Clutch lever arm questions...

[tim at unrealexpectations.ath.cx (stetson)]

The rod/release bearing are not one but 2 separate peices working in
tandem to push the release plate which presses on the leaf
springs (referred to sometimes as fingers again. Confusing, I know.) on
the pressure plate to let the clutch disk move independantly of the
pressure plste and flywheel.

A release bearing is a circular peice of metal about the same diameter as
a prescription bottle and is 3/4-1"tall. It's what the broken finger
should push on. It's touching the rod and pushes it throught the drive
shaft as above. The end w/ the 5 dimples goes towards the rod and the flat
metal end is what the finger pushes on.

When you depress the clutch it pulls on the clutch cable, which pulls
the lever up and moves the finger @ the same time, which pushes the
release bearing, the release bearing pushes the rod, the rod pushes the
release plate, all in a straight line. The release plate pushes on the
leaf springs on the pressure plate which moves the pressure plate (why its
called such) back towards the engine which releases the pressure and lets
the clutch disk spin free so it is only connected to the tranny and the
pressure plate and flywheel are connected only to the engine and there is
minimal to no cantact between them.

With the clutch out the clutch disk is sandwiched between the pressure
plate and flywheel under considerable pressure. Push the clutch in and
what I describe in the 3rd paragraph happens.

It's like this, the pressure plate is attached to the crankshaft on the
engine, the flywheel is held to the pressure plate w/ 9 - 9 or 11mm bolts
which are  12 pt. (not just a hex like a regular bolt which is a bitch
when torquing them and have a special torquing sequence) and the clutch
disk is sandwiched between the 2 and has the drive shaft from the tranny
connected to it.

If the clutch is fairly new and a knowing person did the installation your
release bearing has already been changed w/ the clutch. You CAN pull out
the rod if you wish but you SHOULDN'T as it becomes that much easier to
loose if you do and it really serves no purpose to do so. Pull on it a
little bit to see if you can move it w/ simple finger pressure. Push it
all the way into the tranny and then test the lever again and see if it
moves. If not, get ready to pull the green cap to see it again (you'll
have to anywayto replace the finger).

Do you have a Bentley or Haynes or Clymers or Chiltons manual? A bentley
is preferred. But it will be indespensible for things like torque specs
and any maintenance procedures and has pictures and descriptions of parts.
I referred to it to get all the correct names for this email.

Get one dude.

On another note, see if you can configure your email client to send in
plain text asvit makes replying easier for me beacause I use a terminal
email program and when I reply to your emails what you've written before
turns into one incredibly long line that is hard to reference.

HTH,

Tim

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	Use a sunlamp only on weekends.  That way, if the office wise guy
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On Sun, 6 Jun 2004, Ryan H wrote:

> Thanks for all the info!  Appreciate the part numbers... yeah, I guess my finger is broke cause the release bearing definitely doesn't move.  Is the release bearing something I should replace?  Does it just slide in/out of the tranny (i.e. is there anything holding it from me just pulling it out)?  My clutch is relatively new, so no need to replace the clutch.
>
> >
> > From: stetson <tim@unrealexpectations.ath.cx>
> > Date: 2004/06/06 Sun PM 04:16:42 EDT
> > To: Ryan H <rhock99@epix.net>
> > CC: scirocco-l@scirocco.org
> > Subject: Re: Clutch lever arm questions...
> >
> > You have just become a prover of another debating thread here on the list
> > of, "Which breaks 1st? The finger or the plate?"
<snip>