problems with triumph spitfire clutch
steve clay
I have a 1972 triumph spitfire 1300cc 4 speed. The problem is thus:
When driving home The car stalled at a junction after I depressed the
clutch pedal ie it shudderd to a halt.
I selected neutral restarted the engine depressed the clutch pedal and
attempted to put her into gear and she graunched and would not go into
gear. There was no clutch.
After seeking advice from the breakdown driver I bought new Master and
slave cylinders from an online store fitted them, beld the system
(thoroughly) and still no clutch.
I realise at this stage I am more than likely looking at removing the
gearbox. my question is what should I look for. The haynes manual
does not cover this type of fault. Is the problem with the clutch or
is there stuff in the bell housing or gearbox that I should be looking
at.
Thanks in anticipation
Steve
Gordon
news:1153341670....@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
I suspect the thrust bearing has disintegrated or got so worn it doesn't
work.
Stuffed
"Yippee" <yippe...@intuh.net.invalid> wrote in message
news:369tb2hf4v1tbn41j...@newsfeed03.glasvezel.net...
> "Gordon" <gor...@lgbpcomputing.co.uk.invalid> realised it was Wed, 19
> Jul 2006 21:49:58 +0100 and decided it was time to write:
>
> >"steve clay" <stephe...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
> >
> >> gearbox. my question is what should I look for. The haynes manual
> >> does not cover this type of fault. Is the problem with the clutch or
> >> is there stuff in the bell housing or gearbox that I should be looking
> >> at.
> >
> >work.
>
Could be, but I reckon the engine stalling with the pedal down at the lights
means there's too much friction tween crank and block from the description
given. New thrusts are cheap enough (and not too much of an arse bastard to
fit), but it could the damage has been done...
Dave Plowman (News)
steve clay <stephe...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> I have a 1972 triumph spitfire 1300cc 4 speed. The problem is thus:
> When driving home The car stalled at a junction after I depressed the
> clutch pedal ie it shudderd to a halt.
> I selected neutral restarted the engine depressed the clutch pedal and
> attempted to put her into gear and she graunched and would not go into
> gear. There was no clutch.
> After seeking advice from the breakdown driver I bought new Master and
> slave cylinders from an online store fitted them, beld the system
> (thoroughly) and still no clutch.
You should have first tried operating the withdrawal lever on the gearbox
by hand - if this 'flopped about' it isn't the hydraulics.
> I realise at this stage I am more than likely looking at removing the
> gearbox. my question is what should I look for. The haynes manual
> does not cover this type of fault. Is the problem with the clutch or
> is there stuff in the bell housing or gearbox that I should be looking
> at.
Some Triumphs have a habit of allowing the withdrawal lever pivot to fall
out. Common on Dolomites and Marinas that use the same 'basic' box.
--
*The modem is the message *
Dave Plowman da...@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
Jim Warren
Yippee <yippe...@intuh.net.invalid> wrote in message
news:369tb2hf4v1tbn41j...@newsfeed03.glasvezel.net...
> "Gordon" <gor...@lgbpcomputing.co.uk.invalid> realised it was Wed, 19
> Jul 2006 21:49:58 +0100 and decided it was time to write:
>
> >
> >work.
>
>
material may have come off the clutch plate because the rivets weren't
rounded over properly.
Jim
steve clay
steve clay
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
> In article <1153341670....@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>,
> steve clay <stephe...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> > I have a 1972 triumph spitfire 1300cc 4 speed. The problem is thus:
> > When driving home The car stalled at a junction after I depressed the
> > clutch pedal ie it shudderd to a halt.
>
> > I selected neutral restarted the engine depressed the clutch pedal and
> > attempted to put her into gear and she graunched and would not go into
> > gear. There was no clutch.
>
> > After seeking advice from the breakdown driver I bought new Master and
> > slave cylinders from an online store fitted them, beld the system
> > (thoroughly) and still no clutch.
>
> You should have first tried operating the withdrawal lever on the gearbox
> by hand - if this 'flopped about' it isn't the hydraulics.
THE WITHDRAWL LEVER. IS THIS THE ROD THAT THE SLAVE CYLINDER PISTON
OPERATES ON. IF SO IT DOES FLOP AROUND IN THE SLAVE CYLINDER HOUSING.
Phil
steve clay wrote:
> Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
> > In article <1153341670....@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>,
> > steve clay <stephe...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> > > I have a 1972 triumph spitfire 1300cc 4 speed. The problem is thus:
> > > When driving home The car stalled at a junction after I depressed the
> > > clutch pedal ie it shudderd to a halt.
> >
> > > I selected neutral restarted the engine depressed the clutch pedal and
> > > attempted to put her into gear and she graunched and would not go into
> > > gear. There was no clutch.
> >
> > > After seeking advice from the breakdown driver I bought new Master and
> > > slave cylinders from an online store fitted them, beld the system
> > > (thoroughly) and still no clutch.
> >
> > You should have first tried operating the withdrawal lever on the gearbox
> > by hand - if this 'flopped about' it isn't the hydraulics.
>
> THE WITHDRAWL LEVER. IS THIS THE ROD THAT THE SLAVE CYLINDER PISTON
> OPERATES ON. IF SO IT DOES FLOP AROUND IN THE SLAVE CYLINDER HOUSING.
YES THAT'S IT. PROB. THE RELEASE BEARING, BUT MAY AS WELL FIT A NEW
CLUCH WHILE IT'S ALL APART AS THE COST IS LESS THAT THE HASSLE....
