Hi there, Zach - I think I have suggestion to what might be the problem
with your engine - not clutch.
The reason for the clutch slipping might lie in the crankbearings being
worn - especially the the end bearings (I think this is what its called
- I usually speak danish!). This caused the entire crank to move back
and forth when de-clutching. I seen this a couple of times, especially
on old, well-used 1147cc engines! You can check for crank-bearing wear
with a screwdriver behind the fanbelt-pulley and see if you can move the
crank back and forth - you shouldnt be able to!
And to your comment on engines leaking being normal; normal, yes - but
necessary, no. Its a matter of rebuilding the engine properly.
Jorgen Klitholm (Denmark)
Spitfire '69
TR2 '54
> -----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
> Fra: Zach Zaletel [SMTP:zzalet@po-box.mcgill.ca]
> Sendt: 21. januar 1999 06:49
> Til: spitfires@autox.team.net
> Emne: Clutch problems
>
> I posted this up a while back and didn't hear anything back. I'm
> hoping it
> just got lost in the shuffle! Thanks! -Zach
>
>
> [If you have other things to do right now, you might want to save this
> message for later]
>
>
> Here is a story of my Spitfire that kept repeating itself over the
> summer:
>
> When I returned home from University in May of last summer, I went
> over to
> my grandparents house to get my Spitfire out of their garage. As it
> had
> been stored there over the previous winter, I made sure to have it run
> from
> time to time and, when it was not being periodotically run, the clutch
> was
> depressed to prevent it from freezing. Anyways, I went and retrieved
> my
> car and, as if by magic, after reattaching the battery and checking
> all of
> the vital fluids and pressures, a few seconds of cranking the car and
> she
> was up and running. I changed the oil and did all of the other out of
> storage preventive maintainence within a day or two, and went about
> enjoying my car. Well, needless to say, things were too good, and the
> clutch on the car went out after about three weeks. I had not put a
> new
> clutch in the car in the time I'd owned it (maybe a couple thousand
> miles).
>
>
> Anyways, once I figured out (after a few weeks of frustration) the
> clutch
> was the problem, my father and I promptly removed the transmission and
> set
> about removing the old, worn out clutch. I had another clutch from an
> engine I'd purchased a year earlier, and, overall it looked to be in
> good
> condition (I know what you're thinking). Anyways, we got the 'new'
> clutch
> put in and everything reattached. It took a bit of tinkering, but we
> got
> the job done. The car ran great with the 'new' clutch
>
> for about one week. As I was going around a corner, and just lost all
> ability to go forward in the car. The engine revved fine, but that
> translated into no forward movement. So, I pulled the car out of
> traffic
> (it was just on a road in town) and found a phone to call home from.
> The
> car was towed home and the process started anew. This time, we used a
> brand new whole clutch assembly from VB, and did the job right. We
> got the
> car up and running again just in time for the gymkhana I was set to
> run the
> next day with the IBCC. Again, the car ran beautifully. This time
> for
> about two weeks. On a Saturday afternoon, on my way out to an
> auction, I
> was cruising along at about 80mph on the interstate. As I took my
> foot off
> of the gas briefly, I noticed the tach stayed up. Now, I thought this
> was
> odd, because as I recalled, if I gave it less gas, the engine should
> have
> slowed down. Yes, much to my pleasure , the throttle was stuck fully
> open.
> I cruised along, slowly riding the brakes, to prevent liftoff or
> whatever
> happens to my car at 90mph. Fortunately, there was a rest area nearby,
> so I
> got off of the interstate still at quite high speed, shifted into
> neutral
> while the engine shot past the red line, and killed the car as I
> coasted
> into a parkingspot. After I did some high temperature adjustments, I
> got
> the car back on the road running well. However, the clutch felt a
> little
> funny after this. It felt slightly rough, I guess you could say.
> Anyways,
> after I got home that night, I hoped everything was okay. Surely
> enough, a
> friend and I were out in the car the next night and the clutch made a
> repeat of it's early summer performance.
>
> Things I don't do:
> 1. I don't ride the clutch at stoplights
> 2. I don't grind gears
>
> Things I do:
> 1. I double de-clutch with the car
> 2. I always do the 2nd gear to 1st gear trick for non-synchro 1st
> boxes
>
> Each time, the hydraulic system was properly bled, and flywheel looked
> to
> be in good condition. No obvious scoring or pitting that would 'eat'
> clutches. However, it was not resurfaced with any of the
> replacements.
> I plan to simply pull my current engine out of the car (an early
> sixties,
> 1147cc model) and, after a rebuild, plunk a more proper 1296cc engine
> I
> have into my car. Since I'll be pulling the tranny for the clutch
> again,
> I've decided to just go the other route and pull the engine instead.
> It
> leaks (I know, normal), burns quite a bit of oil in two of the four
> cylinders, and, well, I just want the additional power.
> I'm wondering if anyone has any idea why my car has taken such a
> liking to
> clutches. Is there some arcane druid ritual I'm forgetting after
> installing the clutch? Also, does anyone have the proper manifold to
> fit
> SU's to the 1296cc engine? I don't believe the one I currently have
> would
> work (though I'd be happy to know I'm wrong).
>
> Thanks for enduring my letter,
>
> Zach Zaletel
> 70 Spit Mk III
> McGill University
>
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