[IdahoDoug]

Well crap. I can shorten the 8mm rod until its ridiculously short and the clutch still slips. So short the clutch doesn't return from the floor as the assist spring is overcentered. Clutch still slips.

So maybe there's oil on the clutch/flywheel faces? I took off the sheetmetal guard and with a flashlight I looked at the front face of the flywheel. Dry as a bone. Removed the round rubber plug at the clutch slave and can see the edge of the new pressure plate and see nothing as to grease or oil flung. I look down from the engine bay into the timing mark hole in the bell housing and I see no oil flung on the timing mark or around the housing inside. Dry as a bone.

I assumed this would just be a routine clutch adjustment but I looks like I have bigger problems.

Of interest, my Dad quit driving it because the clutch started slipping. When I took it off the trailer it engaged fine - no chattering or anything and I gently babied it 30 feet into the garage and done. When I opened it up I fully expected to see the rubber clutch in pieces as is typical from what I hear, but it was not. No evidence of heat damage on the flywheel face or the clutch itself - my Dad's an engineer and would not have fried it so that seemed fine. It was merely worn. So now I'm wondering what problem could have possibly occurred to cause slipping before my work that would still exist in the vehicle with a completely new Sachs clutch kit? New clutch, pressure plate, throwout, pilot, even the clutch shaft tube is new and so is the rear main seal.

From stone cold, I backed it out of the garage, engaged 1st, let the clutch out and 1st engaged. Applying brisk throttle it instantly slips. So there's no hot clutch slave fluid with air in it expanding and disengaging the clutch.

When my son pushes the clutch pedal, I can lay under and watch the throwout bearing move as expected. However, I did not bleed the slave. When you remove them, naturally the slave pushrod extends and I just manhandled it back in. I will try bleeding the slave in case it is simply not allowing the clutch to attain full pressure. I could see that being an issue but as far as I know the slave is just a piston and doesn't have any ability to "reindex" itself with the rod pushed out further. It was replaced a couple years ago and looks in good shape. After that, I'm gonna shove it over a cliff.

Doug