>Yes, a "new" problem with my TR6, hopefully a minor one. Starting this
>weekend, and progressively worsening, it is very difficult to get the
>car into gear with the clutch fully depressed. I first noticed it for
>reverse, but now it holds true for all gears. I need to use
>considerable force to engage a gear, an even then it is only with a
>"clunk" and a little grind. It is almost as if the clutch pedal can no
>longer be depressed far enough.
>Any ideas? Perhaps just some form of adjustment?
>Thanks a bunch,
>Sirmoog
Mark:
I suspect the clutch hydraulics, myself, (the master cylinder and/or the
slave cylinder) However, there is the possibility of a broken or breaking
taper pin. This pin is inside the gearbox bellhousing, and secures the
clutch release fork to the release shaft, and it is a common problem. If
this is the case, I'm afraid you've no choice but to take the gearbox out.
There are some measures you can take once the box is out of the car to make
sure this NEVER happens again, thank God. But for now, it'll probably be a
pain! If you do end up doing this, it would be fool-hardy not to also
replace the clutch components themselves. (clutch disc, pressure plate and
TO bearing)
Back to the hydraulics... You need to look under the car, on the left
side, while someone operates the clutch pedal, and try to measure the
movement of the release lever. This will tell you whether to suspect the
hydraulics or not. Measuring at the clevis pin that joins the slave
cylinder's pushrod to the release lever, see how far that pin moves as the
pedal is depressed. It should be about 5/8 of an inch. If it is
considerably less than that, then the hydraulics are not functioning
properly. If it is moving a full 5/8", then I would suspect the problem is
inside the bellhousing. Keep in mind that this measurement is not exact
down to the thousanth-of-an-inch... this is a difficult measurement to take
accurately with just a ruler...While you're there, make sure that the
clevis pin is attached through the center hole on the release lever. There
are three holes on the lever, but the center hole is where the pushrod is
supposed to attach.
You should also take a look at the linkage at the clutch pedal, as this
assembly wears an awful lot is is likely the origin of some lost motion,
which would take away the effeciency of the whole system. There is a
clevis pin, secured by a cotter pin (replace this cotter pin with a hitch
pin... much more convenient!) the clevis pin develops deep grooves where it
contacts the yoke of the mastercylinder pushrod, and the holes in that yoke
get elongated. This stuff is all under the dash, near the top of the
pedals.
Hope this helps!
Pete Chadwell
1973 TR6
P.S. Just get this one diagnosed yourself, then you can take it to a
mechanic and tell them which parts to replace!
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