover I can remove.
I'm hoping to get to that tonight as it will hopefully give me a better view of what's happening AND give me more opportunity to clean up whatever mouse crap is in there.
Hopefully I won't need a new gasket to put the dust cover back on?
I'm embarrassed this took me 48 hours and 10 posts to solve.
After taking off the dust cover, and the inspection cover, I realized there wasn't enough room on the adjustment rod / nut to get the release bearing properly into the pressure plate fingers. So it had to be something else....
Turns out that while driving, the bolt that holds the clutch pedal in place on the clutch linkage shaft came out. With the bolt out of place, the pedal rotated on the shaft. The pedal flopped to the floor with the release bearing not even close to the pressure plate.
Well, I'm glad I got a chance to clean a mouse nest out of the bell housing as well as learn a lot more about clutch operation.
Simple fixes are the best! Does the clutch work very smoothly on take-off? I'd imagine the friction surfaces are pretty messed up from mouse pee.
Surprisingly, the clutch seems to work fine. I don't detect any slippage or chatter. From what I could see after removing the dust cover, it looks like I have a decent amount of clutch left too.
Again, happy to get in there, clean out all that crap, and learn a bunch along the way.
12-27-2016, 02:39 PM
