[DeTomaso] clutch problem , shifing

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/02/07 9:32:52 PM, Leonejay at aol.com writes:

<< I had a clutch reduction of my 72 Pantera by Wilkinson. . Hard to shift, 
and hard to put into gear. It will also creep with clutch all the way down.  
How to adjust....  >>

THere is an adjustment at the slave cylinder by means of changing the length 
of the rod coming out of the slave cylinder and also by shifting the position 
of the bellcrank-arm the rod attaches to, on its cross-shaft by one or more 
splines. The critical check is thru the access hole in the bellhousing: with the 
engine OFF & clutch fully depressed by a friend, insert a feeler gage strip. 
You should be able to get at least an 0.030" gage in between the flywheel and 
clutch disc. That means you then have only 0.015" clearance on both sides of 
the disc, which is marginal. 
If the above adjustments cannot give at least this much clearance, or if the 
measurement closes up after a minute or so, either the clutch-master cylinder 
or the slave cylinder, or both, are leaking pressure. This can happen without 
any evidence of external fluid leakage. Invest in at least a long-throw 
stainess steel slave to replace any stock slave- it is a drop-in replacement that 
anyone can do and will increase the clearance at the flywheel. Trying to drive 
your Pantera with a dragging clutch will rapidly wear the synchronizers in your 
ZF, and when they wear too much, you'll be looking at thousands of dollars in 
ZF overhaul costs- and you'll still have the bad clutch to fix. 
If all else fails, call Roger Sharp before the next Nor-Cal Tech session and 
someone will help you adjust or ideally, swap slave cylinders on your car.  
Thats what our tech sessions are for- to help members fix their cars.
Good luck- J DeRyke<BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> See 
what's free at http://www.aol.com.</HTML>