Rich Hill writes >
> Well, it happened again this weekend - the clutch on my 79 Midget stuck to
> the pressure plate (or whatever clutches stick to). I know how to free
> the thing (put in gear, push in clutch pedal, start car, repeat as necessary
> until engine turns freely!) but I'd like to know how to avoid this problem
> in the first place.
How long was it in storage? Every once in a while, pop into the driver seat
and work the clutch pedal vigorously. If you can, keep the car in gear,
depress the clutch pedal with your one foot and stick the other foot out
the door and move the car back a bit. This will move the clutch disk in
relation to the flywheel and pressure plate. If you did this often, I
don't see how rust could freeze the clutch.
Reports I see of this happening seem to be very often on big TRs. Your
Spitfidget has Spitfire clutch parts, I assume. Must be a Triumph thing.
My A-series Spridget never had any problems, and I never followed my above
advice. I store in my garage in a very cold climate. The Mighty K-wagon
and other cars often need work and so I run a salamander in the garage.
On a very cold day, the moisture of kerosene (paraffin for OFATP) and the
sudden temp change causes lots of condensation on the stored car and
parts. I can see the rust on the brake disks. The engine/gearbox combo
from the Europa sat unused in this garage for two years, and I did not
have a sticking problem when it was reassembled.
Does anyone know why Triumphs have this problem?
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