1969Vette383

Help :(
So I've gotten a new clutch installed (CF Dual Friction) and I'm down to this (crossed fingers) last step. My old return spring broke off back in August, but my clutch pedal still worked as it did with the spring so I didn't really take notice of where it was really hooked up to. I want to say that it was clipped somehow into the bellhousing, but if I try this now, the oil filter gets in the way. I have some pictures in my yahoo briefcase: http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/avanti63r1025
to show what I'm working with. I see there are some archived topics, but my car isn't a BB and it's also pretty much a b@$tard vette; that said, I do love my car, but it's a non-#s car and there have been body alterations to her as evidenced also in my briefcase. I wish I was working with something cherry, but my budget when I bought her wouldn't allow.
Any advice would be thoroughly appreciated :cheers:

theandies

These springs are anti-rattle springs. All they do is keep the rods from rattling. When I bought my car my clutch would rattle like you wouldn't believe until I found out that I was missing one of these springs. I got a new one and no more rattles. It looks like you have the wrong springs; my original one was pretty small. I will take the digital camera out to the car tonight and take some pictures for you. You are also missing the grease fitting on the bottom of your Z-bar. That hole should have a grease zerk in it. Just FYI.
John

1969Vette383

Thanks a ton! Pictures speak a thousand words and the Haynes Manual just isn't cutting it.
I said my car was a b@$tard car :( I wouldn't be shocked if it was missing more than just one zerk fitting either. Actually I'm surprised it has all 8 spark plugs :D. Okay so that's a bit extreme, but I'm doing what I can to make it all fit together.

fauxrs

There is also a clutch return spring that attaches to the arm that the pedal pushrod attaches to and then connects to a bracket on the firewall - this spring ensures that the throwout bearing is lifted all the way off the diaphram spring - i think this is the return spring you are talking about.

I too ran without one of these for quite a long while until i redid my clutch last year.

Eddie 70

I tried to get a shot of the springs on the clutch actuation rod but could not get them. My camera keeps focusing on the wrong thing. I did get a pic of the z-bar return spring if this helps any.

It is 592kb.
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/eddie_96//dsc00026.jpg

Clink69

AHaa , I never knew that fitting was on my car... Maybe thats why the pedal pressure feels so hard; No grease :confused: maybe just maybe...

1969Vette383

Okay, so I've got the pedal return spring on and can get the clutch pedal adjusted. However I'm getting very little, if any, actual feel of the throwout bearing engaging the diaphram to let the clutch go. What's wrong here? One fix I see, but the improper one, is to have a longer adjustment rod for the pedal. At the very edge closest to the front of the car on the rod, the pedal just starts to feel some resistance. I would guess maybe 1" or less from the floor. What's going wrong here? Does the clutch fork need to be moved around? Don't tell me (although I will if I must) I have to go back into the clutch and pressure plate area to make a minor tune up. What I'm asking now is: How do I get more pedal pressure? How do I make the throwout bearing go further in than it is capable of going now? Some friends and I are stumped.

This is a Centerforce dual friction unit, and they advertise light pedal effort, but this is rediculous. It can't be, and isn't right because I started the car and the shifter won't go into any gear. Now I can match revs pretty well to shift without using the clutch, but I'm not that good.

Clink69

You did change the Ball Stud on the Fork didn't you. It requires a longer one.. Most people use Adjustable ball studs. It needs to be about 1/2 longer to put the bearing closer to the pressure plate and away form the tranny. ball stud screws into the bellhousing from the outside..Just pull the tranny back, not out. also put lock tight on it after you have it adjusted correctly so it doesn;t come loose. Streve Straus has a previous post with pics on this.

Chris

theandies

:iagree:
JOhn

OkeeGuy

Eddie 70's pic is correct...
the big spring hooks onto this bracket that is on the firewall and surrounds the steering shaft...NOT in that big hole but in a very small one at the bottom of the bracket... http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/86213...qFOW.AAN3Yj_lR
the other end hooks onto the z-bar...
when i redid my engine bay, i removed this bracket and cut off the old steering lock hole/mount...the one that you can see in your pic above...
i hate stuff that is there and not used...if its not used, i get rid of it...
:yesnod:
if it were me...i would buy all new springs, all 3 of them and put them all in the correct locations...
just a side note here but i noticed that you use Fram oil filters...
you may want to read this and see what is and is not inside of a Fram filter...
you may decide to start using something different...
perhaps a Mobile 1... :yesnod: http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/oil_filter_study/

V8yunkie

I just noted that your clutch actuation rod is not adjusted properly... the swivel which connects to the z-bar needs to have play between the two nuts on the rod. Appr. 1/4 inch I think. This is to prevent the clutch to be slightly depressed as soon as the clutch-plate wears with time - thus putting constant pressure on the throw-out bearing and finally (if the clutch plate gets to thin) resulting in a slipping clutch. First thing that usually happens is the throw-out bearing to go bad... usually noticed by a distinct noise which disappears as soon as you depress the clutch pedal.

Check out the Haynes manual for proper adjustment. Just recently I have had a friend thinking he had a bad (slipping) clutch and sent his car to the workshop. The guy there being honest told him it only was a bad adjustment of the linkage... no the car is back on the road for a couple of bucks. I guess not every workshop would be honest enough to do that.

BTW, this is one of the advantages of a hydraulic clutch... you do not need to readjust due to the wearing clutch plate.

1969Vette383

Thanks guys, I'll give that a shot :seeya
I've heard that about Fram filters before, in fact I remember when that site had a far more opinionated layout. The creator was asked to not say so many bad things about the filters he did. A store who made most of their filter income off Fram, and who mostly stocked Fram filters, did the asking and I believed threatened to sue him. So following orders he took down the objectionable portions.
This motor is a temporary status anyway :D :eek: I have a few tricks up my sleeve for this car.


[Modified by 1969Vette350, 5:01 PM 2/23/2003]