stuck clutch

[banjo]

Hi everbody.
I Think I might actually have a real problem this time... i was dropping my friend off last night and i took my car out of gear, but when i went to drive away i couldnt get it back into gear because they were grinding. In other words, my clutch would not dis-engage, even with the clutch pedal pressed. So, i left my car there and inspected it the next day. My original thought was that the cable had come loose and slipped off the fiber wheel or the fibre wheel had become brittle and snapped into pieces. this ws not the case, the clutch pedal felt just the same as when it worked correctly, and the play was fine, the cable was not overly tight or loose. i got under the car and asked somone to press on the clutch and when they did the mechanics worked just fine. So, i think that the problem might actually be the clutch itself.

-david

[73/2.0 9forteen]

I had a similar problem with my car. The Cable was fine but the clutch would not disengage. So I pulled the tranny and found the clutch had broken into a bunch of pieces. Sounds like you've got a clutch problem.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Very possible. But pull off the access covers from the top of the center tunnel and take a look in there with a flashlight and mirror or two. Look while you push on the clutch pedal. If you see a metal tube in there moving around, you have the Dreaded Clutch Tube Failure.

Try adjusting your clutch cable as well. You can usually get a little bit of driving out of the car by doing that even after the tube has broken loose. And I do mean "little" bit.

--DD

[banjo]

I pulled the inspection panel and its not the tube, its fine and dandy. the thing is its a curse and a blessing, i could have welded it if it had been the tube. or manufactured a new complete tube to replace the old one and make this one last... everything else checks out, so, i have started to pull the transmission, if anyone has any ideas or tips just let me know. ill check back.

thanks again
-David


dennis: arn't cars fun david???
me: yeah.......when they work.

[banjo]

ok, pulled the tranny and everything looked fine, in fact. the clutch looked brand new,, as i was removinng the flywheel. i noticed that the pilot bearinbg had been completely destroyed and there was no felt washer behind it. could this have been my problem? all that was left of the bearing was the little rollers and flakes of metal. what caused this in the first place. all the other parts are very new and are in wonderful condition.
any thoughts?.....

thanks,
David Elliott

[jamcleod]

IMHO this is not the problem. i think the pilot bearing just spins on the input shaft of the tranny. the connection between flywheel and the input shaft of the tranny is the clutch disk and if that is good, as you say, it should not be the pilot bearing. can you check out the linkage, the clutch cable and the throwout fork cup bushing?

[banjo]

not quite, if the pilot bearing get/got jammed then the input shaft for the transmission would always be turning with the transmission, therefore eliminating the need for a clutch. well not need but bypassing the clutch i thought about this and looked at the end of my input shaft and saw thats it was worn and it had grooves worn into it a few thousanths of an inch, i sanded it down and am waiting for my pelican shipment to get here to cure what i think is the problem,,, if anyone else has any ideas the dont hesitate say or post .


-David Elliott

[banjo]

pardon, the transmission would always be turning with the engine,

...hence why i could only get into gear when the car was off, and wh it didnt matter what gear i was trying to get in when it ground.....