49 ford clutch chatter

those adjusting screws on the p p are all turned out a little bit. the other new ones ive looked at looks like they are in all the way but its hard to tell in the pics i dont know whether to buy just a clutch or the whole kit . i would hate to buy just the clutch and have the same problem. wish i new someone that new more than me that could look at it. lol thanks for all the help
 
You can't check finger adjustment with the pressure plate removed, and measuring to the clutch disc surface is not accurate enough. Remove the flywheel and place about four 3" pieces of 5/16" square keystock on the clutch surface and bolt down the pressure plate (without the disc). Now you can accurately measure the distance from the flywheel to the tips of the fingers. Adjust as needed.
While the flywheel is off, chuck it in a lathe to make sure it runs true. I had a flywheel once that had been actually resurfaced at an angle!
 
I have lightened a couple flywheels that when mounted in the lathe they were not true with the crank flange surface. I even faced off my arbor in the lathe to be sure, and no, it was the flywheel off
 
I checked my 1950 Motor Manual for finger height adjustment and it varies according to model of the pressure plate. 10" clutches go from 1 3/4" to 2 1/8" but yours should be close; just get them all exactly even. Another tip in the manual was to set the cover on the flywheel and line the bolts up, then make sure the cover sits flat and even on the flywheel. Someone may have tightened just one or two bolts instead of all gradually, and warped the cover.
 
You said you had the flywheel resurfaced. Did you get the flywheel and clutch pressure plate re-balanced as a unit? Very important in my opinion. Also make sure to have them mark the position of both pieces during the balancing procedure.
 
Depending on the quality of the new clutch disc, the "air gap" may not be sufficient. The air gap is the measurement between the friction disc(s) and the spring steel disc plate. If not large enough, there is no "give" when engaging the clutch. A friend had the same problem with a 51 Mercury (could not drive the vehicle), called Fort Wayne Clutch and they diagnosed the problem, sold him a new disc and no more problem.
 
flathead4rd said:
You said you had the flywheel resurfaced. Did you get the flywheel and clutch pressure plate re-balanced as a unit? Very important in my opinion. Also make sure to have them mark the position of both pieces during the balancing procedure.
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balanced between precision ball bearing centers..on the lathe.
 
Had a similar problem with my 50 found out after numerous tries that when i had the flywheel resurfaced the first time it was done on a surface grinder after about three times apart i took the flywheel to a different machine shop and they resurfaced it on i believe was a milling machine they told me it was shaped like a saucer dish plate Fixed the problem hope this helps
 
I wonder how true the crankshaft flange generally is. It wouldn't be too hard to measure flywheel face and edge run-out with the flywheel installed on the crankshaft.
 
I'd been chasing BAD chatter for quite some time. Did the mounts, etc.....
so all my mounts were new or in good shape. Still there and only 2% improved.
I discovered the linkage rod was worn pretty badly. Fixed that and got rid of
about another 90% of the issue.
My guess is that my clutch friction material is probably crap. Any slight issue I now have is very temperature related and only happens when the clutch, flywheel and pressure plate are really hot.
 

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i took the flywheel , pp , clutch to the machine shop that surfaced the flywheel so they can look it over and see about adjusting the pressure plate . it really wouldnt bother me to buy a 2nd clutch kit and throw away the 200 + dollar kit with zero miles on it if i knew for sure that would fix my problem but im worried that i might have the same problem and get to do all this again. this isnt a little shutter, it about shakes your teeth out when let out on the clutch. thanks again for all the replys ...
 
Ive just had my fly wheel lightened , surfaced and the clutch all balanced. new clutch plate from a different supplier [not FW], it has the shrouds around the springs.. Its a shocker! the clutch just grabs, very difficult to control..
BTW Ive never had a clutch from Fort Wayne that the fingers have contacted together.. and they weld them...
 
I sent my pp to ft. wayne for adj. as it was unused bought 35 years ago and the fingers were not even. they set the heights and welded the threads to prevent movement. cost 25.00
 
I think that if all looks correct than it probably is correct. I would look for a different solution to the problem. Tubeman mentioned checking motor mounts and many transmission mount. If the chatter or vibration is real bad it has to leave a mark somewhere. Also if you put a straight edge on the clutch plate and pressure plate you might see imperfections. Good luck.
 
The older Fords of the 59 series era and some prior had problems with chatter due to the lack of radius rods to counteract the push from the torque tube. The 8BA era cars don't have that problem but can experience wear in the clutch control mechanism that may affect things a bit. A person can easily check the bellcrank and the rods for play or possibly a throw out fulcrum arm looseness.

My bet would be on the condition and concentricity of the flywheel and clutch plate fit. Another thing is play in the transmission input shaft. The pilot bearing and main input bearing have to show very little play. If the input shaft is moving around then it could cause problems during engagement. The torque dampening springs on the clutch plate also have to be in good condition with little play in the clutch plate hub.
 
Had bad chatter in my 47 ford.in 1st and reverse. If i road the the clutch a little i had no chatter. Replaced all the mounts,fort wayne clutch and machined the flywheel. I also installed new bearings in the rear end only because the rear was out and needed some seals. Only real problem i found was broken pins in the rear yoke. When done i could not make it chatter no matter how hard i tried. One year later it came back the same as before. i wonder if it happens to be something to do with the pins or yoke. As it happened over night and is not driven much i doubt if its the clutch. What would happen if both pins broke. Thanks
 
260) 484-8505, Fort Wayne clutch & driveline,



beerslob said:
those adjusting screws on the p p are all turned out a little bit. the other new ones ive looked at looks like they are in all the way but its hard to tell in the pics i dont know whether to buy just a clutch or the whole kit . i would hate to buy just the clutch and have the same problem. _wish i new someone that new more than me that could look at it. lol thanks for all the help
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