Hey guys,
I appears that my clutch or pilot bushing is seized and I cannot shift into gear with the motor running. I have to remove the motor and gearbox to inspect and replace as needed (again!). Who here has had a clutch job done at a shop and what did you pay for that service?
John, Has it been a while since you drove it? That symptom is consistent with the clutch adhering/rusting on to the flywheel. If so, that does not require engine removal to resolve. Perhaps you know what I mean and have already eliminated that diagnosis.
John,
IIRC, the flat-rate time to R&R the engine is something like 20 hours, so I would expect a tab on the order of $2500.
I’m dying to know what, exactly, has gone wrong in there. It’s a very odd problem indeed (and definitely NOT the clutch plate rusted to the flywheel).
Regards,
Ray L.
If it is as I suspect and the clutch has rusted itself to the flywheel, there are posts on what to do. I suggest the following:
- With plenty of room in front of the car.
- Please the gearbox in 4th gear
- Press on the clutch pedal fully
- Press on the brake pedal
- Crank the engine
If you are fortunate, the car will lurch forward a bit and the clutch will free itself as the starter motor forces the flywheel to turn while the brakes prevent the clutch from turning.
Ray, How do you conclude it is not a seized clutch?
John, Can you depress the clutch pedal or not?
Liam,
The clutch pedal, hydraulics and throw out fork and bearing action has been verified and is working properly. The pedal moves the clutch diaphragm springs inward but the gearbox continues to spin so fast I cannot engage any gear with the engine on. We suspected the pilot bush may have seized or the clutch is defective. Either way we need to remove the engine and gearbox to inspect and repair.
The clutch plate being stuck to the flywheel would create the same issue, but If I engage a gear with the engine off, and engage the E-Brake, then start the motor with the clutch in fully, the wheels do not turn. But if I let off the Clutch pedal then the wheels begin to spin overcoming the E-brake. That led me to believe the clutch friction plate is not stuck to the flywheel.
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I helped John re-install his engine/gearbox just a few months ago. It has not sat long enough for the disc to be rusted to the flywheel. Also, the problem started very soon after his first drive, with the clutch only sometimes not disengaging fully. It got worse from there, before reaching the current status, where it will not disengage at all.
After checking everything that can be checked externally, the only conclusion we could reach is something has gone wrong inside the bellhousing, with a failed pressure plate being the most likely culprit. My guess is, when it’s taken apart again, it will turn out the pressure plate has a cracked diaphragm, a failed rivet, or some other manufacturing defect or failure. It is possible the input shaft has seized to the pilot bushing, but that seems very unlikely to me.
Regards,
Ray L.
I would suggest that you check whether the clutch pedal has enough stroke to disengage the clutch too. How much free play is there with the clutch pedal when you push it but before it gets hard and starts to move the pressure plate? There should be about an inch.
Also, is the clutch pedal clevis fork ovaled? If it is, you can find out by grabbing the clutch pedal with your hand (engine off) and trying to pull it towards the rear of the car. Any freeplay found means you have less stroke actually actuating the clutch pressure plate.
Dennis 69 OTS
Oh, man…you have my condolences…
That sounds like the clutch is very close to releasing rather than something really stuck, broken &/or failing to release. It is what you get if the clutch hydraulics are not fully bled but you have probably eliminated that possibility.
Can you get the clutch to release by rapidly pumping the clutch pedal several times?
I don’t know what holes are in the bellhousing on a S1 but a endoscope might give you a look at quite a bit of the works (combined with rotation the engine during the inspection).
I know I’d be checking a lot of stuff before dropping the engine again – hoping to know for sure what failed before repeating that task.
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I get you…
(Firstly, let me say that I have not yet had the pleasure of changing a clutch on an XKE.) Was the flywheel removed when the recent work was done? I am wondering if a flywheel bolt loosened over time and if its locktab is close enough to the clutch disc (or too far away) to have possibly failed and spun or bent so it can now contact the disc. I don’t know if these are miles apart, and a ridiculous conjecture, or not. Just wondering.
…may your life remain so blessed.
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it sounds like you have a mismatched pressure plate / release bearing. there must have been some bad parts numbers or advice from suppliers. this problem seems to be widespread, especially in usa?
I am not specifically familiar with the E Type clutch, however in my younger days I changed over 300 clutches. I believe it may not be much different to the MK2 clutch.
Is it possible that you have fitted the friction plate back to front causing a fouling of the centre boss of the plate.?
A friend of mine made this mistake with similar symptoms. The bellhousing eventually cracked around the large input bearing… big oil leak finally prompted him to pull the assembly.
I did this on my first clutch job, Hillman Hunter, no way was that clutch releasing from the get go.
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did the clutch ever work correctly and if so for how long.
I am now praying that mine is in the right way
John my experience is that if the disc is dragging you cannot put it into gear. Are you sure that you are getting the full stroke on the lever?
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