Ian Johnston
: Could be, but I reckon the engine stalling with the pedal down at the lights
: means there's too much friction tween crank and block from the description
: given.
Nah - it just shows that the clutch hadn't disengaged.
Ian
--
Ian Johnston
<jimw...@OMITblueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
:
: Yippee <yippe...@intuh.net.invalid> wrote in message
The clutch on my DS failed in Wales at Easter - I discovered that all
the lining had come off one side of the driven plate, every last
shred, while the other side is just fine.
Ian
Ian Johnston
<stephe...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
: I realise at this stage I am more than likely looking at removing the
: gearbox. my question is what should I look for. The haynes manual
: does not cover this type of fault. Is the problem with the clutch or
: is there stuff in the bell housing or gearbox that I should be looking
: at.
This is easy. Your clutch is knackered. You are going to have to take
the gearbox (or engine, if you prefer) out. Once you've done that you
can't find out which bit is broken: could be cover plate, driven plate
or release bearing. Whichever it is, replace all three with a full
clutch kit unless you are really skint. While you're at it, replace
the crinkly washer thingy which holds the pivot pin in place.
Designing the bellhousing so that pin could fall out is just one of
the crimes for which Triumph's designers are now, if there is any
justice, burning in the fiery pits of hell.
I don't know how long this will take, but on a Herald I would allow
myself three hours working on my own. Tip: if you are taking the
gearbox out through the car, remove the steering wheel and front
seats. Doesn't take long and gives far more room to play with.
Oh yes, and make sure you buy a proper Borg & Beck clutch kit.
Everything else is inferior, and reconditioned clutches are only for
fools.
Ian
--
steve clay
R L driver
Crank thrust washers. When the gearbox is off check for forwards and
backwards movement on the flywheel, try and lever it backwards and
forwards with a lever or by hplding the flwywheel edge. If there is more
like 1/8" of movement rather than just a few thou then the crank thrust
washer has dropped out allowing the crank to move when the clutch is
depressed. No crank thrust washer(s) will also affect the clutch operation.
Steve the grease
Grimly Curmudgeon
drugs began to take hold. I remember "steve clay"
<stephe...@tiscali.co.uk> saying something like:
>> --HI TO ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE RESPONDED TO MY ORIGINAL POST. MANY THANKS. I WILL REPLACE THE CLUTCH MECHANISM IN ITS ENTIRITY ND POST HOW I GET ON. ONCE AGAIN CHEERS. STEVE
Good luck with it and when you return to let us know, it'd be great if
you could re-discover your capslock key and turn it off.
--
Dave
SE6a
Jim Warren
Ian Johnston <ian.g...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:cCUlhtvFIYkV-pn2-V9EZEdPGZfc1@localhost...
> : Less likely, but I have seen it once, so don't rule it out - the
friction
> : material may have come off the clutch plate because the rivets weren't
> : rounded over properly.
>
> The clutch on my DS failed in Wales at Easter - I discovered that all
> the lining had come off one side of the driven plate, every last
> shred, while the other side is just fine.
>
Not as unlikely as I thought then! The one I saw was on a Jowett.
Jim
Ian Johnston
<jimw...@OMITblueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
:
: Ian Johnston <ian.g...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
How much of a Jowett do you have to take out to get at the problem?
For the DS the answers is "practically bloody everything"
Ian
R.N. Robinson
I once had a Lancia Dilambda, one of whose endearing features was a shaft
about 6" long with bolted flanges either end between clutch and gearbox.
Clutch replacement was a matter of dropping the bottom half of the
bellhousing and removing said shaft, which enabled you to unbolt and remove
the clutch with the engine and gearbox still in place. I never had to do
it, but the proceedure was detailed in the handbook.
Ron Robinson
S1500
bit. Why? The clutch is very fickle. It slips intermittently. When I'm shifting
from first to second at too high of an RPMs, I let go of the clutch, but it
freewheels(slips). I let go of the accelerator and it "thunks" into drive.
Well, the thrust washers were fine. Perfect to the measurement. So last week I
bled & flushed the clutch fluid(it was partially black). I'm hoping that does
the trick. Overall the clutch isn't that bad, but every so often when I take up
drive it slips regardless of my frustrated mashing on the clutch pedal.
Thankfully that's the only driveability problem I've had with it(oh,and the
horrible gas mielage).
Jim Warren
> How much of a Jowett do you have to take out to get at the problem?
> For the DS the answers is "practically bloody everything"
>
I didn't see it taken apart - I only saw the plate with a "Look at that!"
exclamation.
ISTR though that the Jowett radiator was behind the engine, so that the
engine and gearbox would slide out through the(removed) front grille
opening. A bit like an Imp arrangement, but at the front.
I have always fancied a DS, but you don't make the repairs sound attractive!
The worst clutch access problem I ever encountered was on a Standard 10,
where you can't get to the top bell housing bolts with the engine in place.
So you put blocks under the engine/gearbox assembly, undo the bits that
attach it to the car, then remove the front crossmember and lift the body
off the engine and gearbox. Alternatively, you put the whole car on ramps to
get enough room under it for the gearbox tail to drop right down without
hitting the road, and then if you remove the bonnet and radiator so that you
can tilt everything to the right angle, there is just enough gap between
front crossmember and bulkhead to lift the gearbox through. If they wanted
to design a way to make drivers treat a clutch kindly, they couldn't do much
better than that.
Jim
Ian Johnston
<jimw...@OMITblueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
: I have always fancied a DS, but you don't make the repairs sound attractive!
They are not actually too bad. Nothing is very complicated, but you
have to do a lot of individually not-very-complicated things...
Ian
--