1929 essex
Junior Member
My late 1931 Model A that sat for 45 years, when I drive it the clutch grabs, what I mean is that when I let it out it's not smooth. Is this something that will go away the more I drive it or will I need a new clutch?
Chattering clutch
- Thread starter 1929 essex
- Start date
Patrick L.
Well-known member
It depends. Drive it for awhile and see what happens first. Even starts in 2nd may help.
If it doesn't better then you'll have to get your hands dirty. But, I wouldn't be in a hurry.
If it doesn't better then you'll have to get your hands dirty. But, I wouldn't be in a hurry.
tbirdtbird
BANNED
see if you can sparingly lube the splines on the clutch disc
45 yrs is a long time. prolly some rust in there
45 yrs is a long time. prolly some rust in there
good suggestions from Tbird and Patrick, It may not improve but you have nothing to lose by putting a few miles on it and see if it gets better with time.
If you are in a hurry to change it be sure to resurface the flywheel, rebuild pressure plate, and of course new clutch, pilot bearing, and throwout.
glad to see another one back in service.
Larry Shepard
If you are in a hurry to change it be sure to resurface the flywheel, rebuild pressure plate, and of course new clutch, pilot bearing, and throwout.
glad to see another one back in service.
Larry Shepard
Dick Steinkamp
Well-known member
Sometimes you can clean up the disc, flywheel surface, and pressure plate by purposely slipping the clutch some. Set the e-brake, put it in 2nd, increase the revs to a good fast idle, let the clutch out to the friction point and hold it there for 10-15 seconds. Try it a couple of times if it seems to reduce the chatter.
Marshall V. Daut
Well-known member
Remove the upper floorboard and take off the angled clutch inspection plate on the bellhousing. Take a flashlight and examine the hub of the clutch disc. If there are no springs around its circumference, that's probably why the clutch chatters. I have never had any luck with springless clutch disks in 50 years of playing around with Model A's. They were an aftermarket item marketed for heavy-duty applications, such as hard-working trucks. The springs are there for a reason = to counter fluttering when the clutch pedal is released. Without them, what you feel through the clutch pedal is the disk gyrating.
Other causes may be contributing to the chatter, as previous posters have suggested. But the reason the car has probably sat unused for 45 years is because the clutch chatter was too much for a previous owner or owners. Consider the other suggestions offered so far, but if there are no springs in the clutch disk hub, you're wasting your time applying Band-Aids. If you do need to replace the disk with one containing hub springs, follow "larrys40" recommendations. There will be no better time to upgrade and refurbish these important items than when you are changing the clutch. Or do you want to go through all that hassle again just to change a worn-out throwout bearing? Me thinks not.
But, first things first: are there springs in the clutch disk hub?
Marshall
Other causes may be contributing to the chatter, as previous posters have suggested. But the reason the car has probably sat unused for 45 years is because the clutch chatter was too much for a previous owner or owners. Consider the other suggestions offered so far, but if there are no springs in the clutch disk hub, you're wasting your time applying Band-Aids. If you do need to replace the disk with one containing hub springs, follow "larrys40" recommendations. There will be no better time to upgrade and refurbish these important items than when you are changing the clutch. Or do you want to go through all that hassle again just to change a worn-out throwout bearing? Me thinks not.
But, first things first: are there springs in the clutch disk hub?
Marshall