[DeTomaso] Techno question:Clutch&Slave II

[Charles Engles]

Dear Forum,


                My thanks to all who replied.

                Tonight's chapter:   1) the space between the flywheel and the clutch disc seems to be about .022--.024" no matter whether the slave cylinder shaft length is short, medium or long.

                                             2)  I flushed the clutch hydraulic line.   No particular difference in pedal feel nor clutch (mal) function.

                                             3) when the clutch is cold, i.e. in the first 1-2 miles, all the gears are shiftable.    After a 2 mile street drive to the freeway and a 2-3 mile cruise,  I am unable to shift into fourth or fifth----only reverse and gears 1-2-3.

                                       
                     I really appreciated SOB's technique, but I am just too ignorant to pull it off.  I tried and couldn't get it to have everything fall together.

                     If the airgap between the flywheel and clutch disc is truly . 022", then does that mean that I need to move the lever arm on the bellhousing to get more airgap?   If yes, then do I move the splined lever arm forward or backward from it current setting?


                      
                              Two roadtrips this weekend!,  Chuck Engles




  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: SOBill at aol.com 
  To: cengles at cox.net 
  Cc: detomaso at realbig.com 
  Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 6:56 PM
  Subject: Cluctch Adjust - How To



  Chuck,

  FWIW, here is how I do it:

  Put the ebrake on or chock the wheels.

  Put the car in neutral.

  Start the engine.

  The reason we are running the engine is so we can readily feel the release bearing touch the pressure plate release fingers.

  Disconnect the return spring at the slave cylinder. Be careful, that sucker can bite your fingers. Use Vise Grips.

  Move the clutch release lever by hand until you feel the throwout bearing touch the pressure plate release fingers. On later cars, the release lever should move freely. On early cars, there is a spring inside the bell housing which acts to retract the throw out bearing and this spring makes it more difficult to move the lever (Vise Grips can assist here, also). The point where the throwout bearing touches the pressure plate release fingers will be quite distinct. Note the gap between the release lever return stop bolt and the return stop plate.

  Adjust the release lever return stop bolt to remove as much of the gap as you like. This can be done with the engine running so that the above step can be repeated. What ever gap you do not remove, will be the approximate distance between the face of the throwout bearing and the pressure plate release fingers. There must be some gap or your throwout bearing will spin at crankshaft speed all the time and die an early death. Remember that things expand as they get hot.

  This method works with whatever clutch/pressure plate/throwout bearing is actually installed on your car.

  Adjusting the slave cylinder shaft length controls the position of the piston inside the slave cylinder.  The shaft should be adjusted so the piston is well up inside the cylinder. If the retracted (i.e. up) position of the piston is such that it does not bottom out when the clutch pedal is fully depressed (i.e the full slave cylinder travel is being utilized), this adjustment will have no effect on the freeplay or the slave cylinder release stroke travel.


  Piece of cake. Twenty minutes max.



  If the freeplay and the full travel cannot be set by the above method, the clutch actuating arm on the bell housing may need to moved to different spline and the procedure repeated.


  Have fun.

  SOBill Taylor
  sobill at aol.com





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