Clutch alignment without proper tool?

[JohnJL]

I ordered the Clutch Alignment Tool from Pelican, got a bunch of friends over, stocked the cooler and had a "help me get the engine off the stand and mate the transmision" party.

Got everything down off the stand and sure enough, the Clutch Alignment Tool I ordered from Pelican doesn't fit. Upon closer inspection, its labelled "Ford." The splines are too wide and the splined part is too big in diameter.

I cannot say how pissed I am. Its not the $8.95 I'm upset about, its the fact another one will take 2 weeks to get here. I have a bunch of guys all set to get things done and I get stymied by a stupid screw up. I left everyone at my house and went out to 2 auto stores (total time elapsed 1.5 hours) and no luck with a replacement.

So I went back and we tried to line it up my feel and eye. No luck. The transmission wouldn't slip the final inch together. Even tried rocking the crank...

So, we had a failure of a day and I best-case scanario is I MIGHT get the right tool from Pelican in 2 weeks best. Is there another method for aligning the clutch plate?

[MBEngineering]

HI put your trani' back on the engine as if to fit, then with it supported, take the starter off and slacken the clutch 6mm allan keys a bit at a time, (turning the engine to get to the bolts) untill the box slides on tighten every thing back up, or you could take the input shaft out of the box, line up the clutch and put it back in the box!!, which ever is easy for you.

regards mike

[dentist90]

I've heard of guys using a broom handle of appropriate diameter to do the job, but must fit snugly. A wrecked input shaft can be used also, if you can find one easily.

At least you had beer... not a total loss!

[randywebb]

get one of those plastic things - they're pretty cheap

[Early_S_Man]

The splines on the 915 input shaft are SAE -- 20 spline. I believe my tool is labeled Ford, too! You might measure the pilot bearing ID and take your clutch disk to the local. store to look for a suitable tool.

A good alternative is to find a suitable 3/8" drive socket to fit snugly inside the pilot bearing, then build-up tape around a long 3/8" extension to fit inside the clutch disk splines.

[JohnJL]

THanks guys, will try those.

Warren, I did take it with me to the stores. Most of the guys just gave me a blank look..."Ya reckon you need a crutch malignment tool?" I do like your idea, thanks.

Randy, the body of my message explained that I DID get one of those plastic thingies from Pelican but was sent the wrong one. I then visited all the auto stores within 1.5 hours of my house with no luck!

[JohnJL]

Mike,
Your method worked, thanks!

For others, I lined up the clutch disk with the bearing as close as possible, then tightened up 3 of the pressure plate bolts. THen I wiggled the tranny (that sounds aweful) onto the engine until the starter bolt poked thru (its getting worse!) and threaded a nut on (oh god stop.)

I then rotated the engine and loosened each of the pressure plate bolts and thetrans slipped right into place.

Thanks guys!

[dentist90]

Desperation is the other mother of invention! Analyse, then improvise. Good on ya.

[JohnJL]

Except now with everything mated up now the engine will only rotate ~20 degrees in each direction. I un-mated them again and the engine rotates freely. I mated them again and tried every shifter position including what I believe in neutral...shouldn't the engine and mated transmission rotate freely when the transmission is in neutral?

[dentist90]

Does the input shaft freely rotate when the shift rod is in neutral? Did you do any tranny work or just a clutch job? I'm not sure if uneven torque on the pressure plate would do this. Giving it some thought.

[JohnJL]

Yes, separately the engine rotates freely and the transmission input shaft rotate freely. Mated up with the pressure plate only hand-tight so the clutch splines can move a bit to hit the input shaft freely results in engine-no-turney.

[JohnJL]

An uneven pressure plate torque was it. Final procedure involved mating them up with the plate loos-ish and tighten one of the bolts through the starter hole. THen un-mate them, and tighten all the pressure plate bolts up and re-assemble.

[dentist90]

Weird... lucky guess. I imagine the friction disc was cockeyed just enough to be eccentric with the input shaft until tightened right down.. Hope the rest of your install goes well here on in.
Do you supply your "pit crew" with Fosters, or is there something better down there?

[JohnJL]

Actually, I seem to be making more progress without them than with them!

Nobody drinks fosters here...its VB or Tooheys for the full-time greasemonkeys and Coopers or James Squire for bankers who think they are greasemonkeys on the weekends.

thanks again all for the timely help!

[Quicksilver]

I know you are done but here is my cheesy method...

I use a 6" long 3/8" drive socket extension. I stick it in and move it in a circle with the pressure plate tightened so it will move with a little effort. I work it until the cone of the circle is perpendicular to the flywheel. It is actually pretty easy to do and I never had a problem with it.

[rvanderpyl]

I just find a deep socket that fits....

[JohnJL]

Thanks Wayne. I wasn't able to get that to work for me, but I'm sure the problem was somewhere between the wrench and the stool!

John

[Gunter]

John:
After you mentioned "Ford" on the plastic tool, I checked mine and it also says Ford. I tried the spline on the disc, and the ends for the pilot bearing.
It works fine as a centering tool.
I have a standard clutch on this 3.0 and I am puzzled why yours didn't work.

[JohnJL]

Hi Gunter.
I was puzzled too. The diameter of the outer splines of the tool was about 2.5mm wider than the outer diameter of the "female" grooves on the clutch. It wasn't even close. In fact, the inner diameter of the tool was even larger than the outer groove diameter of the clutch.

I was also puzzled why no autoshops within a reasonable distance had any idea what a CAT was...

john