Help with clutch

C

castlenut

Junior Member
The clutch on my 1929 rpu ran out of adjustment, not drivable, replaced clutch and now the adjusting arm is at the start but clutch goes almost to the floor and not enough to disengage the clutch. Thinking maybe I put the disc in backwards I removed the transmission again and found that the disc was put in correctly wasting time and energy. What have I done wrong? Could worn out linkages be a problem? Please give me any ideas on correcting my problem, I'm 82 and don't want to roll around on the floor if I can help removing trans the third time. Thank you in advance.
 
Did you replace just the disc? If so look closely at the linkage and levers for proper adjustment and any damage/cracks.
 
Check clutch arm for crack. Common problem on 95 year old arm.

Here is a picture of mine from a couple of years back. Check the trunnion for wear also.

38213748962_7a6fe29778_z.jpg
 
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I will second what J Franklin and Blockhead said. The arm that has the pin in it that attaches to the shaft that goes into the bell housing is weak and can get cracked. That will keep the clutch from disengaging. Have someone step on the clutch pedal while you looks for a crack to open up in the arm.
 
As far as the clutch disk being put in wrong goes, it can't be done! One side of the hub is much taller than the other. If you tried to put the clutch disk against the flywheel face with the taller hub towards the engine, there would be 1/2" gap between the clutch disk and the flywheel. No way could you bolt the pressure place up against the flywheel. Flip the disk over 180 degrees so that the disk's fiber face lays flat against the flywheel face. This is one of a few things Ford made bulletproof for installation, the off-set holes in the camshaft timing gear being another. Too bad this "Better Ford Idea" doesn't extend to other places in the Model A, where there is a 50-50 chance of installing a part backwards, upside down, or left-to-right opposite (e-brake arms, for one example),
Having written this, I suppose some clutch disk maker somewhere made a clutch disk with the hubs being the same height. In such as case, I suspect these disks were made for some other application and just happened to fit a Model A.
Marshall
 
Hint:

The original Ford lever in post 3 is made of Forged steel.

When you push pedal to Floor the crack will open up and clutch will not release completely.

When you release pedal the crack will close up and sometimes it is hard to tell that it is cracked.

You might miss the crack if pedal is released!
 
Check to see if the trunnion and adjusting arm threads engage tightly. Had one where the threads looked fine but if you spun the trunnion up the adjusting arm, you could literally pull them apart.

Yes, this after replacing the clutch.
 
Where did you get your part? Some suppliers are "thats close enough". We have all gotten the wrong part once or twice...
 
Thanks to all for the replies, I'll check all of your suggestions and let you know what I find.
Ford Barners are the best
 
You said in your orig post the adjusting arm is at the start. I take that to mean that you screwed the adjusting arm into the trunion nut just far enough to catch the first several threads. You have to screw in the adjusting arm far enough to take up slack to the point that you have 1 inch of pedal movement (free play) before the throw-out hub starts pressing in on the pressure plate fingers.
 
Will N said:
You said in your orig post the adjusting arm is at the start. I take that to mean that you screwed the adjusting arm into the trunion nut just far enough to catch the first several threads. You have to screw in the adjusting arm far enough to take up slack to the point that you have 1 inch of pedal movement (free play) before the throw-out hub starts pressing in on the pressure plate fingers.
Click to expand...
To further expand on Will N's description, if you go under the car and disconnect the clutch pedal from the adjusting screw, you will feel some play as you push the clutch arm upwards. That initial play is you taking up the slack in the throwout bearing return spring. At that point the throwout bearing is still not even close to contacting the arms on the pressure plate. If you continue to push the lever upwards you will feel additional slack being taken out (you are stretching the throwout bearing return spring) until you cannot push the lever any more. At that point the throwout bearing has contacted the pressure plate. That second, very stiff travel is the slack that you are adjusting. It is very difficult to push by hand. I find that I have to put a small piece of 2x4 under the clutch lever to enable me to push it up, and even then it's not at all easy.

You'll also likely find that it's difficult to engage the pin into the fork and the clutch lever while struggling to hold against the spring tension. I use a bungee cord and lash the clutch lever in the full upright position to the seat frame.

You'll likely have to go back and forth several times, chcking the pedal free play each time, before you get it right.
 
JayJay said:
To further expand on Will N's description, if you go under the car and disconnect the clutch pedal from the adjusting screw, you will feel some play as you push the clutch arm upwards. That initial play is you taking up the slack in the throwout bearing return spring. At that point the throwout bearing is still not even close to contacting the arms on the pressure plate. If you continue to push the lever upwards you will feel additional slack being taken out (you are stretching the throwout bearing return spring) until you cannot push the lever any more. At that point the throwout bearing has contacted the pressure plate. That second, very stiff travel is the slack that you are adjusting. It is very difficult to push by hand. I find that I have to put a small piece of 2x4 under the clutch lever to enable me to push it up, and even then it's not at all easy.

You'll also likely find that it's difficult to engage the pin into the fork and the clutch lever while struggling to hold against the spring tension. I use a bungee cord and lash the clutch lever in the full upright position to the seat frame.

You'll likely have to go back and forth several times, chcking the pedal free play each time, before you get it right.
Click to expand...

Not an absolute necessity to adjust the clutch, but it makes life a little easier, Snyder's has a Clutch Adjusting Tool. https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/...ed&sterm=ModelA&searcht=clutch+adjusting+tool
 
One thing that has not been mentioned here is that the clutch pedal must be in the "UP" position. I use an elastic cord between the pedal and the steering wheel while I fiddle with the trunnion. I also used an old timing rod (the one that goes up the steering column) to make a tool to like the one Snyders sells to hold the lower arm up while I adjust the trunnion.
 
On my Town Sedan I have the clutch adjuster that Snyder's sell where you don't have to take apart the clutch linkage to adjust. Just turn the center bolt.

54994503111_268d8c2e1f_z.jpg
 
In regard to the clutch problem, I said it wrong the adjusting arm is all the way down. I checked out all the suggestions that all the helpful and knowledgeable Barners that had replied I'm sorry to say no smoking gun.
The history of the truck is that my brother bought it from a man in Salem OH in
1958 he said that the truck was used to haul coal for the work shacks in Columbiana co OH. So the poor truck had a hard life, all the linkages and bushings are just worn out, I was hoping that by just changing the disc that would fix the problem I was wrong.
I was barking at the moon by taking the trans out the second time just to see what I had done wrong. I will be sending an order to Snyder's for new parts, after they are installed we will go from there. Thanks again to my Model A friends
 
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