I had a shop replace the clutch and master/slave cylinder in my '63 E-Type awhile ago. Never has been right. If the pedal is pushed all the way to the floor a horrendous grinding sound is heard. As the car warms what little pedal there is goes away requiring the engine to be shut off to engage first or reverse. Trying a new shop that thinks the clutch may have been installed backwards, but they cannot see enough to determine, and are thinking they need to remove the clutch to determine. Can the clutch be removed without the engine, or is it easier to pull engine and transmission as a unit? Any other thoughts/suggestions?
Randy;
My car is a 70 auto so personnel experience not much help, but I have read this site for
greater then20 years and do remember what I read, most of the time.
To get to the clutch you must remove the engine and transmission as a unit together !!! The V-12 Is not the same.
Good luck, Joel…
Also no way do I believe that the clutch friction plate can go in the wrong way and work, BTDT
Hi Randy,
Your problem is that the clutch is not disengaging enough and this is why there is gear grinding noise.
This is a VERY severe strain on the synchromesh so I suggest you not drive it until repaired. If you keep driving it, you will wear out your synchromesh and need a transmission rebuild. If you have driven it a lot, you may already have severely worn the synchromesh.
Let’s first check the clutch hydraulic circuit by asking you questions
-
What is the distance from the rubber face (that your shoe presses against) of the clutch pedal to the floor carpet that the clutch metal arm presses against when the pedal is fully pressed.
-
If, with engine off, if you put your hand on the rubber pad on the clutch pedal and try with very light pressure to press it, how much movement in inches do you get before it is hard to press with your hand using light pressure?
The distance in 1) above should be about 9 inches and the freeplay in 2) should be a 1/2 inch to an inch.
If the above measurements are ok, the next step is to ask you to take a photo of the Master Cylinder and of the Slave cylinder to see if they are the correct ones.
If the measurements above are not OK, we may have found an easy fix to your problem
Dennis
69 OTS
The grinding noise that is there when the pedal is pushed to the floor is definitely from the clutch, not the gearbox. I do not even have my hand on the shift lever. Let the pedal up a wee bit and it stops.
Wasn’t this exact issue already discussed here, or perhaps on the E Type Forum?
You mean you have the noise when the gearbox is in neutral and the pedal is pressed?
Can you explain “what little pedal there is”?
Dennis
Check, or have someone check to make sure there is free play in the lever at the slave cylinder. If everything is stock and correct, the 3.8 shop manual says 1/16" free travel on the clutch lever.
Yes, the gearbox is in neutral.
When cold, the clutch begins to engage about 1/2 inch to 1 inch from the firewall. As the car warms, that disappears and the engine must be shut off to get into gear.
Agreed on the free play on the slave. You can look in the inspection hole on the bellhousing and at rest should have 1/16 to an 1/8" between steel and carbon. It could be not bled right, wrong combination clutch disk release bearing combo. Sounds like you took it to a non jaguar shop. They shouldn’t have released it to you in that condition. You want to stop the noise, don’t push so far to the floor. I’m smiling here.
Yes, that sounds like it’s too tight. There’s an adjustment rod at the slave cylinder.
I assume you paid the shop to install the clutch. I would start by having them look at.
Is the shop familiar with E types? Not that it should really matter.
Sounds like you may have both a hydraulic issue and a TOB issue.
But I would give the shop a chance first.
Tom
Hi Randy, the grinding noise and lack of proper release and engagement of the clutch may be due to a defective throw out bearing. I know of two friends who purchased clutch kits from the OEM. In both cases the throw out bearings were at fault. NOS throw out bearings are usually painted blue and have a very smooth graphite surface, these problematic bearings were not painted and the graphite surface was very course and abrasive. The shop may have done a good job but the parts were substandard.
Regards,
Allen
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IMHO based on what has been said something big time is wrong with the clutch you say it won’t go into gear …….not an adjustment problem with grinding noise in neutral. With the tranny in neutral grinding is metal on metal and shouldn’t happen
Your looking at pulling the engine so you need to exhaust all the other possibilities first
Wrong master
Wrong slave
Push rod length or adjustment
The clutch not disengaging is a concern that probably requires removal
Sorry
Your in neutral…you get a grinding noise when you press the pedal…it cant be adjustment or wrong master/slave as this just affects the amount of movement of the release/throwout out bearing…sounds to my like the carbon on the bearing has fallen off or broken up…so the grinding is the metal of the bearing on the clutch cover…there is a hole in the bottom of the bell houseing…you can look is at the bearing…or use an endescope…either way the engine needs to come out…Steve…ps wonder if they fitted a metal roller bearing throwout/release bearing
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You must pull the engine: without butchery, it cannot be done otherwise.
The clutch plate sure can be installed backwards, even if I dont think its the problem here.
Some years ago I dismantled an XK120 and found the clutch plate installed wrong. I had not started this Jag before I took it apart, so I dont know how it sounded, but looking at the plate it must have been a terrible noice.
Hello Paul,
Can the clutch be installed backwards and could that be the source of the noise?
The ex-mechanic believed it to be from the wrong master cylinder. I got the one with the ports at 90 degrees to each other to replace the one on the car. The new mechanic feels that is not right because the plumbing would require replacement to fit the 90 degree master.
It could, but that would likely cause noise constantly.
Does it cause the noise right at initial engagement of the TO, or just at the distal end of travel?
No, the noise only happens as the pedal reaches the firewall.