Posted by wayneh [173.245.56.71] on Tuesday, August 09, 2016 at 22:20:15 :
Well today I finally got my clutch linkage issue solved, thanks to Mike and Alvin at D+W Clutch and brake in Baltimore. These guys don’t work on vehicles, but they do build a lot of clutches.
- The linkage was fine
- The Crankshaft was fine
- The throw out bearing is fine
And that is what I had thought all along… So this morning I looked things over one more time and decided to drive up to Baltimore to D+W clutch.
What Alvin did was put a 10” diameter round plate 0.340” thick under the pressure plate and clamp it down to simulate the clutch bolted to flywheel. As soon as he did that he could see right away that the fingers were too low. So low they didn’t register on his micrometer… All he did was take a socket and turn the three adjusting nuts maybe 2 turns which moved the fingers over 1/3”. Wow.
Bottom line, the Pressure plate was not properly matched to the clutch disc or possibly adjusted when it was rebuilt.
When I got home I bolted it in (that TO bearing spring is a PITA) and tested it before putting I the NP420. Perfect, just like it should be. Wow, what a hard lesson. Talking with the folks who sold it to me, it sounded like several years back they may have had a batch that was not set up right.
I pretty much still have a full head of hair, but this problem added a few more grey hairs for sure. I was certain this was ok before the engine rebuild, but possibly sitting around six months something else changed. I’m happy now because it is done right and not a band aid patch to solve another problem.
Thanks to everyone for all your help and suggestions, I’ve sure learned a lot on this project!
So what did it cost to do this? Mike said give Alvin ten bucks. I happily gave Alvin twenty!
If you live in the Mid-Atlantic are check these guys out. They will rebuild your clutch for you while you wait. And if you have a BIG truck, they can hook you up with a clutch too!
Thanks again for all the help.
Wayne
Follow Ups: